Top 5 Takeaways From Our April Open House Meetings

April 30, 2018

It’s been a busy and exciting month us here at DCTA! April has afforded us the opportunity to connect with the public and receive feedback by way of our open house meetings we held in Denton, Highland Village and Lewisville. We had many great conversations with the community and are thankful and appreciative of those who could attend and share their feedback with us.

While there is a lot of information covered during the open house meetings, we gathered some of the presentation topics we received the most feedback on and spent the most time talking with the community about.

Below are the top five takeaways from the main topics that were discussed during our meetings:

 

Regional Fare Changes

Why is DCTA considering raising regional fares in August 2018? DART and Trinity Metro (formerly the Fort Worth Transportation Authority) are raising their regional fares by 20 percent. We currently participate in a regional fare program with DART and Trinity Metro to simplify transfers between systems DART and Trinity Metro are raising their regional fares by 20 percent.

We want to remain a part of the regional fare system so we can continue to provide customers with access to the entire transit system in the DFW metroplex with one pass. DCTA is not proposing any increase to local fares.

 

August 2018 Service Changes

There are some major service changes happening in August 2018, and here’s what you can expect:

• Proposed service changes in Lewisville (going from two routes to four routes and an on-demand zone).
• Proposed changes to the Eagle Point route (UNT Campus Shuttle) that will provide additional access to the campus.
• Proposing to reduce the shuttle frequency from 20 minutes to 30 minutes to meet system-wide service standards.
• Proposing to increase the hours of operation to better meet customer demand and connection to the A-train.
• The shuttle route, flag stops, and park and ride locations will remain the same.

 

Alliance Link
We have collaborated with public and private stakeholders to provide on-demand, first/last mile shuttle service in Alliance, providing seamless access to major employers. The overall goal is to improve access to jobs by providing enhanced connectivity between Alliance and potential employee pools in Denton. The shuttle will connect with the North Texas Xpress bus route into Alliance and will operate Monday through Sunday from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The shuttle service will last for nine months and will only cost riders $1 each trip through the Alliance Link mobile app. For more information, visit RideAllianceLink.com.

 

A-train Rail Trail
Construction of the final section of the Eagle Point section of the Hike and Bike Trail will begin summer 2018. The last quarter mile of the north end of the A-train Rail Trail will meander through park property controlled by the Corps of Engineers.

 

EPA Brownfield
Last year, DCTA was awarded $178,200 as one of two recipients in Texas to conduct an Environmental Site Assessment on our property located at the Rail Operations and Maintenance Facility in Lewisville. The funds will be used to conduct a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment, which includes testing for petroleum and hazardous materials. The targeted area is a total of 77.5 acres and DCTA is currently evaluating proposals for subsurface investigation.

 

We have numerous projects happening in the next couple of months and the rider feedback we’ve received to enhance service and projects for the many communities the agency serves has been invaluable. If you couldn’t make it out, don’t fret! The April 2018 Open House Meeting presentation is online until May 4, 2018, which means there are still a few days left for you to review and provide your feedback online.

Were you able to make it to our meetings? Tell us in the comment section your thoughts about the meetings to help us keep the conversation going so we can provide you with the best service possible!

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