TRANSIT ALERT-LAST CHANCE TO SPEAK OUT

The next two months should prove to be productive ones for the people who’ve worked closely on the Dallas-area transit program. It’s getting dangerously close to the April deadline for submission of a transit plan to the City of Dallas and its 20 surrounding municipal councils. The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) board and the transit task force are pooling efforts to determine public opinion before a final plan is drawn.

The three top transit plans will be revealed to the public February 3. According to Cinde Weatherby, DART administrative director, only one mode of transportation will be included in all three plans; the difference in the plans will lie in policy, timing and finance. Approximately 50 public meetings have been scheduled in 21 communities between February 14 and March 31.

The format of the meetings will be the same. A brief overview of the three transportation plans will open each meeting, with explanations from DART, the task force and neighborhood volunteers. A slide show describing the three plans will be next, followed by a question-and-answer session. At the end of each meeting, surveys questioning plan preferences will be distributed. But, Walt Humann, chairman of the task force, says that using the meetings as the only method of reaching the public would be “putting all eggs in one basket. “

In an effort to reach people who may not attend the meetings, DART has set up a massive polling system. The Times Herald and The Morning News plan to insert surveys in upcoming issues, and at least 300 area companies will distribute the questionnaires to employees.

One plan will be submitted to the councils in April, and a final plan will be drawn 45 days later. Many people speculate that a public election on transit will be held August 13, which will be the last chance for the public to speak out on transportation.