TRANSPORTATION
Top transportation stories to watch in 2023
Electric scooter program set to return to Dallas streets in 2023
OTHER PROJECTS TO FOLLOW IN 2023
HOLLY HILL DR.
BY JACKSON KING
The rules also lower the maximum speeds of scooters in high-activity areas and require scooters to be placed in underserved neighborhoods. In addition, the scooter companies will be required to address sidewalk obstructions or a device in the road- way within two hours of a complaint. One of the major requirements for the scooter companies is putting 15% of their eets in designated equal opportunity zones and no more than 25% in high-activity areas, Scott said. “We’ll be checking in on those metrics daily,” she said. City o cials plan to evaluate the scooter program every 90 days, Scott said. Positive evaluations could allow companies to add 250 more scooters up to a maximum of 1,250 scooters per company. Scott said the speed limit for scooters is 20 mph, but it will be limited to 10 mph in six high-activity areas where the scooter speeds are automatically reduced. These areas
Dallas is planning to bring electric scooters back to city streets in mid-February, according to city o cials. According to Jessica Scott, bicycle and micromobility manager for the Dallas Department of Transporta- tion, 1,500 scooters will be available from three permitted vendors: Bird, Lime and Superpedestrian. Each company will have 500 scooters, per the permits they signed with Dallas o cials. Scooters were banned by Dallas o cials in September 2020 amid concerns about public safety and city oversight during the pandemic. Dallas City Council approved new regulations for scooter usage during a June 22 regular meeting. The approved rules limit the devices to be rented from 5 a.m.-9 p.m. by people who are age 16 and older. After 9 p.m., scooters will be unable to be used.
EASTRIDGE DR.
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Ridgecrest Road pavement reinforcement
This project, which is occurring on Ridgecrest Road from Holly Hill Drive to the Sopac Trail east of Eastridge Drive, includes improving the exist- ing asphalt street with reinforced concrete pavement. The project will also see improvements made to drainage and sidewalks on Ridgecrest Road. Timeline: February 2023- November 2024 Cost: $1.5 million Funding source: 2017 Dallas bond program
Dallas is planning to bring electric scooters back to city streets in February, according to o cials. (Courtesy Bird)
include Deep Ellum, the Bishop Arts District, the West End Historic District, the Dallas Farmers Market, the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge and Victory Park. Those riding scooters are not able to ride on sidewalks, in public parks or on roads where the speed limit is higher than 35 mph. Riders must also travel in the same direction as tra c on the street and yield to pedestrians on trails, according to Dallas regulations.
Study nds that Dallas County has 20 of the busiest roads in Texas
Dallas Area Rapid Transit GoLink will have an altered schedule in 2023. (Courtesy Dallas Area Rapid Transit)
While still below prepandemic levels, tra c congestion continues to grow on Texas roadways, and 20 of the most gridlocked roadways are located in Dallas County, according to a Texas A&M Transportation Institute report. The annual report showed an increase in congested highways and streets in 2021, with 20 of the top 100 located locally. The report started in 2009 and rates the 100 busiest segments of roadways in the state with a study looking at congestion and the delay it costs in terms of time spent stuck in gridlock. There were 1,860 roadways in 23 urban areas that were reviewed during the study—funded by the Texas Department of Transporta- tion—which looked at how much longer drivers were on the road in tra c jams compared to noncon- gested conditions. BY KEVIN CUMMINGS & CODY THORN
in the next 25 years,” said David Schrank, the TTI’s lead researcher on the annual study. “With that kind of growth, Texas needs to use every possible means to keep people and goods moving. We need to add capac- ity, operate the system e ciently and give people options for how to travel.” The Dallas-Fort Worth area accounted for 37 of the top 100 busiest roadways—up from 34 in 2021. Dallas County lays claim to 18 of the top 100 busiest roadways in Texas, including three in the top 10. Woodall Rodgers Freeway between US 75 and North Beckley Avenue took the No. 2 spot in the state causing more than 1 million hours of delays and more than $34.2 million lost due to congestion. That was followed by I-345, which came in at No. 7, and US 75 between I-635 and Woodall Rodgers Freeway, which came in at No. 9.
The delays have a large nancial impact. According to research done as part of the study, a total of $3.8 billion was lost between wasted fuel and lost time in 2021. Truck congestion costs were $620 million during that time period. The 2021 numbers showed an increase, but the report stated the COVID-19 e ects still had conditions below the prepandemic congestion. The West Loop in Houston was the most gridlocked stretch in 2021 for the second year in a row, and eight of the top 10 busiest roadways in the state remained unchanged from the previous two years. Researchers emphasized tra c will eventually return to familiar intensity as the state’s population grows and its economy recovers, according to a press release. “Tra c congestion isn’t just a big-city problem, and that problem is almost sure to get worse as our pop- ulation surges by almost 20 million
DART GoLink to expand hours of operation in 2023 Dallas Area Rapid Transit is making “major improvements” to its bus routes and GoLink services beginning Jan. 23, according to a news release from the transit organization. Per the release, DART GoLink will widen its hours of operation to seven days per week from 5 a.m.-midnight in all DART zones. The jointly operated Inland Port Connect zone will continue to operate Monday-Friday from 5 a.m.- 8 p.m. GoLink—DART’s personalized on-demand service—allows riders to book rides in advance using the GoLink app or by calling 214-515-7272. To use DART GoLink, riders must meet their on-demand drivers at a designated GoLink zone. In addition to the modi ed time schedule, DART will return 22 bus routes to 15-minute peak service. Those routes were modi ed in June due to labor shortages. More information on the changes, including a list of all bus routes being restored to peak service, can be found at www.dart.org/servicechange.
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