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Clean Air for All
Web Site Mobilizes Residents Striving for Better Environment
In recent years, the air quality message has spread as more people have begun to understand its effect on quality of life. Going green has become popular with all age groups and in several industries. But the abundance of information can be overwhelming.
The North Central Texas
Council of Governments
recently launched Air North
Texas, a campaign aimed at
helping area residents
understand the air quality
problem – and how to
contribute to a solution.
Air North Texas encourages
residents to make informed
choices that will help improve
the air for the entire region.
North Texans have several tools
to help them improve air
quality and their environmental consciousness.
Resources
Air North Texas
Try Parking It
Questions/Comments - Contact Us
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For example, Tryparkingit.com
allows workers who carpool,
vanpool, ride transit, or
telecommute to keep an online
record of the miles they have
saved by not commuting alone.
To date, commuters using the
site have cut their driving by more than 1.8 million miles
since October 2006.
The nine-county North Texas
area is an ozone nonattainment
region, meaning it does not
comply with the Environmental
Protection Agency’s standards
for allowable ozone pollution.
Regional leaders are working together on several programs
in an effort to bring North
Texas into compliance by this
year. The ozone concentration
level has steadily declined in
recent years. By mobilizing
residents with a willingness
to contribute to a cleaner
environment, Air North Texas
can play an integral role in
improving the Dallas-Fort
Worth area’s air quality.
The campaign’s Web site,
www.airnorthtexas.org, offers
tips on how everyone in North Texas can be more efficient and
friendlier to the environment
every day.
Persuading commuters
to alter their driving habits is
important in a region where
traffic congestion is inescapable.
But driving less is just one of
many options available to those
who want to contribute to a
cleaner environment. Residents
can also make more energy-efficient choices at home, ensure
their vehicles are maintained
properly, or even tell a friend
about Air North Texas. All
these and more will make the
air easier to breathe. It doesn’t
require a drastic lifestyle
change, just small, consistent
steps. Taken collectively, by
residents of different ages, they
can make a significant difference.
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Air North Texas is just the
latest piece of NCTCOG’s comprehensive approach to improving air quality. As the site grows, it could become a portal through which other programs are accessible. For now, it will continue to offer an important reminder that any contribution, small or large, represents an important step toward improved air quality.
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Region Looks to Austin for Help with Key Transportation Projects
A Message from Michael Morris, Transportation Director
The 81st session of the
Legislature began January
13, and the Regional
Transportation Council has
adopted a legislative approach
it hopes will improve congestion
throughout the region. Expansion
of the region’s passenger rail
system has been a top priority
since 2003, but it is only one
part of the focused plan designed
over the past several months.
An explanation of each
component of the RTC’s five-point
plan follows. This
consensus was developed
before asking legislators and,
ultimately, the public, to
embrace the vision put forth
by regional policymakers.
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Graphic: DART
Photo: NCTCOG
Resources
Rail North Texas
Legislative Affairs
Regional Toll Revenue Reports
Questions/Comments - Contact Us
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Expand passenger rail.
The RTC has worked for more than a year on its lastest plan to expand rail 251 miles, to points beyond the current transit agency boundaries. For the third straight session, North Texas officials are seeking funding for extended rail service. The Legislature is considering the Texas Local Option Transportation Act, under which residents across the region may soon be voting on a menu of taxes and fees to fund transportation
improvements in their communities. This plan would not require creation of a fourth transit agency.
Expedite transportation projects.
The state’s current transportation financial crisis has leaders looking for innovative ways of funding the projects necessary to meet the continued demands of the fast-growing region. North Texas needs an additional $109 billion through 2030 to eliminate its most severe congestion. Expediting key projects such as North Tarrant Express, Southwest Parkway, and the Trinity Parkway will help unlock some of the region’s
most infamous traffic hotspots. And these projects could provide revenue streams for the future.
Protect excess revenue.
Toll road agreements that result in excess revenue should benefit the regions in which they are made. The Regional Transportation Council believes the money should be spent locally and not be redirected to other obligations in Austin.
Capitalize the Rail Relocation and Improvement Fund.
Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2005 creating this account, which would help move rail lines from densely populated areas. The problem is it has not been funded. With an infusion of capital, the Legislature could provide much of the money necessary to unclog the bottleneck created at Tower 55, the busiest rail intersection in the country. A solution for Tower 55 would help traffic in the region and across the country.
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Change Senate Bill 792.
This legislation froze the development of most privately financed toll roads in Texas for two years. Dallas-Fort Worth projects were exempt, but have had to go through a market valuation process that is slowing their
development. The RTC wants a more streamlined process that will still involve all our road-building partners. We need to take advantage of the strengths of the Texas Department of Transportation, the North Texas Tollway Authority, and the council of governments. Working together, we can deliver key projects that
have been slow to develop over the years.
Since 2000, the nine-county metropolitan area has grown by 1.2 million people. As the region continues to welcome new residents, a multimodal approach, funded by a variety of sources, will be increasingly important. Indeed, the financial crisis in transportation has necessitated a different approach from what
was done in the past. No longer can we solely rely on gas-tax revenue. The continual decline in miles driven and the preference for more fuel efficiency are leading to a drop in gas-tax revenue. The positive side of this is that transit ridership has steadily increased.
North Texas has become a leader in innovative finance. And we must continue seeking opportunities to use our valuable transportation assets to build a system that will meet the needs of an expanding population. State Highway 121 is giving the region a needed boost in transportation funding, and a similar agreement with State Highway 161 is expected to help other regional projects.
Transportation leaders understand no one option will solve the region’s congestion problems. The Regional Transportation Council has crafted a legislative plan believed to address a wide range of issues across the region, with a true multimodal approach.
To unclog our roads, we must focus not on simply expanding them or building new ones. The multimodal approach will bring true choice to the region and insulate residents from unexpected spikes in the cost of commuting. After all… mobility matters.
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Chief Likes Multimodal Approach to Congestion
Regional Transportation Council Member Profile - Mike Leyman, Councilmember,
City of Mansfield
Mike Leyman is in his office talking about his responsibilities as police chief of a 31,000-student school district. He’s not dressed in his familiar police uniform, but he has an excuse. Later this day, he has a City Council meeting. When he wraps up his day at the school district police department, he’ll make his way to City Hall. He won’t be
presenting anything on behalf of the Mansfield school district. Instead, he’ll take his place beside his council colleagues.
Since being elected in 2007 to
the council, Leyman has helped
steer the city he once served as
police chief.
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Click here or on map to see
larger version.
Resources
City of Mansfield
Regional Transportation Council
Questions/Comments - Contact Us
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Leyman is heavily involved in
the educational and municipal functions of Mansfield. But his
influence stretches to other
points throughout the region.
Since 2007 Leyman has been
a member of the Regional
Transportation Council, the
transportation policymaking
body for the Dallas-Fort Worth
metropolitan area.
Leyman was hired as police
chief of Mansfield school
district in 2004. He oversees
18 officers and three sergeants
in this rapidly expanding
district.
Mansfield has been transformed
over the past few decades, with
new schools, businesses, and
housing developments springing
up to meet
the demand
of the rapid
population
expansion.
One look at
State Highway
360 during rush
hour will
demonstrate
how different it
is from 30 years
ago, when
Leyman came
to Mansfield as
the city’s police
chief. The city
had just a few
thousand
residents then.
Today, about
56,000 people
call it home,
and the city’s
main north-south
highway
is in desperate
need of
expansion.
Leyman wants
to see SH 360
transformed in a similar way
to how U.S. Highway 75 was
in Dallas a few years ago. |
Construction of the State
Highway 161 extension to the
east will bring some relief, but
SH 360 still needs to be addressed
to accommodate
the development
at its southern
terminus and
beyond, he said.
As a member
of the 43-person
RTC, he has
influence over
what is done
with SH 360.
But he is quick
to point out
that the
solution to the
metropolitan
area’s
transportation
problems is
cooperation.
It is important
to do what’s
best for the
region, not just
a city or county,
said Leyman,
named
Mansfield’s
“Citizen of the
Year” in 1984
by the Chamber
of Commerce.
One of his favorite things about
the RTC is the discussion and
debate about important transportation issues. But he
and his colleagues try to speak
with their actions. Leyman said
there are similarities between
the RTC and Mansfield City
Council.
“Both entities are trying to deal
with needs we’re already way
behind in,” he said. “We’re in
the process of playing catch
up.”
One of the areas where the
city and region want to catch
up is mass transit. Leyman
said he looks forward to
rail service in Mansfield
opening up many possibilities
for residents to enjoy leisure
activities without having
to drive outside the city.
Leyman sees the improvement
of traffic in Mansfield as a
multi-step process. The main
lanes of SH 360 and rail will
both play important roles,
he said.
Some aren’t so sure rail would
help their commutes, he said.
But even if rail doesn’t affect
all drivers directly, there will
be a clear indirect benefit:
fewer people on the roads,
leading to easier commutes.
In a fast-growing region of
more than 6 million people,
that’s a valuable benefit.
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Mobility Matters is prepared in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration. The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the opinions, findings and conclusions presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration or the Texas Department of Transportation. |
