Inmotion Westward Expansion MAY 2017 JPMorgan Chase FedEx Office Toyota JCPenney One Legacy West Frito-Lay Expanded bus service offers more options for commuting to Plano’s Legacy Business Park KEY Route 211 Route 346 Route 208 SPRING CREEK PKWY The Shops at Legacy LEGACY DR West Plano is booming. Northwest Plano Park & Ride In the Legacy West development – west of the Dallas North Tollway, that is – major corporations are transforming once empty fields into regional and national headquarters. Developers are creating mixed-use communities, which will provide nearby dining, shopping, entertainment and housing. As the population of this area grows, so does the traffic. And DART has responded. Continued on Page 28 Liberty Mutual HEADQUARTERS DR THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT Granite Park P G A R NIT E K W Y PARKWOOD BLVD COMMUNICATIONS PKWY C O DALLAS NORTH TOLLWAY R 211 P O R A T E 346 D R N SAM RAYBURN TOLLWAY LEGACY DR T E 208 NY SON PKWY
Westward Expansion Crosstown travel in Plano became easier once DART introduced Express Bus Route 211 in March. The new route travels nonstop between Parker Road Station in East Plano and the Northwest Plano Park & Ride in 26 minutes. Buses continue to stop near major employers along Communications Parkway and Headquarters Drive, including the One Legacy West office tower, Liberty Mutual, JPMorgan Chase, FedEx Office, Toyota and Frito-Lay. Commuters will shave 17 minutes off their transit commute by riding Express service, and enjoy a faster and more comfortable ride (see Page 6). During peak hours, Express Route 211 buses depart every 15 minutes. Existing bus routes extend to employment centers Also in March, the agency extended existing Express Bus Route 208 so commuters from Downtown Dallas could get to more Legacy West companies. Buses continue from the Northwest Plano Park & Ride on select trips during the morning and afternoon rush hours. The agency reworked Local Bus Route 346 to serve employment destinations that other routes do not reach, such as Granite Park, Yum! Restaurants International and two Bank of America corporate offices. Route 346 operates during peak periods only. 8Continued from front page Collaboration is key DART is working with city staff, employers, developers and other stakeholders to identify ways to increase public transportation use in Plano’s Legacy area. Their goal: decrease the number of single-occupancy vehicles on the road during peak traffic hours. “You can’t fix traffic with money and concrete alone,” Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere said at his annual “State of the City” address given in January. “The only way to improve mobility in Plano, and in our region, is a shift in mind-set. As the northernmost city with DART, we will continue to leverage that asset.” Creating a Complete Trip In addition to expanding bus service, Plano and DART are exploring how to expand use of other first-mile/last-mile transportation options, including: • Bike sharing • Car sharing • Circulator shuttles • Ride sharing • Vanpools • Walking or cycling Rail customers now can transfer to Express Route 211 buses, which travel nonstop between Parker Road Station (pictured above) and the Northwest Plano Park & Ride, then go to stops near several Legacy West employers. 2
Growing Travel Options Mobility is key to keeping Legacy West competitive Within two years, more than 15,000 people will be working in Legacy West, making the entire Legacy Business Park one of the largest employment centers in the state. Traffic is already a major issue in West Plano and the city predicts it will get worse. Toyota Motor North America’s new corporate headquarters and regional headquarters for both Liberty Mutual and JPMorgan Chase are all due for completion later this year. Developer Gaedeke Group has built One Legacy West, a 14-story office tower, and The Karahan Companies is creating the mixed-use Legacy West urban village. Study assessed traffic conditions Plano, DART and Collin County collaborated to fund the Plano Legacy Business Area Mobility Study to better understand the challenges that come with this growth. Consultants from Kimley-Horn researched both traffic conditions and commuter opinions. They found that most of the people in the Legacy business area are office employees commuting by car to work. DART’s March 2017 bus service improvements in the Legacy Business Park are one tactic to help reduce the number of vehicles on the roadways. To complement that step, Plano’s Transportation Engineering division is retiming the traffic lights citywide to synchronize traffic flow and reduce the number of accidents that cause backups and delays. 3 On select trips, Express Route 208 buses continue from the Northwest Plano Park & Ride to stops near corporate campuses in the Legacy West area. The city is actively promoting greater use of DART’s bus and rail services, as well as other traffic management strategies like staggered commute times, vanpools and car sharing. But these proposals will require buy-in by employers and employees alike. “As Collin County continues to grow, it is imperative that businesses continue to encourage employees to seek transportation solutions through public transit, ride sharing or a multimodal approach. Businesses in Plano have been leading the charge in this area,” said Jamee Jolly, president/CEO of the Plano Chamber of Commerce. Commute matters when attracting talent Jolly said she believes that good public transportation and walkable communities will play a large role in attracting the next generation of employers and employees to the city. Justin Roche, general manager at The Shops at Legacy, echoed those sentiments. The tremendous job growth is increasing competition for quality employees, and, according to Roche, DART’s expanded bus service will allow shops and restaurants to draw from an employee pool made larger by more transportation options. “Improvements to the public transit system means that more people – customers, visitors, employees and residents – can easily enjoy all that The Shops at Legacy and the Legacy area have to offer,” Roche said.
D-Link Rocks Deep Ellum Downtown circulator extends route Downtown Dallas visitors, residents and workers have a new option for reaching Deep Ellum. D-Link (DART Bus Route 722) now stops along Good-Latimer Expressway between Elm and Main streets, convenient to most of the district’s live music venues, restaurants and shops. As part of the March 13 service change, DART expanded the downtown circulator’s route to the popular entertainment district. The hours of service are 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. “D-Link going to this part of town is exciting news for everyone who works in, lives in or visits Downtown Dallas,” said Shalissa Perry, chief marketing officer for Downtown Dallas, Inc. “The new stops make it even easier to explore this eclectic neighborhood and discover all of the great places to shop, dine and enjoy an evening with friends.” As awareness grows that D-Link now serves Deep Ellum, Perry said she believes more people will take advantage of the free shuttle. “There has been a paradigm shift in how we view mobility,” Perry said. “Many formerly car-centric consumers – particularly those that live or work in and around downtown – don’t want to COST: Free HOURS: 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday FREQUENCY: About every 15 minutes SERVES: • Deep Ellum • Dallas Farmers Market District • Main Street District • Reunion District • Uptown • Dallas Arts District have to get in a car to go to lunch or run an errand. Like me, they want a robust, convenient public transit system that provides them with options. DART provides a real benefit to residents, visitors and workers alike.” D-Link buses are easy to spot with their bright magenta-and-yellow paint scheme. The service is free thanks to a partnership among DART, Downtown Dallas, Inc. and the city of Dallas. 8 Learn more: DART.org/DLink D-Link now stops in Deep Ellum, giving people a new transit option for getting to and from the lively entertainment district. 4
DART Current and Future Rail Services A-train to Denton (operated by DCTA) NW PLANO PARK & RIDE PLANO i JACK HATCHELL TRANSIT CTR. Pres g NORTH CARROLLTON/FRANKFORD TRINITY MILLS CARROLLTON ADDISON RICHARDSON DOWNTOWN CARROLLTON DFW NORTH TEX Rail Project (under construction by FWTA) Terminal B DFW AIRPORT Terminal A DFW BELT LINE NORTH LAKE COLLEGE LAS COLINAS URBAN CENTER BACHMAN UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS LOVE FIELD BURBANK IRVING To Fort Worth CENTREPORT/ DFW AIRPORT WEST IRVING DOWNTOWN IRVING/ HERITAGE CROSSING MEDICAL/ MARKET CENTER UNIVERSITY PARK HIGHLAND PARK INWOOD/LOVE FIELD SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL DISTRICT/ PARKLAND MARKET CENTER VICTORY UNION STATION y COCKRELL HILL TRE to Fort Worth BELL RICHLAND HILLS WESTMORELAND 8TH & CORINTH DALLAS ZOO TYLER/VERNON HAMPTON MORRELL ILLINOIS KIEST FORT WORTH ITC T&P STATION VICTORY WEST TRANSFER CTR. WEST END AKARD ROSA PARKS PLAZA UNION STATION UNION STATION CONVENTION CENTER Projects under development in Downtown Dallas: • Dallas CBD Second Light Rail Alignment (D2) • Dallas Streetcar Central Link EAST TRANSFER CTR. ST. PAUL DEEP ELLUM PEARL/ARTS DISTRICT GLENN HEIGHTS GLENN HEIGHTS PARK & RIDE UNT DALLAS Rail System Legend Currently Operating DART Rail Red Line DART Rail Blue Line DART Rail Green Line DART Rail Orange Line DART Rail Orange Line (Selected Weekday Trips Rush Hour Only) Trinity Railway Express (TRE) DCTA A-train M-Line Trolley Dallas Streetcar FORT WORTH RED BIRD TRANSIT CTR. VA MEDICAL CENTER LEDBETTER CAMP WISDOM LAKE JUNE BUCKNER CONVENTION CENTER CEDARS MOCKINGBIRD DALLAS CITYPLACE/UPTOWN DEEP ELLUM BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER FAIR PARK MLK, JR. LAWNVIEW HATCHER WHITE ROCK LOVERS LANE White Rock Lake LAKE RAY HUBBARD TRANSIT CTR. ROYAL LANE WALNUT HILL/DENTON IRVING CONVENTION CENTER FOREST LANE PARK LANE WALNUT HILL S. GARLAND TRANSIT CTR. Lake Ray Hubbard LAKE HIGHLANDS FOREST/JUPITER LBJ/SKILLMAN ROWLETT FARMERS BRANCH FARMERS BRANCH LBJ/CENTRAL ADDISON TRANSIT CTR. SPRING VALLEY GARLAND DOWNTOWN GARLAND DOWNTOWN ROWLETT ARAPAHO CENTER urnpike T 12TH STREET GALATYN PARK CITYLINE/BUSH PARKER ROAD DOWNTOWN PLANO SHILOH ROAD Inset Map Planning/Design Underway Cotton Belt Proposed Cotton Belt station 5 T e r e Bu i v s n i r i R t o r PEARL/ARTS DISTRICT ST. PAUL AKARD WEST END Dallas North Tollway d e h n t Ge TEX Rail
DART Welcomes MegaFest Attendees MegaFest returns to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center this June for the third time. An estimated 100,000 people from across North Texas and the country will attend the event – and a lot of them will ride DART’s buses and trains for the first time. Hosted by Dallas-based The Potter’s House, MegaFest is a four-day, family-oriented festival. Downtown Dallas has become a preferred location for the event partly because of DART, which can transport attendees to the convention center and to airports, hotels, restaurants and other area attractions. “Having a respected transportation partner like DART is paramount in ensuring our city continues to show the world the unlimited possibilities Dallas offers,” said Bruce Lankford, director of conferences and events at The Potter’s House. DART volunteers will be available at the conference venue and select rail platforms to assist MegaFest participants and give the transit agency a friendly face. In turn, MegaFest promotes DART as the event’s official transportation provider on its digital and social media channels – exposing DART to a broad audience nationally and locally. The agency hopes that some of these event-based riders will continue to ride DART. “It’s one thing for a consumer to see an ad or read a social media post about riding DART. It’s quite another for them to experience it first-hand,” said Nevin Grinnell, DART vice president and chief marketing officer. In 2015, DART transported MegaFest attendees by bus between event venues and to light rail stations.
DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS P.O. BOX 660163 DALLAS, TX 75266-7203 Inmotion Address Service Requested THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT Nevin Grinnell Vice President Chief Marketing Officer Morgan Lyons Assistant Vice President External Relations Linda Webb-Mañon Senior Manager External Communications Lyle Miller Senior Manager Creative Services Denise Johnson Manager Customer Information/Production Christine Wilson Senior Graphic Designer Karen Ptacek Linda Webb-Mañon Writers Lupe Hernandez Reginald Loftin Photographers To subscribe or update your subscription, contact us: Online: www.DART.org/publications Phone: 214.749.3249 Mail: CONNECT WITH DART DART Board of Directors Faye Moses Wilkins Plano, Farmers Branch Chair Richard Carrizales Dallas Vice Chair Gary Slagel Richardson, University Park, Addison, Highland Park Secretary Jerry Christian Dallas Assistant Secretary Sue Bauman – Dallas Mark C. Enoch – Garland, Rowlett, Glenn Heights Pamela Dunlop Gates – Dallas Tim Hayden – Carrollton, Irving Jonathan R. Kelly – Garland Patrick Kennedy – Dallas Michele Wong Krause – Dallas Amanda Moreno – Dallas Rick Stopfer – Irving William Velasco II – Dallas, Cockrell Hill Paul N. Wageman – Plano 6 132-016-0217 CW DART is making the commute across town a lot more comfortable these days. On Express routes – those without stops for a large portion of the trip – customers are enjoying the newest buses in DART’s fleet. These 46 coach-style buses feature high-back reclining seats, arm rests and overhead storage racks to accommodate riders who are on the bus for longer travel times. The new vehicles look different, too. A paint scheme of large blue and white chevrons easily differentiates Express buses from those used on local routes. Customer Information (routes & schedules) 214.979.1111 DART Administrative Offices 214.749.3278 Express Yourself Inmotion - Marketing Department Dallas Area Rapid Transit P.O. Box 660163 Dallas, TX 75266-7203 New Vehicles, New Look DART held an event at the Red Bird Transit Center in Dallas so customers could tour the new Express coach-style buses. 8 Learn more: DART.org/Express
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