Background:

Arlington is the largest city in the US without mass transit.

Arlington Public Transit is an advocacy group working to bring rapid, high-capacity public transit to Arlington Texas. As a part of this, we've started a petition that Arlington residents can sign.

Even if you don't ever intend on using public transit, we urge you to sign. This doesn't just benefit riders of transit but also every other person in our city. Public transit provides substantial economic benefits, increases the value of homes and business, reduces traffic, and opens up thousands of acres of parking lots for new development. You don't have to ride public transit to benefit!

These aren't just hypotheticals. Real data from real cities has shown over and over that public transit leads to real economic growth and increases accessibility. Arlington doesn't have to miss out on what every other modern city in the world has.

If you would like to learn more, you can visit our site:

www.ArlingtonPublicTransit.com

Message:

To the Arlington City Council and the Mayor, Jim Ross,

We, the undersigned, are residents of Arlington, Texas. We are writing to express our support for the implementation of rapid, high-capacity public transit in our city.

Public transit is a vital part of any thriving community. It provides a safe, affordable, and convenient way for people to get around without having to rely on cars. Public transit can help to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and promote economic development. It will reduce the amount of parking space needed, opening up thousands of acres of land for new developments.

We support any public transit system using readily available and well-established modes of transportation which are already in widespread use. We also object to all new and unproven technologies which are novel, limited, expensive and may not meet the needs of citizens. We believe the city should follow the recommendations and guidelines of existing and prominent transit advocacy groups and experts such as the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP)

Specifically, the city should implement a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system according to the ITDP's BRT standard along corridors identified in the 2017 Connect Arlington TAC Report, with Corridor 1 (Entertainment District - Centreport Station) being of particular concern. BRT is the highest-capacity and most cost effective system available to us currently and as such it should be the backbone of our public transit system.

Once again, we object to any new and unproven technologies, such as the PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) system recommended in the 2017 Connect Arlington TAC Report. Commonly known as "Gadgetbahns", these new types of transportation lack the economies of scale and vendor selection that mature industries, such as the bus and railroad industry, provide. As a result, they are far more costly and difficult to maintain and are not suitable for our city.

Arlington is a growing, and our current transportation system is not meeting the needs of our residents. We need to invest in public transit in order to keep our city moving forward.

We urge you to approve the implementation of public transit in Arlington. This is an investment in our future, and it is one that we believe will pay off for years to come.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

The Citizens of Arlington Texas