Thread by @eisaiah_e

Today’s feature from @WaPo on the future of public transportation after #covid19 raises important issues for everyone in society. I live in Downtown Dallas and don’t own a car. (Big thanks to @DART for saving me from a car payment!) #mydtd

Owning a car expensive for individuals—and for society. Which is is a larger drain on public resources: Paved 4-6 lane highways everywhere with 3-ton vehicles hurling into stop and go traffic OR two train tracks with trains that run every 7-15 minutes and a bus for the last mile?

Then there’s livability. My wife is a landscape architect, and we’ve talked for hours about why the biggest mistake of the 20th century was building cities for cars. Unless you have the means to (and prefer to) live in your own private compound, roads create distance...

...and roads necessitate that you park your car somewhere before you can get out and interact with people. That cuts down spontaneous interactions.

Then, there are the larger issues. In Dallas, the 310 and 175 highways (not elevated!) intersect in a triangle against the Great Trinity Forest to cut off the town of Bonton from the rest of Dallas without a few points to get in and out of the town. goo.gl/maps/wkqrUXHYq…

Bonton became a food desert where it took citizens 3 hours round trip to get to a grocery store and get back on bus. That’s changing thanks to @bontonfarms. Better yet, why not tear down the highways and install rail?

In today’s @WaPo feature, @maki_aguilar @lobenichou @sethblanchard and @shikha_sub interviewed a dozen transit riders who explained how #covid19 caused delays and massive schedule changes. washingtonpost.com/transportation…

In the above, one man now has to wake up 3 hours early to catch the bus to work. Other riders talk about similar issues.

One solution I see is for everyone to start using public transportation. This will create a feedback loop where more resources are given to public transit instead of roads.

I urge people in #Dallas to join me on the trains and busses. Get the @dartmedia Gopass app: gopass.org It makes it easy to buy fares and plan your trip. I’ve been riding DART consistently for three years, and it’s pretty awesome. Plus, nothing beats not having a car

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