Opinion-Arlington: Give us mass transit

Illustration by Daniel Worthington
Illustration by Daniel Worthington

With TCC parking lots clogged up and Cowboys stadium parking rates at $75 a pop, it seems time for public transportation.

Dallas has the DART bus and the Trinity Railway Express goes through Dallas and Fort Worth.

Why not a public transit system in Arlington?

Getting to school and work could be so much easier if mass transit were available. It would cut down on air pollution and help students who don’t have a vehicle. Instead of buying an expensive hybrid vehicle, a bus would be much more accessible for students.

Why would people want to pay almost a C-note to park their car?

The city needs to spend tax money on something that can benefit the public, not just entertain them.

A public transit system eliminates the problem of paying for jumping gas prices and can help students avoid parking citations.

Most importantly, students can keep money in their pockets.

People who use public transportation save a yearly average of $9,167, according to the American Public Transportation Association.

With that kind of money saved up, students could have an easier time paying for school. 

Arlington’s population is continuously growing. That means more people will take to Arlington’s roads.

Since 2000, Arlington has had a population growth of 10.28 percent. Cowboys Stadium just adds more cars to that total.

Arlington is the largest city in the U.S. to not have public transportation.

Voters have turned down the idea for a citywide bus system three times now.

Arlington does have one transit system, Handitran, which serves senior citizens and the disabled. However, it has little to offer the general public.

A bus system could benefit SE Campus students. If available, students would no longer have to fret over something as simple as a parking spot or worry about keeping up with maintenance on their vehicles.

Arlington can no longer ignore the city’s need for public transit. This is not the city of old. Like it or not, Arlington is an urban city. Arlington must meet people’s needs and provide a bus system.