The North Central Texas Council of Governments will host a public meeting to discuss the Transit Needs Assessment Study for Fort Worth’s 76104 ZIP code. The public meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, at the Ella Mae Shamblee Library, 1062 Evans Ave. in Fort Worth.
The 76104 study is designed to identify innovative transit solutions to increase mobility and access for residents to food, healthcare, housing and jobs in a part of Fort Worth identified as an area of persistent poverty. The planning study will also identify strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to transit.
According to a 2019 UT Southwestern study, residents of Fort Worth’s 76104 ZIP code had the lowest life expectancy in Texas, with residents averaging just 67 years. This statistic has spurred community leaders and health advocates to address the underlying factors contributing to the area’s health disparities.
NCTCOG staff used information gathered from an online survey and an in-person public meeting to identify potential service gaps and points of interest in the 76104 ZIP code. Most of the responses fell into four main categories:
• Fares and Affordability: Recommendations related to fares center on continuing efforts to align any future transit fare structure changes with regional standards and practices for affordability.
• Marketing and Awareness: Marketing recommendations highlight ongoing and future outreach efforts that may be used to heighten awareness of transit services offered in the specific project area.
• Safety and Accessibility: Recommendations for safety and accessibility focus on bus stop and sidewalk improvements and how NCTCOG can potentially assist with planning and funding opportunities.
• Operations Improvements: Operational recommendations take transit frequency and on-time performance into consideration, along with recent service changes and improvements that have been made.
Feedback on the drafted recommendations is encouraged and will be accepted through Jan.17, 2025.
All recommendations are still being developed as more feedback from local stakeholders and the public is received. Provide your feedback today at PublicInput.com/76104survey.
This project is made possible through an Areas of Persistent Poverty Program grant awarded to NCTCOG. The grant was awarded for planning, engineering and technical studies or financial plans to improve transit in census-defined low-income areas.
About the North Central Texas Council of Governments:
NCTCOG is a voluntary association of local governments established in 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG’s purpose is to strengthen both the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication, and make joint decisions. NCTCOG serves a 16-county region of North Central Texas, which is centered in the two urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth. For more information on the Transportation Department, visit www.nctcog.org/trans.
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