Public Transportation

Posted by junglist_xpedition@reddit | askdfw | View on Reddit | 24 comments

Ill finally be making my move to Dallas come mid June..

Im originally from SoCal, which had amazing public transport, but have been living in Asheville, NC, which is pretty hit or miss depending on what area you live in exactly..

How does Dallas Public Trans compare to other large metro areas?

Pros, cons?

Ill be be living in City Center, N Akard and Federal, for reference...

Thanks.

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icywing54@reddit

If you stay around the city, it is decent to not good depending on where you need to go. Keep in mind that it is blisterning heat in the summer, so even a 20 minutes walk from a station or bus stop could be torture

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junglist_xpedition@reddit (OP)

Ugh, that is unfortunate... Looks like ebike will still get plenty of use..

I also know the train line runs a street behind the apartment ill be in, but haven't looked into it yet, and wher it was exactly runs to and from..

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CatsNSquirrels@reddit

You are probably not going to enjoy ebiking in the summer. I cannot stress this enough. So many people who move to the area greatly underestimate the heat.

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xoxo_angelica@reddit

I sweat so much in the 3-5 minute span of walking out to my car and waiting for the AC to reach max capacity in the dead of summer that by the time I get to where I’m going I feel like I need to shower again 😑 I’ve lived here my whole life and I STILL somehow forget/underestimate how hot it gets in the summer! I always end up going on a single very regrettable walk before accepting outside time is no more all over again. Biking is unfathomable. I’m sitting outside rn and trying to cherish this breeze as much as I can lol!

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CatsNSquirrels@reddit

I understand. I’m born and raised, lived there more than 40 years. We left in 2022 and moved to the northeast. We comment on the (lovely) weather constantly. I have no idea how I lived in that climate for so long. It’s brutal.

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icywing54@reddit

Take a look though on those maps! If you can get everywhere you need, it’ll be good and reliable. I just can never get where I need to go so I can barely ever use the system 🤷‍♂️

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junglist_xpedition@reddit (OP)

Will do. Thanks!

I've lived all over, wet amd dry, heat and bone chilling cold, so im pretty prepared for what's to come..

My dad is also in Houston, and my mom is in Uptown Dallas, so I know what im in for. 😁

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MHJ03@reddit

Interesting. I’ve never actually known anyone that lived in downtown Dallas. There certainly aren’t many that do.

Regarding DART, others have answered already: I think you will have a lot more options for getting around more easily than the vast majority of people in the suburbs (like me).

I’m in McKinney and we have no fixed-route buses or trains at all. If I wanted to go downtown, I would have to drive 20+ minutes to get to the closest DART train station in Plano at the very end of the line, get on and then stop so many times in between it just doesn’t make sense. It definitely cheaper and saves some gas but it takes so long it’s rarely worth it. We’ve done it to go to the State Fair and to Stars games and it’s fine but it’s definitely not the fastest way to travel.

As you will see, Texas is very car-dependent because of the lack of public transportation. But it won’t affect you as much due to where you will be living, as long as you stay in the Dallas bubble or want to go close to where the trains run.

Good luck

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msitarzewski@reddit

Hey, quick update... more than 16,000 people live downtown (2 square mile radius). Texas is very car-dependent, unless you live in an area that doesn't require a car. They exist, especially in downtown Dallas and surrounding neighborhoods.

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MHJ03@reddit

I am aware. Just saying 16K in a city of over 1.3Million isn’t much. It feels like a ghost town in 95% of the city, especially after dark when most people go home.

I have nothing against downtown Dallas, and I would have actually liked to work down there at some point in my career. Just hasn’t happened.

I grew up in Richardson, Denton for College, moved back to Far North Dallas (Frankford and the Tollway) for several years. Then hit the suburbs when I got married. Frisco for 10 years. Loved it at first but got tired of watching literally every square inch of farmland be converted to retail or million dollar houses. So moved to McKinney where it’s mostly built out except the far north areas. And it’s one of the safest cities in America. It’s not all great, especially politically, but it’s a good place to raise kids.

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msitarzewski@reddit

Fairly, 1.3 million people spread out over 385 square miles vs. 16,000 in 2 is a massive difference. Life no longer stops at 5 down here, in fact, it comes to life in a different way. People at restaurants, parks, etc. It's not the same downtown that it used to be. Come down on a Friday or Saturday night, you'll see a whole different place. Sure weekdays are slower, but nowhere near a ghost town or dead. :)

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junglist_xpedition@reddit (OP)

My mom lives in Uptown and I wanted to be close, but couldn't quite afford to be right next to her.. So the "older" downtown buildings were my best bet... Ended up only being 1.2 miles from her, which is awesome. 👌

The light rail actually runs right behind my building, so ill be giving their routes a look today..

Most of my travel will be in the DT vicinity, restaurants, pubs, music, etc., sohopefully it won't be as bad as some others have said... I totally get the lack of good PT in suburbia.. That's def how it os here in Asheville.

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FearlessFrolic@reddit

Make sure to also check out mata.org for the trolley that connects Uptown and Downtown. It's technically not part of DART so you won't see it on all maps, but I imagine you'd get use out of it to get to Uptown. Plus its free.

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junglist_xpedition@reddit (OP)

Yea, we used it a bunch when I was looking for places to live, so I already know the route and stops between her plce and mine... 😁

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mystateofconfusion@reddit

Highly dependent upon where you're going but in general it's not great and some cities have completely opted out of DART. Use google maps and the transit option to see times to places you want to go.

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junglist_xpedition@reddit (OP)

Ill be in the City Center.. The light rail actually runs right behind my apt... Hopefully I can easily figure out the best route to the pub for my football matches.. 😅

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msitarzewski@reddit

There are several great sports bars... but really, there are two Irish pubs near you. :)

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junglist_xpedition@reddit (OP)

Well dont leaves hanging; what are they? 😁

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Akard and Federal has a walk score of 95, a walker's paradise. You'll have zero problems with public transit living there. https://www.walkscore.com/score/dallas-akard-and-federal Grab an app called Transit for all of your planning. Buy tickets with the GoPass app. Ping me with questions and check out r/dallasurbanists too. Keep up with DATA too! https://dallasareatransitalliance.org

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junglist_xpedition@reddit (OP)

Awesome!

Really appreciate the sub rec... 👌