The House and Senate Bills threaten funding of public transportation, potentially putting services like DART on life support. But the potential ramifications of the bills reach far beyond bus service.
In the latest middle finger to the working class, the Texas State Legislature has filed SB1557 and companion bill HB3187. Authored by House Representative Matthew Shaheen and Senators Angela Paxton, Brent Hagenbuch, and Tan Parker, the identical bills await approval before being signed into law.
The measure outlines the implementation of a “general mobility program,” which would sap up to 25% of sales and use tax from DART’s funding. This program would direct money toward the construction and maintenance of sidewalks, installation and operation of traffic control improvements, drainage-related measures, and other initiatives.
With the cut to taxes that DART receives from member cities, this would result in a 44% total drop in funding, according to Dallas Area Transit Alliance (DATA).
With the immediate 25% reduction to funding, service frequency will be cut in half along with a significant reduction of GoLink service and elimination of almost 20 bus routes.
While the distribution of funds to help establish the framework of greater mobility isn’t necessarily bad in itself, charging from an already meager budget rather than providing a supplement only serves to spread setbacks further. The bill is less focused on acknowledging the many factors that ensure mobility, such as sidewalks, street lights, adequate drainage, etc. and instead is focused on placing undue pressures on an underfunded sector. In this way, vindication of mobility as a rising need across the state comes with a bad faith challenge to tend to that need more holistically with no addition to the budget.
This also throws key initiatives from the City of Dallas in a relative state of flux. Many of ForwardDallas 2.0’s more progressive measures are centered on focusing density near transit hubs. Likewise, amendments to city code pending passage, like those focused on the elimination of parking minimums for businesses, could have lessened or even detrimental effects as residents may be less capable of traveling without cars.
Through anticipated cuts to public transportation – and thus, working more cohesively with Texas’ regressive policies – depleted resources will lead to greater reliance on automobiles in both small town and metropolitan areas. By extension, ensuring more parking lots, highways, and associated expenses – effectively undoing the progress made by Dallas’ public transportation advocacy groups.
Further cuts to DART are likely to result in the loss of thousands of jobs, lower quality of life for residents, decreased employment due to lower access to transit, and more pollution due to increased use of automobiles. And correspondingly, with Dallas plagued with a huge class divide, a low median income, and poor air quality, every immediate effect of the bill deals a significant blow to efforts to curb the city’s most critical issues.
However, this is par for the course in state government. Budgets are spread thin for public resources like education and transportation despite the state holding a healthy surplus of $24 billion.
