Texas officials are drawing up the state’s first-ever mass transit plan, a notable milestone for a state that has relied primarily on cars and highways for transportation.
The Statewide Multimodal Mass Transit Plan explores ways Texas can expand or develop bus, light rail and intercity rail service to help handle the state’s booming population growth and worsening traffic congestion. Historically, the Texas Department of Transportation has only built highways.
The state is taking written comments on the draft plan through Nov. 20, and officials said they intend to update it every five to eight years. In the meantime, the state transportation department says it will try to improve coordination among transit agencies and work on identifying transit corridors and hubs around the state.
So far, there appears to be broad support for more transportation options. A public opinion survey included in the draft plan found that 86 percent of respondents said it’s important to improve mass transit.
