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May 15, 2008 6:50 pm US/Central
Modern Street Car System Proposed In Dallas
Reporting
Jack Fink
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
A new plan would connect downtown Dallas hot spots and help clean the air at the same time.
Jonn Pierre Baudoin says his Dallas Fish Market Restaurant has carved a loyal following at Main Street and Harwood.
Baudoin believes that while downtown is becoming more vibrant, there's still something missing. "We need that other aspect to really grow as a city. To become what New York and Boston and all those other cities are," he says.
And now, he's encouraged by one idea he believes could be that missing link. While Dallas already has light rail, buses and even a trolley, there's a new proposal to create a modern day street car system.
The system would be similar to the one in Portland, Oregon and would connect the West End, Victory Plaza in Uptown, The Arts District, The Farmers' Market, the convention center, and shops and restaurants along Main Street.
"To me, this is the next evolution in downtown Dallas," says Councilwoman Angela Hunt, who came up with the idea.
Hunt says the City of Dallas and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) are studying how much the system would cost and how to pay for it, since riders wouldn't have to pay anything.
"It needs to be free," Hunt says. "You want people to ride it and if it's free they're gonna jump on it. They're gonna leave their car behind."
Back at the Dallas Fish Market, Baudoin says the street car system would accelerate his business. "If there's a street car, they'll be more likely to get off at each stop and see what's in that vicinity."
Hunt hopes to have the system up and running within five years.
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