Fort Worth locals, mark your calendars if you have a vested interest in the future of your area's transit. The North Central Texas Council of Governments is tuning in to the heartbeat of the 76104 ZIP code, eager to hear what you've got to say about transit needs. According to the City of Fort Worth, peeps in this neck of the woods can throw in their two cents at a public meeting slated for 5:45 p.m. March 25, at the Ella Mae Shamblee Library.
Planners with their sights set on smart transit want to up the ante on access to jobs, medical care, and more for residents. Based in an area of Fort Worth that's got the dubious honor of battling persistent poverty, the outcome of this gabfest could affect the day-to-day grind of folks living within the 76104 area code.
The study is more than chin-wagging; it's about practicalities like cutting down on those pesky greenhouse gas emissions while making sure people can get to where they need to be – from the grocery store to the doctor’s office. This ZIP code has gotten some not-so-great press due to a UT-Southwestern Medical Center study that flagged it as the one with the lowest life expectancy in the Lonestar State. Improving transit could be a game-changer.
Funded by a $270,000 Areas of Persistent Poverty grant clutched by NCTCOG, the study scrutinizes the existing bus service and the on-demand ZIP Zone micro-transit to figure out enhancements that could meet demand like a glove. NCTCOG is in the trenches with the community, sifting through input from local leaders and nonprofits to paint a picture of a transit system that offers the keys to the kingdom – equal access to basic needs.
Residents who can’t make the public meeting but want to weigh in or just stay updated can sign up for email notifications to keep a finger on the pulse of their city's transit transformation journey.
