Airport News

Dallas-Fort Worth Airport ixnays curbside idling at terminals

No more idling.

Photo courtesy of Ibarra Engineers

Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport is changing the rules at curbside areas at all five terminals.

According to the new order, which goes into effect July 18, curbside action at DFW Airport will be for "active loading and unloading" only.

Previously, customers could idle in attended vehicles along the curbside while waiting for arriving passengers. No more idling. Move along now.

Airport CEO Sean Donohue says in a release that the new rules are part of a program designed to improve traffic flow.

"There are more vehicles than ever at the airport, and we want to keep traffic moving, while providing safer access to our terminals," Donohue says. "These necessary changes will improve the overall customer experience as it relates to traffic flow, efficiencies, and ease of navigation."

That may well be all and good, but Sean, it means no more driving up and waiting for your honey right at the door.

The release compares February 2015 to 2018 and finds that vehicle traffic for the month increased by more than 245,000 visits.

It states that, at peak times, congestion along the curbs impedes the flow of traffic. It also points out that the changes will reduce the number of vehicles on the upper level.

But the best part is that it name-checks Love Field, stating that the new rules "will bring DFW in line with other large airports which have not allowed curbside parking since 2001, including Dallas Love Field."

Guys, Love Field does it, so why can't we?

To ease the pain, DFW has added nearly 1,200 one-hour parking spaces and will encourage customers to use the terminal parking garages at no extra cost when picking up or dropping off passengers.

Full enforcement of this new rule will begin September 8.

Signs indicating the new policy will be posted curbside in July, designating the areas for active loading and unloading only. DFW Department of Public Safety and Parking teams will inform customers of the change throughout July and August, directing parked or standing vehicles to nearby terminal garages with 1-hour and 2-hour parking zones.

In 2019, after active loading and unloading zones are implemented, the airport will shift some transportation services to upper and lower concourses, based on customer demand.

transportation traffic

Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

politics