DART News

Downtown Dallas will see 2 big changes on public transportation

Buses are just as cool as trains, people.

Photo courtesy of DART

Downtown Dallas is about to see two changes on its public transportation options. One is temporary, one is permanent.

Weekend buses
Buses will replace trains in Downtown Dallas on weekends starting March 30 when DART begins replacing rail along the Transitway Mall. The weekend construction will continue into September.

The closures will allow DART to replace track along Pacific Avenue and Bryan Street, repair and add additional rail crossovers, and repair city streets and drainage. It will create a smoother ride through downtown, eliminate ongoing maintenance issues and increase the number of areas where trains can switch tracks, which will reduce service disruptions.

Work will impact the Red and Blue Lines between Union Station and Pearl/Arts District Station, the Green Line between Victory and Deep Ellum Stations, and the Orange Line between Victory and LBJ/Central Station, and between Victory Station and Parker Road Station.

Five separate DART shuttle bus routes will operate during the weekend closures to serve the affected downtown stations, Customers should look for red "Rail Disruption" bus stops at those stations. Two bus routes will stop at every Pearl/Arts District, St. Paul, Akard and West End station. Three routes will connect you to Pearl/Arts District Station, Union Station and Victory Station.

Normal weekend service is scheduled to resume in time for the start of the State Fair of Texas. Service and project updates will be available at DART.org/Plus.

D-Link replaced
Route 722, known as the D-Link circulator in downtown Dallas, will be discontinued. It will be replaced with a new downtown GoLink mobility on-demand service costing customers $1 for a one-way trip. The service will be funded jointly by DART, Downtown Dallas Inc., and the City of Dallas and cover the West End, Perot Museum, Klyde Warren Park, Arts District, Dallas Farmers Market, Deep Ellum, Convention Center and Main Street District seven-days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

This new downtown Dallas zone significantly increases the available transit area compared to the previous fixed route D-Link. Customers will ride on an accessible vehicle provided by DART that is available only through the free GoPass app.

Weed News

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Dallas over decriminalization of marijuana

Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife

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The City of Dallas has been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for its efforts to decriminalize marijuana.

According to a release, Paxton has sued the city for adopting a city charter amendment that would decriminalize marijuana-related offenses and prohibit police from enforcing Texas law.

That amendment was Proposition R, or Dallas Freedom Act, which decriminalizes possession of four ounces of marijuana or less. Voters passed the amendment in the November 5 election, with 67 percent voting in favor.

The lawsuit, filed against the Dallas City Council, alleges that Proposition R is unconstitutional and violates Texas drug laws criminalizing any amount of marijuana.

Paxton says that cities can't "pick and choose which state laws to follow." He's proposing a permanent injunction to stop Proposition R from going into effect.

"The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them," says Paxton in a statement. "This is a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution, and any city that tries to constrain police in this fashion will be met swiftly with a lawsuit by my office.”

Before the recent election, possession of two to four ounces of marijuana could result in a punishment of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Ground Game Texas, the activist nonprofit that has also helped get marijuana decriminalization on the ballot in elections across Texas, first got the issue on the ballot in July with the necessary 50,000 signatures.

Dallas is not the only city to be sued; Paxton also filed lawsuits against five other cities in Austin, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and San Marcos in January for their ballots and policies decriminalizing marijuana.

Both Austin and San Marcos had a judge overturn their cases, according to a FOX 4 report.

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