Nearly 40 citizens collectively said public transportation is non-existent in McKinney and called for leaders to help populations who suffer the most during a public meeting held in the bowels of the McKinney Performing Arts Center on Oct. 30.
The meeting was conducted by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), which is in the middle of conducting a transportation needs assessment for Collin County. This was one of several public input meetings held in the county.
NCTCOG reminded the audience that the area has experienced a 140 percent growth in population between 2000 and 2010 and public transit will likely play a role in connecting communities with ease.
McKinney's current demographics, explained by NCTCOG, gives us insight into McKinney’s unique transportation needs compared to other cities within Collin County. For example, 10 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, the highest of our neighboring cities. Also, 12-15 percent of our population does not own a car. Not surprisingly, most families who fall into both categories live in clusters along the eastern side of Central Expressway/75.
McKinney only has one public transit option for its citizens - two bus routes operated by the Collin County Area Regional Transit (CCART). NCTCOG told the audience that DART is not an option because McKinney is not a member city, although that could change.
Those in attendance said there are virtually no practical transportation solutions to help seniors, the disabled and veterans get to critical appointments.
“CCART does a good job taking care of basic needs such as running errands but there is a gap for seniors, and especially veterans, getting to/from the doctors office,” said one person who works with seniors.
A visually impaired individual told NCTCOG, “Transportation is so bad in McKinney I actually have to lease an apartment in Irving during the week so I can get to work. Furthermore, I couldn’t even get to Plano if I wanted to.”
Two individuals said corporations are waiting for the opportunity to relocate to McKinney but they won’t until solid public transit exists. Another attendee said colleges and corporations have difficulty recruiting in McKinney because of the lack of transit options. “As companies are trying to attract a workforce, public transportation will be absolutely vital to job growth,” said the attendee.
The group at the meeting did cite the cost of increasing public transit options as a concern but overwhelmingly agreed that they would be willing to pay a little more to ease congestion and help the underserved populations.
“The cost of not having a transit network is far greater,” said one resident. “Having more access to jobs would off-set increased costs.”
What do you think? Is there a need for more more public transportation to get around McKinney? Or is more important to get in and out of McKinney - connecting McKinney to Dallas or Sherman and cities in between, for example? Would you take a bus to/from downtown McKinney if it ran until midnight?
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Thank you for your timely comment "CommonSense." Conducting a meeting for citizen comments with a capacity of 40 people tells me "Common Sense Wise" that this was one of those "token" type meetings of no real importance. When time permits drive thru Allen, Texas and observe the billion dollar shopping complex.......note: "No Public Transport Available."
40 persons was the maximum capacity for the room the NTCOG reserved. There were several people outside because they could not get in. As long as McKinney doesn't have proper/adequate public transportation in place the residents will pay the cost. Currently McKinney is approximately 75-25% housetops to businesses in relation to the tax base. That is not a sustainable path for any city.
Forty Citizens certainly does not represent a true representation of the citizens of McKinney, Texas on this subject of mass transit for our community. Placing such a system in place today would result in parking lots at such stations filled with mainly landscape trucks with trailers containing lawn mowing equipment. McKinney is rated number 10 in the nation for young Hispanics to live in as a community. Their graduation rate from the school system is slightly over 82 percent. Of this group, many enroll into college, but too few ever graduate. The Hispanic population represents twenty-five percent of the population of McKinney, Texas. It is suspected this public number is not a true figure. At various times past the media control of the community, that number has been as high as thirty-eight percent. The Hispanic community is growing and increasing at a rapid rate by incouragement of illegals to the community by having huge work areas available for pick-up of illegal workers for hourly employment within the heart of McKinney. A simple drive thru the community after six p.m. in the evening demonstrates the decline of our communities by the many homes that have two to five families living in one family homes. Note in many cases six to ten vehicles parked in front of many one family homes in our community. As long as our city attracts mainly an unskilled force of one ethic group, such as illegal Hispanics, we as a city in future, are doomed as a sought after city to call home. We need in place a higher calibre of city politicians, servants and employees that have a main goal of attracting multi-ethic groups of skilled labor to our growing community. McKinney currently has the third highest tax rates in Texas. We are now the proud owners of a declining school system that has been destroyed over the last ten years by a self-serving administrator in a past School Board president, who has devasted our school system. The main thrust of that Past School Board President was pushing for a Green system, which over time has proved to cost three times more than the projections rendered to the public at the time the school bonds were in play for these projects. The self-servers in our community that currently fill our city council with various interests in land deals are all for such systems due to the huge financial gains to their own interests. Many large companies and retail outlets refuse to pay our political representative the "under table money" required to move jobs into the McKinney area; hence our neighbor, Allen has become the new shopping center for McKinney residents. Public transportation would increase huge pockets of slums in McKinney, Texas. In addition to an ever widening decline in the unkeep of homes, we would see great negative impacts on the value of property values throughout the city. Addressing our so-called rating as the "second-best city" to live in the U.S. according to Money Mag.....without a doubt a great deal of money was paid to Money Mag by a select group of behind the scenes McKinney Developers. As a community, where a large percentage of home owners are carrying a the major part of the tax burden we need to seek and support "True community servants" who wish to serve McKinney without any "self-interests" involved in their political services.