I wrote this article that appeared in the June 20, 2008 issue of The Frisco Enterprise...

 

After many discussions about a light rail system in Frisco over the past few years, and now a stated major effort of the new Mayor, the question that always comes to the forefront of my mind is why we would want rail in the first place. The discussions always seemed to focus mostly on getting Frisco residents out of the city and to jobs elsewhere. There was some minor discussion of bringing folks into the city for games and such but still, the major push of rail is getting people out of our city.

 

One of the major goals of our community should be to continue to attract more corporations and jobs to Frisco to alleviate some of that issue. If you look at the way gas prices continue to increase and the way employers will be changing in the coming years – there will be more people telecommuting, job sharing, having flex time, etc., so the need to get people to jobs outside of Frisco should diminish further.

 

Given all that, and the fact that I travel to Las Vegas and Orlando for shows in my industry (Human Resources) from time to time, I decided I would learn more about their monorail systems. It’s something I have had an interest in for years but never started taking it more seriously until recently because of the changing times we are currently facing.

 

With potential funds being available from new tolling projects (i.e. SH121 and others to come), the desire to reduce the nasty air pollution in North Texas, and the desire to reduce traffic congestion, it is time for Frisco to look at a monorail system that has a number of stops (and can be expanded in the future). Off the top of my head, the stops would be RoughRiders Ballpark/Stars Center/IKEA area, the mall area, Duke Bridges area, Frisco Square/Pizza Hut Park area, circle around and then stop at Grand Park, perhaps The Shops at Starwood, Hall Office Park, and then in a continuous loop.

 

Think about that route for a minute and think about solving problems for parking at concerts and big events at Pizza Hut Park. Since these are night events, it may be possible to park at Hall Office Park, or RoughRiders stadium (if there is no game) and take a short monorail ride to Pizza Hut Park. Or how about big events that will take place in the Grand Park area? Solving parking problems is another big benefit of a system like this. The Vegas system is a 15 minute ride from one end of the strip to the other and I would imagine the Frisco system wouldn’t be much longer.

 

A monorail system has very little “right-of-way” needs. For instance, the Las Vegas monorail cars have the smallest footprint of any elevated transit system in the world, with a narrow 26-inch wide running surface.

 

It is a clean transportation source that I think would cost less to construct and maintain than we might currently think.

 

It essentially operates ALL the time, but perhaps we would limit it to 18 hours a day or something similar. (That’s something that would be determined later.) Las Vegas runs from 7am to 2am but I don’t believe Frisco hours would reflect that.

 

It would not be free like Disneyland and would carry a nominal charge to use it, like they do in Las Vegas.

 

This is not only a great way to transport people around the city, but it really sets Frisco apart from other communities and really becomes almost a tourist attraction in and of itself.

 

So how to you fund something like this?  I see several scenarios. One would be money from the 121 project (and other toll projects that are sure to come our way in the future) but then you have to determine who runs and maintains the system. Perhaps the Frisco Monorail Company gets put together like the Las Vegas Monorail Company. Another option would be to use TIF money as it is a project that benefits so much of what is in the TIF (a tax reinvestment zone that was set up many years ago in the area where Stonebriar Mall is located). Another option is a joint funding effort by those places that benefit from having a station stop. Another option would be to get the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) involved in building and operating such a system as much of the length of the track will be along the North Dallas Tollway. I would also imagine there would be state or federal funds available due to the fact it would aid in reducing traffic congestion and pollution – two things that state and federal entities are keenly interested in.

 

Regardless of who runs it and initially funds it, it should be able to pay for itself going forward. Besides the obvious economic benefits to the city, which could be tremendous, there are also other continual tangible revenue sources including ticket revenue, advertising in and on the outside of the monorail cars, and advertising at the station stops.

 

I encourage the City of Frisco to look closely at why light rail or commuter rail is being considered, and give serious thought to a monorail system. It’s a unique opportunity for this area. If Frisco does move forward with a rail project, it must also be designed to be able to expand as the city grows. For more great reasons on why Frisco should consider a monorail system, you can check out http://www.monorails.org/tMspages/Why.html