Life in a city called Dallas

During recession times, Dallas continues attracting people from all parts of the World. Famous for being one of the stronger cities in Texas, Dallas is appealing for its affordable life style.
Dallas citizens are not feeling the same hit from foreclosures; jobs lost and gas prices much as the rest of the country.
Comparing Dallas with others US cities or even around the world, it feels pretty good to be here right now.
But, what are the pros and cons of living in Dallas?
As the population keeps growing, the traffic problems compound.
The crowded roads and poor public transportation, available to locals, make the Metroplex a not so welcome place to workers during rush hours.
A negative point of Dallas is it's size. Together with innumerous cities, Dallas is part of this huge place called METROPLEX. It is not unusual to live in one part of the Metroplex and work in a totally opposite side. The average Dallas workers often spend more than an hour in their daily commute.
The HOV lanes in the city contribute to bigger traffic jams in regular lanes. The HOV is available in some high ways but is not a traffic helper. So, why do we keep a lane that causes a lot of daily accidents and only contributes for a higher traffic jam? Everyday I drive parallel to the HOV lanes and I can assure you that they are under utilize.
The point of the HOV lane is to encourage the carpooling and relieves the major roads for drivers who cannot carpool. Good point!!! But who does carpool now days? Since the Metroplex is so big the majority of drivers are driving alone.
The HOV lanes are empty, unsafe (since it is difficult to get in or out).The fact is that when you are in rush hour traffic and there is a whole lane by your side EMPTY, it looks pretty welcoming to break the law. It is not uncommon to see a car with a single occupant in the HOV lane. There is even the history of a man who used a mannequin as his passenger until he was caught by police. Not a bad idea!
Going forward, I do believe that the real function of the carpool lane is to generate revenue for the city by providing police with easy ticketing opportunities. Instead of catching real speeders our police officers are seating everyday on the HOV lane waiting to give tickets and accomplish their quota.
HOV lanes in Dallas should have been discontinued.
And what about Dallas public transportation? Oh well, we don't have one. The Dart buses only circulate in downtown areas. When in suburbs they don't go anywhere and they take hours to come by.
We don't have a Subway system and when this fact is mention to politicians the answer is always the same. The Metroplex is too big and spread out to have a SUBWAY system.
Being from Sao Paulo, I have experienced a big city with transportation available on each corner. We do have a Subway system that still needs a lot of improvement (since also doesn't go anywhere), but we couldn't live without. I will talk about this in a future article.
Dallas is still a huge and appealing city for many people to come. But you better come with your own truck and as we say "Everything is bigger in Texas", why would our traffic problems be any different?

By: Ligia Brinkman