Over a hundred Dallasites were messily shuffled through the packed foyer of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) headquarters like cattle moving through a slaughterhouse on the rainy evening of July 8. The sharp ringing of a malfunctioning metal detector rang out as staffers and officers yelled unclear directions at the people waiting to speak against the largest proposed changes to DART services in their 40-year history.
As the storm picked up outside, the stale air in the windowless grey boardroom thickened, perhaps from the increasing humidity or the growing animosity between DART leaders and the people passionately condemning the new general mobility plan (GMP), conceived in March.
Of those who provided comments in the meeting, not one spoke in favor of the plan…