An upcoming study is set to zero in on better transportation options for residents living in Fort Worth’s 76104 ZIP code.
An upcoming study is set to zero in on better transportation options for residents living in Fort Worth’s 76104 ZIP code.
Recently, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) has been awarded a $270,000 grant to identify innovative and affordable transit solutions to improve access to basic needs like food and healthcare. The study will specifically focus on the 76104 area, which has been identified as an area of persistent poverty.
Gypsy Gavia, a principal transportation planner for NCTCOG, said the council wants to learn more about how people travel in the area and whether current transportation options are meeting demand.
“Even though there is a number of health facilities in this area, you have the hospitals, this area is also surrounded by highways and a lot of the residents here don’t have access to a vehicle,” Gavia said.
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14% of residents living in areas of the ZIP code identified as facing “persistent poverty” have no vehicle, compared to 4.3% of households throughout Tarrant County. Despite 76104 being home to the Fort Worth Medical District, researchers at UT Southwestern say it has lowest life expectancy in the state.
“Over the course of the next year, we’re looking to do interviews, come and do public meetings, and really doing outreach within this community, to hear from residents,” Gavia said. “What it is that they need?”
Len Moore of Fort Worth has lived in the 76104 for at least 15 years. While his household does have access to a car, he said he takes the bus about five times a week.
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“For me, it’s a health choice. It’s an environmental choice. All of the above,” Moore said. “From time to time, I walk if it’s within walking distance or half a mile, but if it’s somewhere several miles away, I’ll ride the bus.”
While he does not frequently run into issues with transportation, Moore said that’s not always the case for his neighbors.
“I see disabled people in wheelchairs, on walkers, and kind of elder people having trouble just maneuvering down the street,” he said. “So, it would be helpful for them to be picked up from their house and go where they have to go.”
The study will officially kick off in 2023 and is expected to last about a year. For more information, click here.
