Frisco Mayor Maher Maso said having a well-functioning transportation system is vital to a growing city’s success; without it, a city could stifle economic growth and quality of life. This is why Frisco City Council voted earlier this year to make transportation one of the city’s top priorities in 2016, Maso said.

“In fact, I don’t even remember when transportation had not been a top priority,” he said. “[Transportation is] the key; it’s one of the foundational things you have to have in a successful city.”

Under this directive from council, Paul Knippel, Frisco director of engineering services and public works, said his department has been looking beyond traditional solutions to explore new options. These options could include using different forms of transportation and optimizing traffic management technology.

Maso said there is not one clear solution for addressing transportation within the city, and no timeline has been set as to when any of these ideas could come to fruition.

“It’s really about the different options to those who live here; everybody has different needs,” he said. “What we know is we can’t put enough pavement—and no city can put enough pavement—to handle 100 percent of their growth.”

Current solutions

The city is piloting an adaptive signal control system that would allow traffic signal timing to be adjusted instantaneously. The system is expected to be installed at several signaled intersections by the end of the year and will be tested for 12 months, according to the city’s monthly engineering report.

The city is also implementing different intersection management options through opening two multilane roundabouts this year. The two roundabouts that opened this year are on Gaylord and John Hickman parkways and Teel and Rockhill parkways.

An integrated system

When it comes to planning for the future of mobility in Frisco, all options are on the table, Knippel said. This includes a commuter rail line, a public transit system, shuttle services, taxi services and contracting with ride-for-hire companies, any of which could be used to create a transportation network.

“It’s an integrated system,” Knippel said. “It’s all these things we’ve been describing that we don’t have clarity on how or if or when we’re going to use any of them, but we have to explore all of them to make sure that we are ready as these opportunities emerge.”

Two groups of people—tourists and the commuting workforce—are being considered as the city explores options. The engineering department will meet with the Frisco Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Frisco Chamber of Commerce and the Frisco Economic Development Corp. to discuss the needs of these two groups, Knippel said.

Chamber President Tony Felker said some businesses struggle to attract employees who would commute from outside of Frisco.

“Mobility within the city and mobility to the city are critical issues for business,” he said. “…It’s important for certain businesses to get employees to Frisco that we need here that may not be able to afford to live here.”

One possible solution for getting people into the city is a commuter rail line. A commuter rail line, unlike a light-rail line, can hold a large number of passengers and has fewer stops, Maso said. A possible commuter rail line is outlined in Frisco’s Future Land Use Plan. This line is part of a planned regional rail system that could connect Frisco to regional destinations, including Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

For tourists, a major concern is getting around the city once they get here, CVB Executive Director Marla Roe said.

“What do [tourists] do when they’re here to get around if they don’t have a car?” Roe said.

To address that need, the city is meeting with several transportation entities, including Uber and Denton County Transit Authority, to discuss solutions. DCTA provides demand-response service for elderly and disabled Frisco residents. According to the city’s monthly engineering report, DCTA is in the process of implementing a new integrated system that includes a service agreement with Uber.

Frisco leaders have been having their own meetings with Uber. These meetings have focused on exploring what ideas Uber might have for Frisco’s mobility situation based on what the company has done in other communities across the country, Maso said.

Roe said she sees a ride-for-hire service playing a big part in an integrated transportation system in Frisco. Other solutions, such as more shuttles or a trolley system, would be difficult to implement for large events because they are expensive and logistically arduous to manage, Roe said.

Felker said he thinks some sort of trolley system or other public transit option would benefit Frisco’s workforce. He said the city has looked at public transit, such as buses, unfavorably in the past.

“We can’t have this stigma tied to public transportation like we’ve had before,” he said. “We have to be progressive in our thinking when it comes to mobility.”