Jul. 2--You wouldn't build a boat, launch it, then anchor it out in the harbor where no one could walk aboard. Not if you wanted passengers.

Some DART rail stations have presented similar logistical nightmares to riders who depend on their feet to get to the train. Either hidden away from main drags or within a stone's throw of busy streets, these stations have shared one deficit -- poor pedestrian access.

We're happy to report, though, that some communities are making (ahem) strides in helping those riders reach their rail stations.

In Richardson, the city is adding links to its trail system so people can walk more easily to the isolated Bush Turnpike and Galatyn stations.

In Dallas, the city is building a 626-foot-long footbridge over LBJ Freeway so people can walk from their Audelia Road neighborhood on the west side of the road to DART's Skillman/LBJ station on the east side.

Also in Dallas, the extension of the Katy Trail to the White Rock Lake area will improve pedestrian access to the nearby DART station.

For each success story, countless other obstacles remain. DART's busy Park Lane station is tantalizingly close to major employment and retail centers, yet key stretches of nearby thoroughfares -- Greenville Avenue, even -- lack basic sidewalks. Bus riders in many DART cities have worn footpaths in grassy road shoulders where no one bothered to put paved walkways.

Consider Dallas' own comprehensive vision statement, Forward Dallas:

"Dallas residents want options on how to get around the city and the region that include public transit and attractive streets to walk. Having more opportunities to walk to transportation hubs, housing and entertainment are particularly valued."

We'll watch for more of those "opportunities" for transit users -- especially the opportunities lost. If you spot any, let us know at our new dallasnews.com Transportation Blog. We can follow up with city, state and transit officials to ask why obstacles remain for people who want to climb aboard a train or bus.

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