Texans have been avoiding the necessity of developing an efficient mass transit system for so long that the cure may soon be more painful than the disease.

Time was, most folks thought that mass transit shouldn’t be a priority. Gas was cheap, cars and trucks were affordable and no one had to get a vehicle’s emissions systems tested to pass a state inspection.

Rail lines were for hauling freight or ferrying Northerners from home to work and back again in big cities.

Who needed commuter rail? We had Interstate 35.

Sure, the gasoline shortages of the late 1970s created a brief flurry of editorials calling for an immediate plan to develop mass transit. Motorists grew tired of dreading that “last car in line” sign when they joined the crowd at the local station.

But good times soon returned, and Texans could breathe easily once again — well, at least they could do so for a few more years. Gradually, we began to see more and more days when the TV news warned of poor air quality, and we soon were wondering if the old family car would pass more stringent inspection guidelines.

The last few years have been filled with additional warnings about global warming, deteriorating air quality and rapidly dwindling fuel supplies. Traffic grew worse on I-35 and other roadways, adding to commuters’ woes. Sometimes, it seemed like the world was one big traffic jam.

And then gasoline hit four bucks a gallon. Suddenly, consumers began screaming for alternatives. Where was our mass transit?

Rail cars that had once run nearly empty in Dallas and Fort Worth began to fill to capacity. Parking lots at rail stations had to be expanded.

But what about Denton? When would our consumers have the option of boarding a train and riding to Dallas or Fort Worth, avoiding the bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-35 and getting to read the Denton Record-Chronicle on the way to work instead of dodging gravel trucks?

Mass transit was back in vogue, and we watched eagerly as plans actually began to take shape to connect Carrollton and Denton by rail. Authorities predicted that construction would be completed by the fall of 2010, with service to begin in December of that year.

But work on the north end of the 21-mile commuter rail line hit a snag. Work was under way on the south end, but Denton wasn’t ready.

Tuesday afternoon, the Denton City Council voted unanimously to support a “right-of-entry” agreement with the Denton County Transportation Authority that will allow work to begin at our end of the commuter rail line. DCTA board members were on hand to show their support for the agreement and to let the city know that DCTA leaders are committed to getting the job done on time and on budget.

Now, we hope, construction will soon connect Denton with points south and ultimately to Dallas Area Rapid Transit lines in Carrollton and beyond.

It’s high time that our residents had the option of commuter rail.

We realize that the plan, even when ultimately developed, won’t be perfect, and we’re sure that many more obstacles will have to be overcome before we get to buy a ticket. Residents are concerned about environmental impact, implementation costs and other factors, and we hope officials will do all they can to resolve such issues.

But we feel the project must proceed, and we hope officials will do all they can to make sure that commuter rail stays on track.

Someone once said that every journey begins with a single step, and like it or not, a rail system connecting Denton to other cities seems to be the logical first move in developing an efficient mass transit system to carry consumers into a new era.

And it is a new era, no matter how much it pains us to make the admission.

The price of our old habits is simply too high, and it keeps rising. The longer we wait for mass transit, the greater the toll on air quality, health and personal and public finances.

We can no longer afford to live in the past.