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I'm shocked by the amount of traffic in North Raleigh during rush hour. It's like Capital Boulevard everywhere these days.
I can't imagine it getting more congested. But I guess it just might end up like North Virginia -- taking forever to go a short distance.
I've lived in Atlanta for 16 years. It took me 4 hours to do a 45 minute drive. I seen Atlanta go from a "nobody state" to the "New York of the South". I have mixed emotions about Raleigh growing in size, because being a New Yorker that's lived in the actual NY and the NY of the south, I know off the ugly side of NY (and countires and, states and cities that immitate it).
I enjoy the southern Raleigh hospitality I've been getting for the past year (since I've moved to Raleigh from NY).
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Originally Posted by Taynxtlvl
We still need LIGHT RAIL I can't emphasize that enough, especially with the caliber of Universities we have and RTP sitting the middle of everything. We do well culturally I think also, but we could do better. I've yet to see a Oriental or Russian spa house here, theme park or even serious regional draw like a zoo or aquarium aside from the museums.
Sorry but in America we talk big about trains but do nothing about it.
I agree we need better public transit in this country (especially in places where multiple colleges are linked).
Four times in my life I've been told by my friends how incredible it is to be on a bullet trains flying from point A to B at 150+ mph. But again, in American we just "talk" about being the "leader", but allow other countries to "lead us". I'd so badly want to see Chicago, New Orleans, Montreal and go Snowboarding in Colorado, but the fastest (and most nerve racking) way to get there is by plane.
Light rail? How about a decent bus system? I don't need one, now, but I was impressed with the independence of older people in New York City when I visited. People who could run up and down stairs used the train, but older people waited for buses and went wherever they needed to go.
The Triangle area doesn't even have as good a bus system as smaller cities in the Northeast. I spent years taking the bus from a suburb to downtown Rochester, NY, for work. I was surprised to see so few buses here.
Light rail? How about a decent bus system? I don't need one, now, but I was impressed with the independence of older people in New York City when I visited. People who could run up and down stairs used the train, but older people waited for buses and went wherever they needed to go.
The Triangle area doesn't even have as good a bus system as smaller cities in the Northeast. I spent years taking the bus from a suburb to downtown Rochester, NY, for work. I was surprised to see so few buses here.
Honestly from what I've heard from others and from what I've experienced the ONLY place that has good bus/rail system is the Northeast and California. Everywhere else in America needs upgrading.
There is an old saying..."If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem".
If light rail or busing is that important to people, shouldn't they be out there fighting for it? I'm sure instead of just complaining about it constantly, there is something that you can be doing. Lobby for it? There is most likely a group already in place that is trying to get it worked out. Join that group.
With all the folks we have on this forum, think of what we could do if we banned together! Having said that, I have no interest in being part of that group. I do think light rail or more busing of sorts would be great; however, I have always felt that this area is surburbia and therefore, people do need a car to get around. Seems like so many people are trying so hard to live the "urban lifestyle" in an area that isn't urban.
I have so many clients that want to "walk to the grocery store" or "walk to get coffee" and that is fine for them. Many just want to be within walking distance of a Starbucks! A neighborhood with a small strip shopping center seems to keep those happy. A truly urban lifestyle in this area? I just haven't seen it. Even living downtown isn't going to give you that since there aren't grocery stores that close to most of the downtown condos.
Light rail, heavy rail, and to an extent busses make sense where you have large numbers of people living in highly dense areas that need to get to other areas of high density - jobs, entertainment, etc... This just doesn't describe the Triangle.
If there are visionaries that see the future of our area is high density developments, then fine, let's acquire the land and put in place the zoning that supports a real mass transit system - not just some single line somewhere.
Until that time comes, we're just stuck with the only real system known for general medium density - cars. With that in mind, I just hope that we keep investing in highway & road infrastructure so that we don't end up like those that did not invest smartly - such as Atlanta, DC, California.
Things are more spread out here, with multiple smaller epicenters, than DC or Atlanta. We lean more suburban/rural and less urban.
The Triangle will remain car-dependent, for better or worse. One distinct advantage we have over either DC or Atlanta is the fact that our main road arteries are not the busiest interstates (I-95 thru DC or I-85 thru Atlanta). Many more people commuting using state or secondary roads here, and not nearly as many "passing thru" which is really DC's downfall. Once the 540 loop is closed and people get over their aversion to tolls we will be in better shape, too.
Well y'all know that Durham and Chapel Hill voted for light rail and have raised our sales tax to fund it, right? We're working on it even if Wake Co doesn't want to.
The difference between Charlotte and Raleigh is that Charlotte thinks of itself as big, wants to be even bigger. It is a city that actually went for NFL and NBA teams and got them; went for a light rail system, and got it; and went for DNC Convention, and got it. And now, has the gall to go for the Summer Olympics and NBA All-star game. In contrast, people in Raleigh tend to think small, or at leat medium. They don't see Raleigh as a big city and tend to eschew any associated with being a big cosmopolitan city. The difference between Raleigh and Charlotte are bigger than the differences in population, by the way. Of course, I am talking generally and know there are many exceptions to the rule. It is interesting to see the distinct mentalities between the cities.
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