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I don't want to own the transport - I would however be willing to have a charging pad put in my driveway, especially if it meant my travel needs gained only a slight priority bump.
I don't want to own the transport - I would however be willing to have a charging pad put in my driveway, especially if it meant my travel needs gained only a slight priority bump.
"beta." Far from the finished product. We will consider your needs before RTM.
...So I get a response back from some inept manager on how THERE IS a way to do it, points me to a bus from Cary to near I-40, then another from near-I-40 to RTP, then another from RTP to Durham, involving lots of walking and transit times totaling to 3 hours. I threw my arms up.
These idiots spend our tax dollars on huge buses that are almost always empty or have one very overweight passenger in them. The feds or whoever who are overseeing state transport budgets are obviously looking the other way while folks here are the least bit interested in mass transport. They would rather face rash or horrible drivers on the interstate than demand better mass transit systems.
Why are so many opposed to a better bus/train system serving the many cities here
You obviously are not only well informed but a gentleman at that. I am guessing you want all of the other inept/idiot/overweight tax payers to build a multimillion dollar train system to take you to work, or buy you a bus that picks you up at your front door for almost nothing, just so you don't need to spend a dime. Imagine building that rail system. How many thousands of people will need to have their homes and businesses demolished just so would-be riders can cry about how the train is too far from their house, too far from where they work? How many people will have to pay through taxes for an expensive system they will never use, and will cause more traffic congestion rather than less?
I'm all for a light rail option but it would only be minimally effective around here I think. For any of it to be effective you would need outlying stations with parking available. A bus just doesn't offer enough of a bonus to make it worthwhile in my opinion. But with the rising population maybe it will some day.
the cost of the light rail is really what's prohibitive though. I would use it but can't imagine the taxes they'd raise to make it all work.
As cost inefficient as it may seem (in addition to how spread out the Triangle is), some sort of train system with park and ride services would probably be the best way to attract white, upper/middle class people to take public transportation - the bus system is unattractive to many Americans because of the weird/poor/homeless people that are the majority of public transportation's current users. Expanded bus service is helpful for those of us open to taking transit and those who currently take transit but may not be the motivation behind people trying out public transit for the first time. Americans like stuff that is new and shiny.
i was in vancouver a while back and really enjoyed their sky train
i think only a rail can save us but it's primary value will be anchoring and centralizing future development in a dense corridor
which is of course hard to quantify
In Denver, there were tons of apartments and developments being built around the light rail line there. Not sure if that's the case elsewhere as well though since I didn't have a car.
The thing is, expanding interstates and adding lanes just isn't sustainable in the long run. Build more lanes, more people drive on them and they get clogged, build even more lanes and *they* get clogged and on and on till everything is covered in interstate. I know that's a long time coming, but thinking long term is a good strategy.
So right.
A rail solution was laid out years ago but never came to pass.
As a result of ignorant growth, it will be harder to do rail here than NYC where residents can park at the train station and take rail to town.
What we need would be rail plus circulator bus similar to downtown's "R" line that will get folks from the train terminal to work.
RTP should have been throttled down discouraging growth and sprawl.
The Triangle needs to take a closer look at PDX and learn from their light rail system. They too are a multiple county metroplex that was able to work together to bring light rail from the suburbs into downtown. The Triangle could have a main line from Durham through RTP to Raleigh, then from there add additional lines to connect to the main line. Using existing roads to lay tracks can be done. Light rail tends to attract riders from all walks of life, not just the poor. But since it does cost money, most taxpayers will not be in favor. We want services, we just do not want to pay for them.
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I am guessing you want all of the other inept/idiot/overweight tax payers to build a multimillion dollar train system to take you to work, or buy you a bus that picks you up at your front door for almost nothing, just so you don't need to spend a dime. Imagine building that rail system. How many thousands of people will need to have their homes and businesses demolished just so would-be riders can cry about how the train is too far from their house, too far from where they work? How many people will have to pay through taxes for an expensive system they will never use, and will cause more traffic congestion rather than less?
