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Wondering what has happened (if anything?) regarding any sort of light rail system here? Know more areas are at least discussing it lately?????? Don't know any history????????
Recommend you use the search tool. This has been beaten worse than a dead horse on this board. Short answer, despite not meeting federal guidelines to get federal money (because of low ridership forecast), the area keeps trying to make this happen. There is a proposal on deck to raise taxes and eventually build rail.
It is also being discussed here, since at least 2004, actually. There is way too much for me to explain here right now digging into the history of it, but here are a few places to read up on what's going on and what has already happened.
Urban Planet also has a very extensive thread with a lot of intelligent discussion on this topic. I cannot post a link per the TOS, but google and you shall find. If the search term I mentioned gets cut, DM me and I'll let you know.
Short answer, despite not meeting federal guidelines to get federal money (because of low ridership forecast), the area keeps trying to make this happen.
Yup, for some reason the city council can't just understand that it won't work and that it'll be another waste of tax payer dollars just like the wasted money they spent on opening up Fayetteville St. that goes nowhere and a civic center that they were told from the "study" they had done that it, too, would be a waste of money.
The sprawl at both ends makes rail hard to implement.
That's absolutely correct. Think Sprawleigh is now the most sprawled (unless we haven't passed Phoenix yet but we are gaining on them quickly). Light rail (or any mass transit FTM) won't fly here unless gas prices hit about $10 gal imho.
Well, I'm going to disagree with everyone - and here's why...
If you build a light rail people and businesses will move into the area and utilize it. Don't believe me? Go to Charlotte and look at the new construction along the rail line. The problem with the initial proposal is it required a pre-established ridership (density), which simply doesn't exist here with current zoning practices.
Yes, I understand Charlotte's downtown is different than Raleigh, but still.
No, it will never happen though. Too many squeaky wheels have moved 15-25 miles outside of the city center and think that nothing should be built if it doesn't help them directly. Well, I have news for you... you simply can't go from having no system at all, to serving the entire county all at once.
Honestly, if you want a decent transit system, you need to move out of Raleigh.
You could massively expand the bus system for a fraction of the cost of rail that would only serve a small group and be inflexible.
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