Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Design work for the station is moving ahead despite recent news that the project is no longer fully funded. The N.C. Department of Transportation shifted $15.1 million of the station’s $60 million in previously announced funding to a Raleigh-to-Charlotte rail line. It now will have to find more money or settle for a scaled-back project, possibly opting for a temporary station and shelving Schuster’s blueprints for years. Raleigh Planning Director Mitchell Silver alluded to the shortfall at Wednesday’s meeting.
There has been talk of a multi-modal transportation center near the Warehouse District since 2008 (if not earlier). Here is a link to an old rendering.
This was part of a 2030 "big ideas" plan for Raleigh. Obviously, with a name like 2030; planners are thinking decades out instead of months and years. As for actual light rail, it seems that some experts question the logic behind Raleigh light rail.
There's one quote from the above link that really stuck out:
Quote: David King, general manger of Triangle Transit, said that the region is expected to grow by 1.5 million people over the next 20 years. "Where are they going to go?" King asked. "The road system can't support it."
^^^I'm not saying that Mr. King's growth projections are off. However, if Mr. King is correct; he wouldn't need to push so hard for transit in the area. Here in Charlotte, bad traffic and under-sized roads made republicans, democrats, and voters all agree on transit. In other words, if the growth and travel pains truly exist, then transit will sell itself.
I personally think that the Triangle could use better mass transit, but the effort has got to start with better bus service first. After about a decade or two with better bus ridership; the area can then easily "move up" to rail transit.
There has been talk of a multi-modal transportation center near the Warehouse District since 2008 (if not earlier). Here is a link to an old rendering.
This was part of a 2030 "big ideas" plan for Raleigh. Obviously, with a name like 2030; planners are thinking decades out instead of months and years. As for actual light rail, it seems that some experts question the logic behind Raleigh light rail.
There's one quote from the above link that really stuck out:
Quote: David King, general manger of Triangle Transit, said that the region is expected to grow by 1.5 million people over the next 20 years. "Where are they going to go?" King asked. "The road system can't support it."
^^^I'm not saying that Mr. King's growth projections are off. However, if Mr. King is correct; he wouldn't need to push so hard for transit in the area. Here in Charlotte, bad traffic and under-sized roads made republicans, democrats, and voters all agree on transit. In other words, if the growth and travel pains truly exist, then transit will sell itself.
I personally think that the Triangle could use better mass transit, but the effort has got to start with better bus service first. After about a decade or two with better bus ridership; the area can then easily "move up" to rail transit.
There is just something about a (public) bus I don't like riding on. But I would utilize a train all the time. I wonder if other people are like that?
I'm definitely like that. And buses have the same pitfalls cars do.
I think a few of you are missing the point. This isn't a "bus vs rail" issue. It's about taking the proper steps needed to get rail (and justify it). As it stands, Raleigh's local bus service carries 13,000-14,000 daily weekday riders (depending on the season and the events going on in town). Weekend ridership almost doesn't exists. Total this all up, and you get a system with just over 4 million passenger trips per year.
When it comes to Federal transit dollars, Raleigh must compete with several other mid-sized cities for limited transit dollars. These are cities such as Indianapolis, Columbus Ohio, Cincinnati, Kansas City and many others. All of the aforementioned cities have bus systems with at least 8 million passenger trips per year. Some of them have well over 20 million passenger trips per year. Even Nashville recently topped 10 million passenger trips last year (which set an all-time record for that city).
My point is that Raleigh is competing with several cities for Federal transit dollars. When it comes to transit-readiness (ie, bus ridership) most other cities are better candidates. This is why the Triangle (Raleigh specifically) needs to beef up the bus system and the ridership numbers.
urban, where did you get that 13,000-14,000/4 million passenger trips per year? The data I see says 14.5 million in 2007, so more that that now. It's not like Raleigh light rail would stop at the city limits. Durham and Chapel Hill/Carrboro have already moved forward with light rail by approving transit taxes.
Chapel Hill Transit has 7 million passenger trip per year.
Quote: David King, general manger of Triangle Transit, said that the region is expected to grow by 1.5 million people over the next 20 years. "Where are they going to go?" King asked. "The road system can't support it."
^^^I'm not saying that Mr. King's growth projections are off. However, if Mr. King is correct; he wouldn't need to push so hard for transit in the area. Here in Charlotte, bad traffic and under-sized roads made republicans, democrats, and voters all agree on transit. In other words, if the growth and travel pains truly exist, then transit will sell itself.
I personally think that the Triangle could use better mass transit, but the effort has got to start with better bus service first. After about a decade or two with better bus ridership; the area can then easily "move up" to rail transit.
I agree with this point. I'm not sure about the projection of 1.5 million people over 20 years, mainly because 'region' doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. That said, the construction of 540 opens up land to develop in a different way than in Charlotte. There are still large tracts of undeveloped or under-developed land along I-40 between Raleigh, Cary and Garner. Along the beltline, there are areas that could still stand to see some attention but haven't (ie. N. Raleigh Blvd). I don't think 485 has flung development to the edges as much as 540 has in Raleigh and the suburbs. Couple this with the relationship with Durham, RTP, and Chapel-Hill, the development pressures are even more varied. Increasing bus or adding rail transit it complicated in this situation. Coordination between the municipalities in Wake to focus development is the only way. That coordination should have started years if not decades ago. Suddenly Holly Springs, Knightdale, Garner, and Wake Forest look like Cary's Walnut Street looked not too long ago.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
