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Exactly. And who do you think the primary advocates of mass transit in Raleigh are? Real estate developers and business interests along the proposed route. It's a windfall for them. Or looking at it another way, it's a massive wealth transfer from taxpayers in Wake County to real estate developers and business interests. I'm not saying that a public purpose is not also served, but let's be honest about who wins if light rail comes to the Triangle.
Stupid roadbuilding also helps developers on outlying area but also increases congestion and pollution.
Rail coupled with loop buses like Raleigh's R line can get folks to and from work much more efficiently. Even Los Angeles finally built MetroLink.
Stupid roadbuilding also helps developers on outlying area but also increases congestion and pollution.
There is a free market for where people want to live and for where companies want to locate. If that many people wanted to live or companies wanted to locate within a two-mile radius of the state capitol, you'd see a lot more high-rise buildings going up. You don't, even though there's plenty of space to build on. And don't say it's because of road construction in the sticks. There may be places where "roads to nowhere" are built, but historically the Triangle isn't one of them. Here, the roads follow -- well, sometimes they follow -- where individual people and business have decided to go. I-40 from Chapel Hill through Raleigh to Garner wasn't even completed until 1990.
The roadbuilding may seem stupid to you, but it doesn't seem stupid to other people who would have a similar opinion about light rail into downtown Raleigh.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saturnfan
Even Los Angeles finally built MetroLink.
Yes, Metrolink carries 44K passengers a day. Metro Rail, the subway, carries 8X that many. To put things in perspective, downtown LA (not including Hollywood and mid-Wilshire) has 23 million square feet of Class A office space. Downtown Raleigh has 2 million.
Remember when 540 was completed around North Raleigh? That's when traffic got much worse. More roads actually make traffic worse, not better. Before 540 Raleigh was pretty tolerable. Now Falls of Neuse is a continuous stream of cars.
Charlottes rail is cool but it is very limited and does not go from where most people live to where many of them work. Kind of like it will be here. Now as years go by it will expand and things will cluster around it but I seriously doubt the rail system in CLT has much to do with economic development. Now, CLT's overall business friendly attitude and fewer NIMBYs that are against growth on the other hand...
It's gotta start somewhere. Does anyone expect Charlotte's light rail to go from UNCC, to the Airport, Panthers Stadium and points in between? It will extend into more desirable mature locations eventually.
It's gotta start somewhere. Does anyone expect Charlotte's light rail to go from UNCC, to the Airport, Panthers Stadium and points in between? It will extend into more desirable mature locations eventually.
To say it doesn't go anywhere, just isn't fair.
Not sure you actually read the post you quoted. I said pretty much the same thing.
However, my main point, that the current state of rail in Charlotte has little to nothing to do with companies wanting to locate in the area is still valid.
The Federal Railroad Administration has established a precedent and given approval for the N.C. Department of Transportation to help fund the proposed Raleigh railroad station.
A statement from NCDOT on Monday said the federal agency gave the OK to allow the state department to amend the Piedmont Improvement Program cooperative agreement to provide Raleigh with an additional $15 million for the Union Station project.
The additional money is expected to close the gap needed to build the station that will serve as a hub for rail and bus transit. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2015.
In June 2012, Raleigh received a $21 million federal grant to build the station proposed for the downtown warehouse district. A $10 million grant was announced earlier this month.
Remember when 540 was completed around North Raleigh? That's when traffic got much worse. More roads actually make traffic worse, not better. Before 540 Raleigh was pretty tolerable. Now Falls of Neuse is a continuous stream of cars.
Huh? Guess you didn't drive from north Raleigh to RTP in the pre-540 era. The same traffic was there; it was just in a different place. And it also happens that Wakefield, Falls River, etc were built during that period. Those subdivisions would have been built regardless. Without 540, you'd see impossible jams on the other east-west roads: NC 98, Strickland, Lynn/Spring Forest, etc. Some of us remember what Strickland was like before 540. Truly awful.
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