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Hello,
I am going to be working in RTP from March and due to some reasons can't get a driver's license. I'm looking to rent/buy a place and was wondering which areas are well connected to RTP by public transportation. Is car a necessity or can people get around without it? I have looked at the TTA/CAT sites but I need specific information like the names of communities where I can live. Thanks for your help!
RN
I am very interested in what people have to say about this. I think increasing public transportation to RTP is an absolute must in this area. I imagine homes located near public transportation to RTP are priced to represent this convenience. Am I right to assume as much?
We do have a regional bus system, the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA). Go to their website to see their routes: ridetta.org
You can also visit gotriangle.org , which has combined the info for TTA along with the Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill city bus systems.
If I were in your shoes, I'd probably aim to live in Durham, sorta towards RTP, and take TTA buses from there. It'd be a LOT less time and hassle than getting there from Raleigh.
There are some apartments just south of RTP in Morrisville on Davis Drive. There is a TTA stop right there as well as a shopping center with a grocery store and restaurants right across the street. I have no idea about price for those apartments, but they look nice.
I agree with RaleighRob. Living in Durham might be the best, if the bus connections are good. That way you could have some city conveniences for your time off, rather than being stuck in a suburban enclave.
Make sure the bus route will take you to your new job. The buildings in the RTP are very spread out and the bus will definitely not drive by all of them.
without a driving license you will be a prisoner in your apartment !!! you be better off in a large city with established public transportation rather than depend on TTA buses - other than than get yourself a bicycle and peddle like hell to avoid the potholes in the roadworks as trucks aim themselves at you. Also, you will be dependant on taxi's for any social life you may have in mind
I agree! As far as the bicycle, I'd be concerned in riding a bike on the roads here. I've seen people riding bicycle in the middle of the road backing up all traffic because there's no space on the side for them. We're talking about narrow one lane roads with lots of curves and no lighting. Not very safe in my opinion!
I agree! As far as the bicycle, I'd be concerned in riding a bike on the roads here. I've seen people riding bicycle in the middle of the road backing up all traffic because there's no space on the side for them. We're talking about narrow one lane roads with lots of curves and no lighting. Not very safe in my opinion!
Depending on where you lived... if you really wanted to be car-free and rely on buses/biking... it can be done.
As Alice and RaleighRob said above, Durham might make sense for taking buses to RTP. There's a fairly extensive bike trail network within RTP and throughout central and southern Durham. If you lived off of Fayeteville Rd. in southern Durham, you could take the American Tobacco Trail north to Cornwallis and then take special bike lanes over to RTP. There are "on street" options too but the trails/bike lanes could be easiest. Southern Durham has options for shopping, grocery stores, etc. and has both apartments and subdivisions (Hope Valley Farms, Woodcroft, etc.) right off the Fayetteville Rd. thoroughfare.
You might consider historic neighborhoods near downtown Durham, like Old West Durham, Watts-Hillandale, Trinity Park, Old North Durham, Duke Park, etc. These are walking distance to shopping and have bike paths that connect to the American Tobacco Trail. There is also a "bike bus" of RTP commuters who meet up and cycle to/from RTP together, IIRC. www.bikewalkdurham.org for more info, or www.smartcommute.org (which focuses on car-free transport to RTP.)
Carrboro/Chapel Hill are also very friendly communities for car-free people. The bus system in Chapel Hill is actually FREE (100% taxpayer supported) and is safe and very heavily used. TTA is an option from these communities as well.
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