Rail, Bus, or Other? What is the solution to Raleigh’s Future Transportation Needs?

The 29 member commission panel convened to discuss the future of Raleigh transportation needs. The group consisted of business, neighborhood and environmental leaders from Wake, Durham and Orange counties to include members of the Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC), N.C. Capital Area MPO and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO. This commission has been charged with studying the future transportation needs of the Triangle area and to recommend solutions to these needs.

Leaders of the Special Transit Advisory Commission informed city and county officials that a new plan for transportation improvements would be presented by February. It is estimated that this comprehensive plan will come with a price tag of more than $5 billion over the next three decades. Furthermore, this plan is expected to choose between to major options to include a mixture of bus and rail service to be phased in over the next 30 years. To accomplish this lofty goal, STAC will meet on November 15, 2007 and December 4, 2007, where they will use their goals and the technical analysis to finalize and prioritize a recommendation for regional transit based on elements of the transit scenarios.

During the next few months, STAC will investigate and give recommendations that will include transit corridors, operational technologies, estimated costs, an analysis of the costs and benefits of projects, and phasing. This will be a great undertaking and the leaders of this commission will include George Cianciolo – STAC Co-Chair; Smedes York – STAC Co-Vice-Chair; Bo Glenn – STAC Co-Vice-Chair; Philip Boyle – Leading & Governing Assoc., STAC Facilitator; and David King – Triangle Transit Authority.

Some of the options that this illustrious group will be considering are the initial Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) plan and some newer, fresher ideals.

• Commuters from Selma to Burlington could ride to work on trains that come into the Triangle each morning and reverse directions in the afternoon. This plan would include the N.C. Railroad Co., which owns a 317-mile rail corridor from Morehead City to Charlotte. This plan would add commuter trains to the same tracks being used by Amtrak and other freight carriers.
• Buses, streetcars or light-rail trains could circulate continually through Research Triangle Park (RTP) and the Triangle’s downtown centers. Additionally, Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) are making plans to extend a transit link from the airport to RTP.
• A variety of special buses that could be deployed to get the edge on traffic congestion. This option includes a number of different scenarios to include an unusual bus that has become popular in Europe, Curb-guided buses.

The curb-guided buses utilizes a typical rubber-tired bus that you would normally see on city streets, but equipped to also travel on a narrow path lined with concrete curbs. These bus ways are a few inches wider than the actual vehicle and the buses are fitted with small horizontal wheels to hug the inside of the curb in much the same way as a train travels on a rail. These buses could travel on both streets and these special rails.

There is no doubt that Raleigh is growing at an alarming rate and something has to be done today to ensure that traffic will be bearable in the near future. At the current rate of growth, the Triangle will have outgrown its current infrastructure soon. It is time to make real planning for the future a reality. The results from this commissions study will impact the future of Raleigh in a major way. The previous plans set forth by the TTA were not adequate and lacked in foresight and viability. A typical light rail system as experienced in similar cities such as Portland, Oregon will not suffice for this area, especially without a stop at RDU.

COST vs. BENEFIT

The cost of nearly any transportation plan that is generated from this commission will far exceed the $5 billion mark. Can we afford to purchase this type of mass transit system? However, the question should be, can we afford not to invest into a mass transit system? The plans could be a simple as updating and expanding existing roads, but funding for roads have been limited of late.

There is no doubt that we need to be innovative in our thinking and use means at our disposal to improve our transportation needs by using existing rails to establish commuter trains. Also, we should attempt to utilize the buses that we currently have in operation.

According to the TTA’s website, ridership rose by a greater percentage than the national average due largely to the increase in gas prices. Despite a large increase in 2006, the TTA lost around $2 million and will most likely show a loss for 2007. Furthermore, the capacity numbers were 8 % capacity in the past and is slightly above that number now. Should more money go towards a light rail system if the buses are not being used? This is the reason we need to find new and innovative ideals to improve the transportation needs of this area.

The benefit to the real estate market in the Triangle will be great depending on what is actually done, when it is done, and how they plan to pay for it. The wrong product will not benefit homeowners if they do not use the product due to its ineffectiveness to satisfy their commuting needs. Obviously, if they their final plans take 30 years before any benefit will be seen, then the short-term benefit to homeowners will be minimal at best. Finally, if property taxes are increased considerable to pay for these projects, then it can actually negatively affect the home’s value by making this area less desirable for people moving from the Northeast who are basically attempting to escape the high property taxes there. It is a fine line, but the correct plan will benefit the real estate market and the economy of the Triangle immensely.