Category / Transit/Transportation

by Leo Suarez

Just Your Average Joe – Triangle Transit Experience

The local and national media is obsessed with the topic of the current gas prices. I do not know about you, but I am overwhelmed by the amount of coverage the price of gas is getting these days. This blog 100% supports the use of other modes of transit in the triangle other then the gas powered automobile. The problem with the triangle, however, is that a reasonable alternative can be very hard to use in this ‘sprawltastic’, car-centric area we live in. However, the rise in gas prices are creating a rise in bus ridership, according to the N&O. Rather then reading about it, I decided to give Triangle Transit a try for my daily work commutes and here are my thoughts and experiences.


Moore Square is the main Raleigh hub for most bus routes

Researching The Route

I live in downtown and work in RTP so I needed to find the bus route to get me out there and back. As an internet junkie, my first path to finding information is almost always the internet so naturally, I went to Triangle Transit’s website for information. The trip planner is horrible and it did not get my route to appear after a couple tries. Maybe you have more patience then I do but I decided to skip this tool and move on to the list of maps and schedules. This was easier for me to find what I needed and “Route 105: RTP to NCSU to Raleigh” was the one I needed to ride. After that, there was an RTP bus circulator that went from the RTP transfer station up to my place of work.

The website offers a simple text schedule, the route brochure as a .pdf file, and a Google map of the route with major and minor stops pinpointed along the way. This is good information for those that want to plan their way. After doing the website research and printing out some documentation, I was all set to ride.

Cost

At the start of this new transit experiment, I bought bus tickets and filled my car’s tank completely. The idea was to see how long I could go without paying any more money towards transit. A transit cost for this experiment is gas or a bus ticket and at the start I paid about $95.

A pack of 12 Triangle Transit tickets costs $41 and one ticket will give you unlimited rides per day. That comes out to $3.42 per day if you ride the bus. At the time of this particular visit to the gas station, the cost of regular gasoline was $3.53 a gallon. Assuming my car’s 32 mpg rating on the highway and a DTR/RTP distance of 18 miles (36 both ways), it costs about $3.97 to drive my car to work.

The Ride – Positives

Probably one of the best points of riding the bus is that someone else is doing the driving for you. While riding, you have the time to sleep, read, blog, play games or do anything because you do not have to deal with traffic yourself. I used this time to read more and would watch video podcasts on my ipod, where I could not before because I was paying attention to the road. When someone else is driving, you can focus more attention on another activity and perhaps get work done during your commute. This could be really beneficial to those who love to multi-task.

Cost was another great benefit to riding. Referring back to my numbers above, it is clear that riding the bus is the more cost effective choice. The bus fares are not rising and have been the same throughout this whole gas price hike. The price of gas is much higher then $3.53 today so the cost benefit of riding the bus is only strengthening. I went a full four weeks without paying for another transit cost.

While riding, my car was just sitting around doing nothing. This is great because no gas is being used, no stress or miles is being put on the car, and there is now one less car on I-40 during rush hour traffic. I’m a little bit of an Ecogeek too, so the added fact that I’m not pouring emissions into the air is a bonus.


Triangle Transit’s sleek new look

Negatives

Time is the biggest negative to this new transit venture. Driving to work on average throughout this experiment would take 25 minutes in the morning and 40 minutes in the evening. Riding the bus was almost three times longer, with rides averaging 1 hour and 15 minutes in the morning and 1 hour and 40 minutes in the evening. This makes a huge difference for someone that is busy and fitting in these huge blocks of time into my schedule was a real hassle. The afternoon ride times were more inconsistent then the morning rides. Even though I was not dealing with traffic, the bus was and heavy traffic on I-40 sometimes pushed my ride home past the two hour mark. If I was driving, I could avoid certain traffic zones where the bus must stay on its route.

During this experience, I learned to tolerate Triangle Transit rather then trust it. The buses were generally not on time, plain and simple. For those interested in catching a bus mid-route, I would recommend showing up 10 minutes before the posted time. If early, buses would stop but would not wait until the posted time to continue the route. There were a few cases of clear driver negligence where requested bus stops were passed. The RTP circulator also needs a makeover. My particular route would go one way in the morning and a completely new one in the afternoon. It may not bother you but I see another layer of confusion in this, more so because it does not at all follow the posted schedule on the Triangle Transit website.

The Verdict

We all have our own opinions. We all live and work in different areas so your particular experience will be different from mine. With that and the experience I just shared I have decided not to continue riding the bus as the time factor is the real kicker for me. The bus is just too slow and it is not worth it to me to ride it for so long. Right now, the gas prices have not been applying enough pressure for me to be a full on committed rider; I have found other ways to save money. Even though I do not ride, I encourage everyone to give Triangle Transit or the other bus services a try. If you have never ridden, it is a completely different experience then you think. Again, RalCon fully supports other means of transit in Raleigh other then cars and I hope one day (in my lifetime) we’ll see a network of trains, streetcars, and buses that can serve everyone. For now, I’ll stick to practicing EcoModder’s 105 Hypermiling and Ecodriving tips.

by Leo Suarez

Raleigh Trolley 101

The trolleys cruise around downtown every weekend but I get the feeling that most are reluctant to ride because of the lack of info. Well allow me to try and sort the trolley situation out and point you in the right direction. Downtown Raleigh has two different trolleys; the showtime trolley and the historic Raleigh trolley tour.

Jump straight to the city’s website for their breakdown

Showtime Trolley

The showtime trolley is great for those that are pairing up dinner and a show at the performing arts center. This trolley is in a bit of a funk however; the trolley cannot go down Fayetteville St. because of construction. Take a look at the route and see if you can use it during your next weekend excursion.

Historic Raleigh Trolley Tour

The historic tour runs every Saturday and for a small fee, you can ride around downtown while brushing up on your Raleigh history. The narrated tour is about 45 minutes long starting on the hour between 11 am and 2 pm. There are 6 stops along the route for you to board. The city even has a video about the tour.

Thoughts

A couple things I noticed that could make this experience better:

You are asked to flag down the showtime trolley when you want a ride. I think if it stopped at certain destinations no matter what, it would be more inviting and people would actually ride.

There should be space cleared for the trolleys to stop. For example, the picture below shows the City Market stop. Three parking spots use up a great space that could be a trolley stop. Get the cars out of there when trolleys are running and have them pull right up to the curb.

The routes desperately need better signs; more of them also. The signs look small, cheap, and just like all the other parking/traffic signs out there. There is lots of room for creativity here. For example back to my city market picture, the historic trolley stop is on the left and the showtime is on the right. Get rid of them and hang a nice sign from the awning. We could then place a tasteful map nearby, just like the map that is out there of city market (that needs a makeover by the way but that is for another day).

As for the ride itself, I still have not experienced it for myself. Please comment if you have been on one of the trolleys.

by Leo Suarez

State of the City [UPDATE]

Mayor Meeker’s speech is today at noon over at the Progress Energy Center of the Performing Arts. I’m going to update this post later with some thoughts after I watch it. Unfortunately, I cannot go to it so I may have to wait until I get home from work so leave comments on your predictions or for those that went, please leave any reactions or reviews.

It is open to the public and they are also selling lunch.

[UPDATE 3:15pm]
I was able to watch the ‘State of the City’ speech given today by Mayor Meeker online while at work. The speech was nice and short and hit on key topics; some relative to downtown. The drought was the biggest topic, as it should be, and affects everyone in Raleigh. The mayor said that a study with the army corps of engineers has revealed that Falls Lake may be dry by this summer. I know I’ve been watching my water consumption but will start to see if I can do even more. I encourage everyone to do the same.

Here are some downtown highlights:

  • The mayor mentioned the amount of cranes downtown, showing tremendous new developments as well as renovation projects.
  • The Convention Center will open in August; it is fully booked through 2008 and mostly 2009.
  • Transportation will be very important this year. It is time to “get serious” about improving the bus service and creating a rail system.
  • Transit will also change “the old-fashioned way” starting with improvements to sidewalks, lights, and creating pedestrian friendly environments. The mayor mentioned complete streets as a model
  • There will be a focus on urban growth in downtown and along major corridors in the city.
  • The African American Cultural Center is currently in its design phase. Financial details as well as location are still being discussed.
  • There is a downtown parking study underway, results are still a few months away.
  • The mayor stressed energy efficiency in our city lights. There are over 30,000 incandescent bulbs around the city that are planned to be switched over to LED lighting.
  • There will be an Arts Foundation starting with the city putting up to $100,000 a year. The mayor used the new art pieces in Chavis Park and Fred Fletcher Park as examples of what would appear around the city.
  • Dorothea Dix is planning to move most of its beds to the site in Butner in 2Q 2008, but some operations will remain on the site for a little longer. The Dix master plan is favoring a park but it will really come down to what our state officials decide to do with the site (it is state owned property after all).
  • Affordable housing downtown was brought up and it is currently being looked at. No plans as of yet.

The mayor also made a small note about creating destinations around Raleigh, downtown, North Hills, Crabtree were some example. He wanted to light these places up to let people know that this is an important area of the city. He mentioned that the dome of the capitol building is now lit up as of about 2 weeks ago. This explains why I have been looking at the Capitol building at night so funny lately, I never caught this.

It sounds like Raleigh is doing great but our water supply is the biggest concern. If we all can battle through this drought and the city can come up with a plan to solve this issue, then we can finally move on from this 10 month war. It sounds like the mayor has ideas to slow sprawl and attack traffic problems now before they get out of hand. He used Charlotte as an example when talking about transit and how their model was good. I’m glad they got the chance to go out there and see the light rail line personally.

You can watch or read more about the speech (as of 3:07pm) at WRAL and ABC11.

by Leo Suarez

One-way Street Madness

It is a Raleigh tradition to drive downtown and lose your way at least once in your lifetime. I still remember a drive downtown many years ago. I was trying to find the Lincoln Theatre, not knowing that east and west Cabarrus Streets do not actually join. When I did realize this, I still had trouble getting over to the west side when on the east. I mean whose great idea was it to build One and Two Hannover where a street should be? I was just a youngling back then and now know the downtown Raleigh streets.

One of the biggest complaints I hear about downtown is how hard it is to navigate and find your way around. I honestly have not been to any city, of significant size, where the downtown area was ‘easy’ to navigate so this complaint does not quite make as much noise too me. However, downtown is changing and is trying to improve this, which is good for any visitor to the area. The plan is to change many one-way streets to a two-way design. We have already seen this occur with Martin and Hargett St. in 2006. Later this year, Lenoir and South Street will be converted as well.

The initiative for this change is outlined on the city’s Livable Streets website:

One-way pairs were at one time an innovative way to increase the traffic-carrying capacity of dense urban streets, but in the age of ring highways and major thoroughfare corridors, the need for traffic capacity on secondary downtown streets is not as great as in the mid-20th Century when most of these one-way pairs were implemented. One-way systems also increase traffic speed at the expense of pedestrian safety and also make it more difficult for the first-time visitor to navigate. Several pairs of streets are under consideration for return to two-way travel, and each will be re-designed as this change is implemented to maximize the efficiency of the street while emphasizing the comfort and convenience of the pedestrian.

Once these changes have taken place, Salisbury St. opens back up, and Fayetteville St. is finished up to Lenoir, we will have a solid street network for visitors to roam around.

I’d also like to point out a little flaw within our streets that I do not see any plans for change. What is up with the one-way to two-way to one-way fiasco on Morgan St.? It is dominantly one-way with a five block two-way stretch between St. Mary’s and Dawson St. Does anyone know how this came to be?

by Leo Suarez

A Vision: Streetcars in Raleigh

I like following the transportation issues of the triangle because I believe we are very close to approaching a point where adding more highways and parking decks will only delay problems and not fix them. To stay competitive and maintain quality of life, Raleigh and all the other triangle towns and cities must work together to provide alternatives to driving. The latest reports from the News & Observer: Streetcars, express buses may precede regional rail. Some highlights:

Triangle residents will need good local streetcars, trains and express buses before they need a proposed regional rail link between Durham, Research Triangle Park and Raleigh.

In Raleigh, the short list might include trains running from downtown to northern Wake County, on former CSX tracks that parallel the city’s crowded Capital Boulevard.

In February, the 29-member advisory panel is expected to give local officials its priorities for transit improvements to be built by 2020, and a second list to be built by 2035.

York said trains on the old CSX tracks could ease congestion on the Capital Boulevard commuter corridor, and the transit service would stimulate an urban mix of commercial and residential growth along the line. The TTA’s long line from Raleigh to Durham would not be as successful, he said.

It sounds like they want to build good transit networks within our cities before linking them across the region. I’m not an expert on the subject but do have some thoughts and support the idea of streetcars in Raleigh. The main sources of traffic in Raleigh are people going to or coming home from work. If the city can offer people a way to get to the office with the car still sitting at home or at a park and ride lot, then we are on the right track.

Here is a list of a couple areas in Raleigh that are growing and should have access to a streetcar system.

  • North Hills
  • Crabtree Mall area
  • Downtown
  • Wade Office Parks/RBC Center Complex
  • NC State University
  • Capital BLVD corridor
  • Southeast Raleigh

The beltline is not getting any wider so as these areas grow around it, there has to be another way for people to get around. I found the Wikipedia entry for ‘streetcar’ or ‘tram’ interesting. Here are some advantages of it over a bus system.

  • Rights-of-way for trams are narrower than for buses. This saves valuable space in cities with high population densities and/or narrow streets.
  • Because they are rail-bound, trams command more respect from other road users than buses do, when operating on-road. In heavy traffic conditions, rogue drivers are less likely to hold up trams, for example by blocking intersections or parking on the road. This often leads to fewer delays. As a rule, especially in European cities and Melbourne, trams always have priority.

Let’s also consider the disadvantages of a streetcar system over a bus system.

  • When operated in mixed traffic, trams are more likely to be delayed by disruptions in their lane. Buses, by contrast, can easily maneuver around obstacles.
  • Tram infrastructure occupies urban space above ground and requires modifications to traffic flow.

There are others listed in the Wiki article but these are the ones relevant to adding them to Raleigh streets and assuming the money is there for them. Of course, we all know that a streetcar will cost more and is harder to implement but the benefit can be outstanding once it has been absorbed by the population and becomes part of the local culture.

City leaders should encourage denser growth around the main streets in north Raleigh, ex. Glenwood, Creedmoor, Falls of the Neuse, Capital, etc., as well as near downtown so that a streetcar system is feasible in these areas. We can also assume that with a link downtown and along all the major roads in north Raleigh, a significant amount of office space is reachable by streetcar. Many residents will have access to work by this network and can leave their car at home. Remember that downtown is the largest employment center in Raleigh and with all the new growth, parking decks are filling up and NOT being replaced.

Like I said, I’m not an expert. But if the city is serious about stepping up and getting a transit system in place, a deal between some big developers and the city is needed. All the potential corridors for the streetcars need to be revamped by the city and the developers need to provide dense housing, taller apartment buildings, and a more efficient use of any available land. With the population increasing, these homes will look more attractive because of the convenience to a transit line. It does not need to come all at once, each corridor can be rolled out in phases and if the early ones are successful, Raleighites will accept and support it. After that we can then move on to linking ourselves with the rest of the triangle, that discussion I leave for another day.

by Leo Suarez

East Coast High Speed Rail Conference

We’ll stick with the rail discussion carried over from last week but move from local to regional. Tonight at the Fletcher Opera house will be a conference discussing the possibility of a high-speed rail line for the east coast. The N&O highlights the event:

National rail industry and transportation leaders are coming to Raleigh for a daylong conference Monday to discuss prospects for fast passenger and freight train service that has been proposed for the East Coast.

Monday’s conference, titled “High Speed Rail for the East Coast — It’s Time,” runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Fletcher Opera Theatre, 2 E. South St., Raleigh. A fee is charged. Registration details are online at www.wtsncevents.org.

……

“Our goal is to continue to build the support that is necessary for implementing high-speed rail as a relief measure for our over-capacity roads and air-quality challenges,” said Julie E. Hunt of the Women’s Transportation Seminar of North Carolina, organizer of the event.

This probably coincides with Virginia and North Carolina’s study of a high speed rail line between Richmond and Raleigh. You can see more about this proposal here. The southeast high speed rail line would be pretty influential. This would create alternative modes of travel to larger cities such as Atlanta, Charlotte, and Washington DC. If this plan is implemented like the website says, it would make Raleigh a hub, with trains flowing north, south, and west.

by Leo Suarez

Rail Transit Soon To Launch………

….in Charlotte! Yeah this is a downtown RALEIGH blog but after seeing the tracks out there in the queen city and the videos below, I feel I need to give a shout out. The trains are currently being tested and will see commuters riding next month. I hope that this train line in Charlotte is successful and that the triangle can implement such a project to improve our worsening traffic. I’m a big fan of an efficient transit system that is convenient and widely supported; something this area lacks so much. This is probably the number one thing that frustrates me about the area. Anyway, watch the video and read up on Light Rail Transit. Do you think Raleigh is ready for a system like this?

by Leo Suarez

DT Transportation for you lazy people

This post will be one that evolves as the downtown transportation scene changes and grows. I have overheard people complain about the lack of parking, the overcrowded lots on weekends, and others are just intimidated with finding a spot on the street and making the effort to parallel park. If anyone reading this thinks that downtown is hard to get to or inaccessible, allow me to try and persuade you otherwise and properly inform you about your options about getting around to the various districts that make up the downtown area. With a little information beforehand, your experience downtown will lessen your headache in the car and increase your headache the next morning (which is a good thing if you know what I mean)

You’re not a VIP!
I’d like to take a little stab at the suburban parking mentality. In suburbia, shops are typically built in shopping centers and an ocean of parking is laid out right outside the front door. You park with the store clearly visible in front of you and you walk right to it. That works just fine in a car-dependent area, like all suburbs in America are these days. This mentality does not apply in a downtown area and with Raleigh’s growing, a new mentality must be adopted by visitors so that they know what to expect.

If the parking spaces right in front of The Big Easy are taken and you have to park three blocks down and around the corner to get there, this does not mean that more parking in downtown is needed. What you should have known is that there is a parking deck a block away that you can easily park in and walk to the restaurant.

Now it is not your fault for parking so ‘far away’ and walking, the blame can be placed on the city for not advertising the parking options very well or for you not taking the time for doing a little homework. This is something the Downtown Raleigh Alliance is trying to help. Information is power and at their website here, you can see an interactive map of all the parking decks and lots available to you. I encourage everyone to make a note of the closest deck or lot to your location, get to know it, and use it.

Not the walking type? Ride then.
So you drove downtown and have plans with friends to have dinner on Fayetteville Street, drinks on Glenwood, and then dancing in the warehouse district. This sounds like it involves three trips with your car. Not at all! Here are some various options, other then just walking, to get to your destinations.

• Cabs – Cabs are fairly easy to spot in the busier sections of downtown. Flag one down and get a ride to your location. As downtown grows so will the frequency of cabs. I really hope to see a solid fleet of cabs moving people around downtown in the near future. White horse is the downtown cab of choice.
• Horse and Carriage – A more laid back option to getting around. Right now they are just rides around a laid out route. I see no reason that they could not let you out at a certain spot on the route. This may be the more romantic way to go for you guys out there, or just do it for the kiddies. Click here for more information.
• Rickshaw – New this year to downtown. Rickshaws have been popping up and you can use them to get all over downtown. This is a very environment friendly option and right now they are free, well sort of, just make sure you tip them well. According to this article, they have plans on expanding the service in the future. I like this option the best. Easily the most fun choice. They have a website but its not up yet.
• Raleigh Trolley – This is like the bus system for downtown. Currently one trolley runs on limited hours but there are plans to expand the service. Check this website for times and the route. I really think this will take off once Fayetteville Street has been completed.

So there it is. Take a look at all the links and add some bookmarks to your browser. Next time, before you head out to the downtown area, plan ahead and approach it with confidence. No need to thank me.