by Leo Suarez

Back From Vacation

After eight days and 2500+ miles driven, I’m finally back in Raleigh and it is great to be home. I have no content right now as I am getting back into the swing of things but do have some ideas for discussion.

If you want to see what happened in 2008, check the archives, but for those looking ahead, what do you want to see happen in 2009? I have a couple ideas for a short term wishlist for next year. The talk about downtown skyscrapers and arenas is great but we can’t forget about the smaller things that downtown needs. What is possible to happen in a years time?

I was in Birmingham for the NC State football game and my experience of the city was average. It got me thinking about the experience a new visitor to Raleigh has. It is a little hard for someone living in Raleigh to put yourself in their shoes but I’d be really interested to hear about someone’s first visit to Raleigh and how the city/downtown plays host.

Also a new camera is on the way and I’m really trying to work on my photography skills as well as do some really cool photo projects.

Happy New Year!

by Leo Suarez

Cleaning up Bloomsbury Estates

The finishing touches to the building are being put up and the area around it is finally coming together. The sidewalk is being poured and the brick parking lot is being laid out. Just from walking around, the set back building reminds me of Park Deveraux, with an area for bushes and trees with a fence lining the sidewalk. I think this is fitting since the building sits on the edge of neighborhoods and there will be little foot traffic.

There is a stone on the corner of Boylan and Hargett that gives a shout out to the old Wake County courthouse. Readers, help me out here, has this stone always been at this location? I have actually never seen it before.

I know this building has been heavily criticized throughout the blogosphere but whatever your opinion is on Bloomsbury Estates, you’ve got to give them credit on the extra attention to detail. Compared to current condo buildings, this one has a little more substance then the others in downtown Raleigh.

New street, Independence Place, goes right in front of the building.

by Leo Suarez

Downtown Raleigh Circulator Analyzed

A great addition is possibly coming to downtown next month. The city is proposing a free downtown circulator (finally!) and has more details on their website here, with a .pdf map of the route here.

Let’s geek out a little and break down the route to see how much nicer travel within downtown will be. This is what we know or will assume:

  • The link above claims a bus will arrive every 10-15 minutes.
  • One bus will run the route at all times.

Unless you are speeding, no one can drive that entire route under the speed limit in 10 minutes. I know this because I tried it. (disclaimer: Yes, I do have a life. It just so happened that I needed to move my car and I got curious so I decided to drive the route and time it) Driving the route at a normal speed with little traffic takes just under 15 minutes. Add stop time for passengers and we are looking at a 20 minute total route time with one bus; if traffic is bad, who knows. So the wait time may suck but running two buses at peak hours will take care of that problem easily.

Travel time is hands down more convenient. Assuming a 20 minute round trip time, let’s assume that it takes 10 minutes to get to the midway point in the route. For example, if you are at the Performing Arts Center you can get to Glenwood South in about 10 minutes. The alternative is a 20 minute walk, $5 cab ride, or the guilt of punishing one unlucky rickshaw driver. With the circulator, you can sit down, pay nothing, and are out of the rain/cold/whatever.

The actual route looks very simple and touches on each downtown area. The downtown core is serviced through Wilmington St. with a stop at each block. This is very convenient for each block and the parking decks along the corridor. The route going straight down Glenwood South will probably be slowed by nightlife crowds but this is only a few hours of the week so it should not be changed. I think a stop at Davie and Dawson would make more sense then the stop at Cabarrus and Dawson because there are more businesses on Davie then Cabarrus. It is only one block however so no one should complain. The convention center is serviced beautifully with a stop right at the front door. This will also be extremely convenient for those staying at the Sheraton and the Marriott.

This simple loop should work out very well. Think of it like this; anyone is at least three blocks from a stop at anytime. That is a huge jump in convenience for anyone lurking around downtown. Also, the fact that the city wants to run hybrid buses is another bonus. Every hotel lobby, building lobby, and museum should have route maps to inform people of its existence.

Two thumbs up!


Green buses [UPDATE: 8:31am] This is what the buses could look like, not the actual buses that will be used.

by Leo Suarez

Transit And Downtown A Big Topic In The Comprehensive Plan

I’m slowly reading through some of the plan but the quick guides are keeping me busy for now. They help get the idea across pretty easily so I would start with those first. Downtown Raleigh is heavily involved in the document and if all goes according to plan downtown will grow larger and become the transit hub of the region.

Jump right into the online material

I was first interested in the “What will Raleigh look like in 2030 and how will the plan affect me?” guide. Here are some interesting bullet points.

The size of the downtown will grow in size southward toward I-40 with new office buildings, residential buildings, shops, parks and entertainment venues.

Raleigh will have public transit such as high-speed rail, commuter rail, streetcars, bus and express bus routes that connect the entire city and region. Getting around the region without a car will be much easier.

The City will hold itself accountable by updating the public on the plan’s progress annually.

The southward growth of downtown makes sense since I-40 has the heaviest traffic and is probably the easiest route to take when heading downtown. There is also a lot of room along South Saunders for more office and residential towers. I’d like to see the side streets to South Saunders, Hammond, and Wilmington become a north/south grid and extend the current grid of downtown. The side streets can become neighborhoods with mass transit moving along the major roads to move people in and out.

“Getting around the region without a car will be much easier”

What a great quote. If you look at the “What places may change over the next 20 years?” guide, you will see a list of areas that are planning to change as well as some roads that may become huge transit corridors. Downtown is all over this list and many of the roads mentioned go through or near downtown. Connecting these high-growth centers is very important so it is good to see that there are plans for transit between these areas.

The plan does a great job pushing urban values all over Raleigh. It is still important for everyone to realize that it is just a plan or guideline and not what WILL happen in Raleigh’s future. If you support this comprehensive plan, or have any input at all, please leave feedback for the city. The city is taking input through January and only by commenting can we let the city council know what aspects are important for Raleighites. If you support it, so will the city decision-makers.