Tag / Transit

by Leo Suarez

RDU to DTR Bus Connection Proposed by Triangle Transit

Triangle Transit is proposing a couple changes to its routes and one could result in a direct bus ride from downtown Raleigh to RDU airport. The route would also include the Research Triangle Park. (RTP) Try to keep up with all the acronyms.

Currently, the easiest way to get to the airport using Triangle Transit from downtown is to ride route 105 to the Regional Transit Center (RTC) in RTP. Then from there, you transfer to the 747 route and your way to the airport. 747, get it?

The proposal attempts to eliminate the transfer and offer a direct ride from the Moore Square station, up Hillsborough Street to Wade Avenue, and down I-40 to the airport. The route would run Monday through Saturday at these proposed times [broken link]. Check the Google map below for more details about the route and proposed stops.


View RTC – Moore Square via RDU Airport in a larger map

The current schedule of events puts this route and other changes into affect in August 2010. These changes are open for comment so click on over to their site and let them know what you think.

The frequency of trips has me most interested. A 30-35 minute ride from downtown to the airport at 30 minute intervals during the AM and PM rush hours is a nice improvement. Make a note that the bus route stops at each terminal for easy access. The downtown Marriott and Sheraton are only a five or so minute walk away and the Clarion is right on Edenton Street where the route will go. You can’t say its not tempting to spend the $2 one-way ticket for a bus ride to the airport terminals compared to a $20 taxi.

by Leo Suarez

Fareless Transit Ideas

Here’s an interesting read that I’d like to highlight. Aaron Renn’s blog, The Urbanophile, suggests an interesting concept for smaller cities that are trying to grow transit. Make them free. Well not exactly free but without fares. Renn states:

Why have a fare in the first place? It is odd that we pay per use on transit. We don’t pay to check books out of a library. We don’t pay to visit most city parks. We don’t pay when the police or fire department come to our house for a legitimate emergency. Most non-utility municipal services are provided for free to users and funded by taxes. So why is transit different? I suspect it is rooted in the origins of public transit systems when they were private, for-profit companies. But they aren’t that today so why adopt those legacy practices?

Read the rest of his post for some solid ideas supporting the use of fareless transit.

There’s actually nothing too radical suggested here as Chapel Hill has been fare-free for over eight years as well as downtown’s R-Line. This may or may not be something to consider as the transit section of the 2030 comprehensive plan is concerned.

by Leo Suarez

Summer Series on Growth in the Triangle: Transportation

The Research Triangle area is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. With that growth comes great challenges and opportunities.

Join the Emerging Tar Heel Leaders for a discussion
about the effects and future of transportation in the Triangle.

Date: September 2
Time: Drinks & Appetizers at 6:00 with the Panel Discussion at 6:30
Place: Busy Bee in Downtown Raleigh

Panelists will include:

David King, President, Triangle Transit Authority
Deborah Ross, N.C. House of Representatives, Raleigh District 38
Nina Szlosburg, Member N.C. Board of Transportation
John White, Policy Director, Durham Chamber of Commerce

Find More Information on Our Speakers Here.

This is the third of a multi-part series on growth in the Triangle.

Co-Sponsors: Wake-Up Wake County

by Leo Suarez

Raleigh’s Transit Could Use An Upgrade

I’m sure everyone will agree with that title. The good news is new buses are being purchased and put into the fleet thanks to some stimulus money. The baby steps are better then nothing or perhaps much better then the cuts in transit that other cities are making around the country. The cost to upgrade a transit system is expensive. If you follow the local and national transit scene like I do then you are quite familiar with seeing prices in the hundreds of millions and even in the billions of dollars to bring big time mass transit to a city and state.

We could go on and on about how the bus services in the triangle do not adequately provide an alternative to driving. But is it possible to take our current system and make it more efficient? Rather then add new routes to serve more customers at a higher cost, should the powers that be explore ways to fill our current routes for much less? Here is a list of suggestions that may motivate more people to leave the car at home and travel by bus around the triangle. Should Raleigh adopt any of these?

  1. Smart cards

    The use of transit smart cards in larger cities make it easier to manage paying for any kind of transit. I recently had a chance to experience the first ever such system that was implemented in 1997 in Hong Kong. The Octopus Card is used to pay for all transit and can even be used to make purchases in grocery stores and vending machines. You just swipe the RFID card across the receiver and money is deducted from your account. Money can be added at pay stations without ever replacing your card. It would be cheaper to get in on this system early and expand it over time with our transit network. Currently, the “Acorn Pass” could be used to pay for bus fares and parking meters.

  2. GPS Tracking

    Just like the Transloc System that the NCSU Wolfline already has, a real time GPS tracking system would help people plan their trips if they knew where the bus was at any moment in time. This is especially helpful for those routes that stop only once an hour and would prevent major headaches. The maps could be online and accessed by computer, phone, or monitors at major bus stops.

  3. Shelters and Benches

    This one is easy. More shelters and benches at stops would make it much more pleasant for people waiting for their ride. To take it one step further, the shelters could harvest solar power and use it to run lights to keep the area well lit at night. While controversial, I think advertisements on the shelters could be used to counter the cost.

  4. Subscribable Information

    Information goes a long way and we need to make it easy for people to get information about routes and changes to that route. Riders should be able to subscribe, by phone, e-mail, home address, anything, to information updates to any route that they choose. New subscribers should be mailed brochures with bus riding information, route maps, and schedules. They should even be given magnets for people to put up on their fridges so the information is easily accessible. Little things like this could make people more confident and comfortable with leaving their car at home for the day.

  5. Wifi

    Wifi on buses would be a huge incentive for the tech crowd in the area. A lot of work, and internet browsing, is done on laptops or smart phones so that added access is very valuable to those that can work on the go. I’m right here with this one and would love to start doing my work on my laptop when I sit down on the bus rather then when I arrive at work. It is a much more efficient use of my time.

Number 2 may be on the way, as the N&O post mentions that the stimulus money will be used for “a real-time bus arrival system”.

by Leo Suarez

Public Meeting on Transit in Wake County

This Thursday, March 5 at 6:30-7:30 pm, there will be a public meeting showing the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s transit proposal through 2035. The meeting is at city hall, which is at 222 W. Hargett St. for the clueless.

Click here to view the entire CAMPO plan (pdf) or visit CAMPO’s website.

To sum up the plan, the proposal will involve:

  • Doubling of bus service throughout the county, including express service to several towns beyond Raleigh.
  • Light rail from NW Cary through West Raleigh, NCSU, downtown Raleigh and up to Triangle Town Center

For those freaking out over the snow in the area, remember that light rail can still get you around if Raleigh reaches gridlock status.

by Leo Suarez

You R Here, The R Line Starts Rolling

This morning, Mayor Meeker and his downtown buddies introduced the R Line, downtown’s new circulator. We have recently talked about this and today is the day that the hybrid electric buses start rolling. Buses stop every 10 to 15 minutes and run during the following hours every week:

Mon-Wed: 7am – 11pm
Thurs-Sat: 7am – 2:15am
Sun: 1pm – 8pm

This week I found out that there will be a route extension after 6:30 pm. Take a look at the google map embedded here and you will see what I mean (shown in red).


View Larger Map

I’m working on a dedicated page for all info that is the R Line. Along with the google map, I have also made a printable map of the route and a few key stops. I’m working on that one too and am trying to make it match the excellent map on the Downtown Raleigh Alliance website. How will you use the R Line?


My printable map in pdf format, updated 2/13/09.


The R Line fleet.






Signs for each stop.

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

Downtown Thoughts Over A Pint

There is an article on WRAL about the predicted population growth of the city. City Planner Mitchell Silver says that downtown should be the central hub of the region.

It’s about choices, and we believe we can capture some of those firms that want to be in an urban setting.

Mitchell Silver

The article also says that for downtown to become a destination it needs an outdoor concert venue, a sports arena, and a better transit system. I have no idea how the city is planning to accomplish this but while they plan it out we can discuss each point for downtown.

The city will have to lure new companies that are outside the typical tech sector that this area is known for. Software and web companies simply need space for cubes and offices but the more high tech companies that are out in RTP need to work in large campuses. They have labs, manufacturing, and other tech that will not work in a high-rise building. From what I can see, the triangle’s reputation as a tech hub does not lead to tall skyscrapers and density. Diversifying Raleigh’s workforce would be key in helping downtown land more companies and, for you skyline freaks, build taller structures.

The outdoor concert venue is planned for the block west of the convention center. The old warehouses were recently torn down to make room for the venue. I have actually changed my thoughts on this topic. I was originally against it because it will be a dead zone for most of the year. However, the large tent that will go here will not be permanent at all. This is actually a good way to use the space until a larger development comes along in the future or the convention center needs to expand. It is kind of a way to save some valuable space for the future.

The sports arena topic is a tough one. In my opinion, we would need another sports team or need to wait awhile for the Hurricanes fanbase to grow. There is no point in replacing the RBC Center so fast, we should wait until it really needs to be demolished. It is only six miles away from downtown, why can’t a clever transit system link the two together? A transit system would be needed IF we built one in downtown so either way, we need to think outside of our cars.

The transit topic is also a hot one. I do not think this is just something for downtown to become a destination but to link all of Raleigh and the triangle together. I’m not going to speculate much on this because of the upcoming Open House for the comprehensive plan. Let’s see what they have to say about this one.

I like to hear about things that are coming downtown that are open all of the time. Not 24 hours a day but things that are accessible almost every day. The Fayetteville St. revitalization or restaurants open seven days a week, right now, contribute so much to downtown and creating its character. An arena or concert venue are ‘planned occasion’ kind of places so they add to my weekends, maybe after work plans but do nothing for me while closed. I’d like to see more examples of ‘always open’ activities; some public art, an urban park on the Dix property, leave the capitol building open for public viewing would be great examples of things to do. I’d also like to see the Raleigh City Museum be open every day with extended hours. I’m sure funding is an issue currently but it could use a little facelift in the near future, especially since the visitor’s center is located here too.

Any thoughts?