Feds Give Nod to Triangle Mass Transit System

[sds70]

Hopefully our congressional delegation will be able to win funding for our future mass transit system (CATS Light Rail System) as well as the commuter rail system that is proposed up in the Triangle (Triangle Transit Authority) . . . Their entire line should open in December 2007 if everything works out right . . .



1/11 N&O Article on TTA Getting Federal Approval For Future Mass Transit System (http://newsobserver.com/front/story/2085683p-1993039c.html)

[jazzbluescat]

It looks like a good thing. I hope it is constructed with minimal disruption of neighborhoods and the enviornment, and that people use/support it.

[lj4three]

Originally posted by jazzredcat
It looks like a good thing. I hope it is constructed with minimal disruption of neighborhoods and the enviornment, and that people use/support it.

i dont think this will be a successful venture for the RTP region solely due to the lack of a solid urbanized population. its a good option for the environment and citizens, but i dont see this equalling the success of charlotte's plan.

[WilliamJ]

Originally posted by lj4three


i dont think this will be a successful venture for the RTP region solely due to the lack of a solid urbanized population. its a good option for the environment and citizens, but i dont see this equalling the success of charlotte's plan. Dude, the this is much more viable an option for the Triangle....Take your head out of your ass man.

[lj4three]

Originally posted by WilliamJ
Dude, the this is much more viable an option for the Triangle....Take your head out of your ass man.

dude- have you seen the plan??? This will be based upon heavy-commuter-DMU's, not pinpoint LRT that promotes dense development and caters to a population base. this "line" will be primarily based upon old rail lines that do not have growth around the rail corridor- so basically it will be like a long ass car ride for people in choice suburbs, instead of promoting high-density growth patterns and development. the charlotte plan has specific patterns that will be adhered to that will make transit and growth correlate.

[lj4three]

lemme add- the good thing about the charlotte transit plan is the spoke development that is being administered. instead of a radial pattern that would currently fit our sprawled county, the spoke development will encourage development along the transit corridors, instead of development along the outer edges. the solution to traffic congestion is not just building roads- as a matter of fact, that can be detrimental to the problem. the solution is mixing transit models and road patterns to be more cohesive- development, growth and connectivity will greater be served with thoroughfares and transit corridors serving in the same general pattern. with that said, the city of charlotte's road grid is not a grid- its a spoke system that was based upon indian trading paths and mill paths prior to auto-transportation. the spoke system centered on downtown charlotte, and flowed out towards opposite spectrums of the county. developing the transit system in this pattern is a good way to connect the existing infrastructure with our new model of transit.

[jazzbluescat]

I imagine the Triangle will have to build many rail stations with accompaning parking lots, because the commuters will drive their cars to the station to hop the train; which ain't too cool.
It will cut down on gas emissions(but, at the expense of what little habitat is left for little wild critters).

[lj4three]

Originally posted by jazzredcat
I imagine the Triangle will have to build many rail stations with accompaning parking lots, because the commuters will drive their cars to the station to hop the train; which ain't too cool.
It will cut down on gas emissions(but, at the expense of what little habitat is left for little wild critters).

jazz- TTA (Triangle Transit Authority) is currently buying up land for future stations and business displacement. the problem i see with this plan is the fact that the urbanized population of the RTP area is about 150k less than charlottes (250k less in metro population). this means that there isnt the density there to really have a mass-transit system that is based upon DMU's for commuter service- i think light rail transit would be much more effective- its more manuverable and can fit the odd densities of the area.