Don’t forget the other favorites, Bentley, Ferrari, Rolls Royce and more. I can’t even imagine what those community meetings will look and sound like when the city proposes TOD zones in either area. The “affordable housing advocates” will be fulfilling their duties to be the exact opposite.
1 Like
Fair enough. This was more just my personal gripes with the rollout, certainly didn’t mean it to be personally directed at you. You were just the passerby I was able to shake my cane at. I’ll be watching how this all comes to pass. I obviously want the whole thing to be successful more than I want it to fail, just so I can come back to this post in a decade and say I told you so.
Also to your point and couggggggggggar’s point about the potential ridership groups, I was thinking maybe more about all the people who pack North Hills or downtown on any given evening or weekend and being able to move between the two, maybe with stops by East End stuff, etc. I just think better, more visible, non-car transit through this area would be a better showcase. Also, I don’t think all people who live in an area all share the same outlook, priorities, or vehicle types. I live in W. Raleigh somewhat near downtown Cary and I’d take a BRT to downtown Raleigh and back frequently. I don’t have a Mercedes, and I didn’t move to this location because I wanted to be far from DTR or hate walkability.
2 Likes
As I get more into middle age I can appreciate a good cane-waving. 
Oh I certainly agree on the West Ral to Cary route! I think it shoulda been #2 instead of #3. (Mostly due to NCSU though.)
I think engineering is the main reason that one is further down the list. For one, they want to make sure that the horrific migraine-inducing construction of the 440 widening is 100% over before they start. (Can’t blame them there!) Also, there’s the issue of a Western Blvd extension that needs to be incorporated.
(That said, trueurbanist is right—there will be Nimby issues out that way that will be just as much of a speedbump as the New Bern TOD conflict was.)
I just hope once the contractors are finally brought in, we can get all these routes up and rolling asap.
3 Likes
I think the main difficulty with the western route is the connection from Western Blvd to Cary Town Blvd. The construction on the Beltline is probably a secondary challenge and reason to delay.
I also think that New Bern is a home run as the first corridor. Most productive route in the city (in terms of riders per revenue hour), 2nd highest ridership overall (behind Capital which is a much longer route), the simplest ROW to build in, and it needed an aesthetic overhaul to boot.
13 Likes
For real. N. Hills resident were up in arms about the bus terminal Kane was going to pay for.
3 Likes
I don’t speak for all car enthusiasts, but I know I speak for many of them when I say that reducing the amount of cars on the road (without reducing the ability to still drive) is something that a substantial number of car lovers can get behind. Most people - and I mean a huge majority of people - see driving as a chore and cars as appliances, and due to that are unlikely to be good drivers as they are stuck doing something they don’t enjoy.
I’m one of the biggest gearheads on this board, but driving has gotten a lot less enjoyable throughout most of NC (especially since Covid). I dread having to drive anywhere around Charlotte, but due to where I live coupled with where I work and hang out, I don’t have another feasible option. Unfortunately there is little hope for the foreseeable future now that our transit funding has been kneecapped again by the state.
6 Likes
That’s me!
I do take the responsibility seriously and try to be a good and safe driver. Perhaps in part because of this, I get very little enjoyment out of the act of driving. I drive mediocre and boring car-appliances known for utility, safety, and reliability and definitely the opposite of what someone would choose if they wanted performance or good looks.
The few times I’ve been behind the wheel of a high performance car, I felt a strong sense of how it could be extremely dangerous in the hands of a selfish, unconscietious person (which, sadly, are sometimes - though not always - the types who are drawn to high performance vehicles.)
4 Likes
Go out driving late at night, that’s what I do at least. There’s less traffic, less tendency for people using their phone, eating, putting on make-up, etc. It will help you enjoy driving again.
But if I had to drive my track car as the daily, I would lose my mind, so I feel you there. It would be impossible anyways with car seats.
1 Like
can excitement just be greater frequency of busses? does it require multimillions in proper BRT for how much additional ridership over the next 5 to 10 years? reno nv did a brt lite scheme…no dedicated lane, but 10 10-minute frequency and fewer stops. RTC RAPID – Virginia Line (Virginia St.) – RTC Washoe
I feel like that would work just fine for this East Raleigh route personally, but I readily admit I’m not knowledgeable about BRT or East Raleigh in general.
North hills could definitely use some halfway decent bus service. The 8 bus to midtown has hour long headways most of the day. That’s not viable transit for anyone that has other options.
[quote=“orulz, post:1739, topic:20, full:true”]
I think the main difficulty with the western route is the connection from Western Blvd to Cary Town Blvd. The construction on the Beltline is probably a secondary challenge and reason to delay. [/quote]
Agree. Kinda why I mentioned both: each of those 2 issues alone would cause a bit of a delay but combined it creates a double whammy.
Yes! It’s interesting you mention that----the city actually did have a plan to do an overhaul for part of it (Raleigh Blvd to Sunnybrook) as far back as 10-12 years ago but it got shelved due to budget and the council put it to a lower priority. So in essence, in addition to the BRT the city is taking care of a corridor that was overdue for improvements, too.
5 Likes
The few times I’ve been behind the wheel of a high performance car, I felt a strong sense of how it could be extremely dangerous in the hands of a selfish, unconscietious person (which, sadly, are sometimes - though not always - the types who are drawn to high performance vehicles.)
Yeah of course it could be extremely dangerous. A lot of things can be extremely dangerous when in the wrong hands. But I will die on the hill that far more people are in far more danger from the ridiculous number of excessively heavy trucks and SUVs pummeling our roads, than they are from the relative handful of performance cars that brake and grip several levels of magnitude better than those overweight trucks and SUVs can. Not to mention that buyers of performance cars are really the only carbuyers who are hardcore enough to tolerate the extreme comfort and practicality compromises…most drivers won’t put up with that.
3 Likes
2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Raleigh In The News around the country/world
I see what appears to be alot of road construction or set up on Western blvd, whats going on over there ? Are they prepping for Brt?
They still haven’t completed the final design of the Western BRT, so any construction activity is a good while away. I believe this is some natural gas pipeline work.
Yup, they’re increasing the size of the natural gas pipeline that runs along western to account for the increased demand in south Raleigh. Not sure which article that’s from, or i’d include it here.
2 Likes
A little more chatter on that here.
Just 4 more studies to go (until the second phase of studies will begin)
1 Like
“The Studies will continue until…jk they won’t stop ever and we’ll never build anything”
1 Like