I do think it’s odd they didn’t take an existing picture and just add the gondolas. I guess it is easier these days to just prompt and AI generate. The cars are funny tho.
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Some great and not so great implementations of urban gondolas.
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Just so people know, the signage around the disruptions for the platform rejuvenation project at GoRaleigh Station is just bad. The 100/CRX/DRX moved to boarding on Blount Street there’s no clear signage at least when entering from Martin Street. Basically it’s just look for your bus, if it’s not there yet 
Looking at the GoTriangle stop on Blount, it only lists the ZWX. The only acknowledgement of the construction is a Road Work Ahead sign and some plastic trellis surrounding the people working.
/End Venting
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Yikes. The digital signs said the 8 (among others) was moved to another platform due to the construction, but no, it still picked up passengers in its usual spot.
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My guess is when construction is done, they forget to change the signs back to what they usually display. A few days ago I took the 8 from the station, the platform was closed and the signs said to board from Platform C (which was correct that day). At Platform C, which had construction a few days prior but was done and running, picking up the slack for displaced routes, the signs still said “Platform C closed for construction. Routes 100/CRX/DRX board from Blount Street.” They need to keep on top of that.
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My old friend the CAT! The colors look just as groovy as they did in the late 1900s. I miss the VW bug done up like a mouse that use drive in front of the CATs. GoX maybe smart branding, but it is not nearly as fun as CAT
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Here’s the Transportation section from the presentation of the 2024 Community Survey. Shocking data, we drive a lot but I’m hopeful to see that people are dissatisfied about alternatives to driving. I hope council is listening.
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As good as the BRT plans are, it is still an unfortunate reality that many Americans will never step foot on a bus simply because it is a bus. I think Mitchell Silver was right to ask about the prospect of LRT in the future. Aside from the added upfront cost of laying the tracks and putting up wires (and building a new maintenance facility), the infrastructure is very, very similar to what we’re doing for BRT, but it provides a much more pleasant riding experience and far lower operating costs in the long term.
If the city is successful with these 4 corridors, I hope that they immediately pivot to streetcars running in dedicated lanes. No need to boil the ocean; station design can stay nearly the same. But the feeling of permanence that rails in the street offers is not to be taken for granted. There’s so many great options, too. Glenwood Ave, Hillsborough St., S. Saunders..
Heck, or just copy the specs of everything that Charlotte did for the Gold Line, but give it a dedicated lane and signal priority, which we’re already doing for BRT. At that point you immediately have one of the very best street-running light rails in the entire US because it so often gets screwed up so badly. Rezone around the stations, just like we are doing with BRT, and then rinse and repeat..
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Ah, so you found yourself in the slide deck I see!
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I did! I love how the RTN logo covers up the text I wrote. 
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But that’s the rub. Without federal money, it’s impossibly expensive.
WHAT? Is there photo evidence of this?! 
i rode the bus for basically 16 straight years in raleigh…sitting on the bus and the ride wasnt to much of an issue for me, and on a regular route you ended up knowing to some degree who you rode with… getting soaked in rain at a bus stop was the main concern. once on baord, the pot and fights and pellet gun attacks were few and far between. different era perhaps. with demographic changes and aspirational desires of newcomers to Raleigh…i went down navajo road about a year ago…and its packed parking lots and street is filled with latino car drivers..it looked surreal to me. i dont think they are concerend about brt on new bern and western too much. i would splattergun buses and signal priority as needed.
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I will have a search from the office tomorrow. Seems like the N&O did a story about it, so maybe its in their photos at the state archive.
GoTriangle has a new CEO, Brian Smith who is coming from Hampton Roads. The focus is going to be on buses.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article306215801.html
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Considering that Norfolk has the worst LRT in America, I guess that’s not happening any time soon.
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Yep. And now those morons at GoTriangle will screw up buses as well.
I think GoTriangle needs to be disbanded. This agency hasn’t done squat in the 35 years they’ve existed. They’ve been promising light-rail since the 90s, and they’ve spent millions of dollars just to end with nothing. Durham County clearly has priorities of their own, and I’m sick and tired of them pulling the blanket on themselves via GoTriangle, as the light-rail fiasco showed, and screwing over themselves and Wake County. Or like right now, with GoTriangle opening the new bus station at Raleigh Union Station, they plan to send all but one of their bus routes away from GoRaleigh Station, meaning people won’t be able to connect to the city buses. Who was the genius who decided that was a good idea?
At this point, let Wake County take its share of the pie and run county-wide transit via GoRaleigh or GoCary; at least those two agencies seem to know what they’re doing. BRT is failing, but that’s because Raleigh City Council is playing a stupid game.
Rant over.
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All the tax money (sales tax, registration fees, etc) are legislatively tied to this agency. It cannot go away.
They have been running buses somewhat successfully for 30+ years. This is what they do.
What they cannot manage to do is manage a major capital project.
This is why I think rail should be implemented by NCDOT. GoTriangle can contribute money toward it, but they should not be planning or managing the project.
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GoTriangle has been improving lately. Looking at older route maps, while there are a few downgrades (route 747 → RDU Shuttle, notably) they have been working to institute off peak and weekend service at a notable clip. There once was a time when TTA had no sunday service. I wish sunday service was better but I’m glad that we have it.
I agree with this. Although I also believe that we should de-emphasize major capital projects and focus on service expansion for the next few years, especially at a regional level.
I support New Bern BRT, as the 15 is the highest ridership per mile route in the GoRaleigh network and I support a BRT mirror-ing the 1 for similar reasons. After that I support BRT for the ability to expand service in the southern and western corridors.
The best thing we can do for the sustainability of transit is to build high demand, useful routes, soon.
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