I could see that but BRT is probably gonna cost millions too, I’m a little biased here I’ll be honest I’ll literally run for office in the basis of Tram. Obviously at first the cost will be high again not billions as most light rail will be but keep in mind trams stop almost a busses do. For me it’s and I’m not a professional but people let admit it don’t like the bus I know I disagree with @keita but I believe transit has to be sexy. VRT good for the corridors that are getting it because it’s mostly connecting lower income areas. But these area I’ve identified serve people of all income and go to the most attractive places in the city.
Meant to say VRT I meant BRT.
Charlotte’s Gold Line and the DC Streetcar are really good examples of why trams/streetcars are only as good as the infrastructure around them. Both are terrible and seemingly unpopular services, primarily because they’re hindered by traffic due to a lack of dedicated lanes (and also due to subpar headways). I recently read that WMATA’s X2 and X9 routes actually perform better than the DC Streetcar because they have longer routes and therefore reach more people and places.
My next point was pretty much going to be everything @bnsy17 just said, plus the fact that you have to find a place for and build tracks to said depot. Pretty sure BRT is going to utilize the existing GoRaleigh facility, but, even if it doesn’t, they could put one in the middle of Clayton and it wouldn’t really matter because you don’t have to build tracks to it.
Trams make sense in a place where you have established demand that is too large for a bus, too small for a subway, and proper grade-separated light rail is impractical due to space or financial constraints. Even then, they’ll still only be popular if you manage to give them priority over cars (unlike DC and CLT). Seeing as Raleigh still only has a few existing bus routes pushing capacity, none of which run at anything better than once every fifteen minutes, I think BRT is the way to go for anything local right now.
Besides, since the City is opting for center-running busways where feasible, those will be fairly easy to convert to light rail in the future if demand warrants it (like what LA is doing with the G Line).
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: transit does NOT need to be sexy if it works. BRT works, quite, well, and we have a lot of evidence for that (Richmond, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, New York, etc). Pittsburgh’s busway system is literally the most bland, uninspired infrastructure imaginable, yet the MLK East Busway alone carries nearly as many passengers as both their Blue and Red light rail lines combined (source).
Transit professionals talk a lot about “right-sizing” modes, and that’s really important to keep in mind when proposing a new service. This is especially true in a city like Raleigh, because spending a ton of extra money just to get fancy tramcars on our streets is going to essentially ruin our chances of expanding those networks if we don’t manage to keep those tramcars full. A bus makes more sense right now. It’s cheaper, it’s easier, and it’s going to get the same traffic prioritization that light rail would.
Also, @Yimbyforlife, you should consider visiting Richmond before writing off BRT as “unsexy.” It’s a great service. (Pic isn’t mine.)
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I agree with this analysis. Implementing BRT in Raleigh is just going to be much easier politically as well.
After the Durham-Chapel Hill light rail fiasco, the last thing The Triangle needs right now is another high profile transit project to fall apart.
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Yeah Raleigh has handled the commuter rail fiasco better than our neighbors to the west. The politics is the funding and you know the state wants nothing to do we have to rely on funds. Btw
That was GoTriangles fault not GoRaleigh’s we have to learn to separate ourselves from them. Plus I don’t see any NC state representative or President canning light rail that was the domino that fell in the first place. But the legislature you know won’t fund any transit because they suck. And them Republicans may stay majority for awhile.
T
I’d still be extremely satisfied if all this was was bike infrastructure + regional rail + BRT, just to pick up some of the loose ends in terms of funding. Not sure how transportation bonds usually work tho in terms of what types of projects are included.
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That is probably exactly what this bond would be funding.
I wanted to drop a plug for this Raleigh Forward event related to transportation. I’m planning to go and if you don’t know Eric Lamb, he’s pretty knowledgeable with a ton of years at the city.
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Completely agree with Leo and would be there myself if I could. I hope lots of you go and support Raleigh Forward/Eric!
Nice, short video below on how BRT was implemented in Houston. The project finsihed shortly after I moved to Raleigh. Seems to be successful in a densely populated area but some reports have indiated that the ridership is a bit lower than expected, at least at this juncture. The Silver Line BRT Corridor - Houston - YouTube BRT seems like a solid solution for a few corridors running out of DTR.
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My understanding is that ridership on Houston’s Silver Line is expected to pick up with future development and connectivity to downtown via other high-capacity routes (future system map and key projects can be viewed here). The Silver Line broke ground in 2016 and, as far as I can tell, was prioritized based on pre-COVID commute patterns (I’ve never been to Houston, but a quick perusal on Google Maps seems to indicate that it primarily serves businesses and offices with park-and-rides on either end). That type of service would have killed in the pre-pandemic world, but tends to struggle a bit more now. Mixed-use along the corridor will fix that.
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It’s like NYC building the subway when the Upper West Side was farmland. Sometimes the transit is built to induce demand.
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Which is exactly why New Bern, Wilmington, Western, and NCRR are great corridors for high-capacity transit, if we can get station areas rezoned. Insane amounts of development potential. Kills me how few people understand that.
“iT dOEsn’T gO anYWhEre” THAT’S LITERALLY THE POINT AAAAAAAAAA
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Great obseravations! I agree that mixed-use will vastly increase ridership. I am visting Houston later this Summer and plan to check out the finished product.
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Definitely will do so!
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I’m happy to share that I’ll be a board member on the Raleigh Transit Authority and start attending meetings here in August. Let’s do this, Raleigh! 
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Hearty congratulations to you @dtraleigh and to all of Raleigh as a result of your appointment! This community now has a seat at the table! 
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Finally some fresh blood we got to gaurd you at all times.
Looks like some additional GoTriangle service is being restored early next month.
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