(I forgot to reply for a few days, and… that was a lot of reading… whoops. 
)
@Mark:
Lots of people work [downtown] and need to get [in and out of there. Plus upgrading that route for mass transit] is high profile, much more than say getting through/to Crabtree at 5pm.
So you’ve got the leverage to get the thing started at least, and once started, a lot of the front end costs are done and over with. Plus the positive feedback for those working downtown make it easier to get support for future extensions.
I agree with this too. In @Steve’s words, I really hope we can pull that off and “force a transit system on an environment that was designed to make transit unattractive” sooner than later. But I think it’s clear now that:
- if you want mass transit that’s better than a bus in DTR, the current BRT corridor is where it makes the most sense to begin, and;
- to do this ASAP in Raleigh, BRT (and for the Triangle at large, commuter rail?) is the best way to do it… but;
- a paradigm shift for how developers approach Wake County needs to happen for a mass transit-based, urban lifestyle to be possible.
I do wonder if there’s a way to design/construct the new bus lanes so that it would be easier to build light rail tracks if/when the time comes… but enough about BRT specifically; there’s a separate thread for that.
If we could go back to the third point?
@dtraleigh:
New Bern Avenue needs to be upzoned before the BRT line gets rolling [to make it sustainable]. Same might be true for parts around Western.
This may be a dumb question (since I’m often around but don’t live in Raleigh, so don’t usually have a reason to go east of downtown), but what would the residents/landowners of that area think of this conversation? I’m sure a zoning change would encourage development and make that economically possible, but are the social and practical costs against that area worth it?