GoRaleigh Bus System, now and the future

[keita]

On thee topic of the Triangle being a multi-core metro area, it looks like that “regionalism” being poorly-defined was one of many issues that killed the Durham light rail project.

That’s not coming from my opinions; GoTriangle commissioned a post-mortem report to look at what went wrong, and what they need to do better.

Surprise surprise, they got roasted pretty hard.

TL/DR

• GoTriangle never explained how this solves a problem the Triangle had. (it’s the “wtf y u no have airport link” problem, but GoTriangle never gave a good answer people liked)

• A lot of people didn’t know who they were or what they were doing. Whether it’s how CEO Jeff Mann was also the project manager, how the Board of Trustees isn’t represented by the people they serve, or how there was no communication plan/point-persons for sticky questions, everyone’s roles were defined terribly.

• Even more people weren’t involved. Citizens who were eminent domain’d for the maintenance facility, business leaders etc. were never on the same page -all while GoTriangle was like:

• There were too many moving parts that depended on set-in-stone agreements that weren’t there. GoTriangle engineers wasted weeks on designing things only to throw it all away when Duke or NCRR/Norfolk Southern sent out its latest demands

Once you see this,… is it just me, or is anyone else also REALLY worried about Raleigh’s shot at BRT?

Interesting quotes from the report

@Page 8

[The reviewers, which consisted of project managers in major cities’ rail systems like DC and Atlanta] was also struck by the complexity of the DOLRT project, particularly for an agency undertaking a job of this size for the first time. It is easy to grow numb to large numbers, but a $2.4 billion LRT project presents enormous management, coordination and leadership challenges.

@Page 9

There is belief in the goal of regionalism, but [what regionalism means] is not consistently defined, and there are concerns about how best to achieve a regional transportation system given the lack of regional governance structures and the polarity of political views.

@Pages 9-10

Project selection should address several key questions, including the following:

• Does the project adequately support regional needs, priorities and aspirations, and is it truly regional,
  meeting the goals of the multiple jurisdictions? […]
• Can the project survive changes in state support? […]
• Does the organization have the capacity to execute the project?

@Page 10

For every project, […] there must be a rigorous, quantitative, thorough and transparent analysis of costs, risks, benefits and challenges[…]. This goes well beyond maintenance of a risk register and regular updates to the board. It requires staff and the board to:

• fully comprehend what it will take to implement the project
• the risks to doing so, and
• the implications of both success and failure on the mission of the agency.

[…] In addition, there must be transparency regarding risks, challenges and implications to the general public. [To rebuild] the foundation [of] agency’s reputation […] GoTriangle should determine if the community believes [that GoTriangle can deliver on what they’re supposed to be able to pull off].

Major project implementation is more than the simple sum of the parts; it requires a belief in the
institutions undertaking the work, trust that leadership is fully engaged and fighting the necessary battles, and an intrinsic commitment to success by the entire community.

@Page 10

Discussion with several stakeholders, particularly business stakeholders, revealed skepticism that the DOLRT project could ever be successfully implemented. This skepticism enabled stakeholders […] to defer, delay and disengage from efforts to resolve key issues.

@Page 11

Consultants must be closely managed. While major consulting firms offer highly valued expertise and experience, they do not necessarily understand local issues or culture and must proactively be made to understand and commit to [working with] agency leadership.

@Page 11-12

The termination of the DOLRT project underscores the risk of “kicking the can down the road” when dealing with fundamental issues on which project implementation depends.

The team is cognizant of the difficult time constraints imposed on the project by the General Assembly. Nonetheless, project managers and the agency must determine which issues are so critical that one should not advance beyond “Go” before resolving.

Full report here