Click here if you don't remember (or know) what FAST buses are!
FAST is an idea to complement BRT and commuter rail using buses spiced up with BRT-like infrastructure. Some features that make BRTs just as user-friendly as trains can be extended to “regular” buses in major transit corridors; I think the idea is to encourage those sorts of investments through this study, a 
sexy public-private partnership.
If you’re more skeptical, you may recall the RTA has a history of advocating for road-centric commuting and maintaining the status quo (though that’s been changing recently, and they’re even coming up with an interesting policy proposal). Some GoTriangle leaders seem to think FAST buses are an overhyped pipe dream, too.
Not all roads are made equally, so VHB (the transit planner hired by RTA) suggests different upgrades on different corridors where buses currently (or will soon) run. Here’s where they think it’s the easiest to get started:
VHB and RTA want to build these upgrades in the corridors numbered above:
Aside for 2, 3, and 6, the other seven of the 10 corridors can support bus services that run directly alongside future BRT lines.
In the long term, the FAST network of frequent buses running on upgraded infrastructure is envisioned to look more like this:
The FAST study report is finally out! This describes how the Triangle can take advantage of BRT to make its “regular” buses even better by giving them exclusive lanes, priority at stoplights etc. This report is released not by the RTA, its member companies, GoTriangle, or an MPO. Instead, it’s released by…
https://www.ncdot.gov/divisions/public-transit/Pages/fast-study.aspx
Not only that, but NCDOT released a “FAST Playbook” for counties in and out of the Triangle to use, and they’re hinting at more changes to come!
This means NCDOT is starting to shift its policies to be more pedestrian- and transit-friendly. This fiscal year, 78.4% of NCDOT appropriations went to road-related projects versus 3% for explicitly transit-related ones. But what if some of that 78% could be used in transit-friendly ways? What if we could use “road” projects as an opportunity for a more walkable Raleigh and a more accessible Triangle?
And if transit-supportive design can be baked into NCDOT policies, maybe they could start to wean themselves off of their self-fulfilling prophecy of auto dependency?
It’s almost as if NCDOT is actually putting money where their mouth is, and is actually making their Statewide Strategic Plan for public transportation useful for something.
This report isn’t super new, but does offer some more details about this vision and how it could become reality.
Poole Rd. is recommended as one of the very first FAST corridors
Several of the initial 10 FAST corridors are selected as “superFAST corridors” that “could be implemented […] within next 18-24 months”. One of these is Poole Rd., running from New Bern Av. to New Hope Rd.
Here, VHB and RTA are thinking Raleigh and NCDOT can take advantage of the New Bern BRT to enhance (I assume) the GoRaleigh 18 bus using:
- Queue jump lanes
- Enhanced station access, better stop locations, and smoother boarding
- Floating bus stop
- Connection to New Bern BRT
What if you favor buses on Glenwood and replace curb parking on Morgan St. with bus lanes?
The report chose two early-stage routes for a “deeper dive” to use as examples for what a full FAST implementation could look like. Lucky for us, one of those corridors is Glenwood Av., which includes downtown Raleigh!
Here’s some infrastructure issues, opportunities, and solutions around Five Points:
…through Brooklyn Hill, Peace St., and Glenwood South:
…and finally, Downtown proper:
Replacing on-street parking on Morgan St. with contraflow and/or peak bus-only lanes would be pretty freaking sweet, right?
There's now a distinction between direct-access stations and direct-access ramps
Direct-access stations let pedestrians access buses on the highway. This is only recommended for early-stage corridors around Southpoint (and, in later-stage visions, near the SAS headquarters, WakeMed Cary, and North Hills).
…while direct-access ramps let buses access priority lanes on the highway. This is recommended in RTP near Miami Blvd., RDU, and Wilmington St. in the near future (and maybe near I-40’s exit 273 and Fenton in Cary, later on).
