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If you want to see what a LRT line can do, look at the Lynx Blue line and development that has been built along the line. It is not a toy but another way to get to point A to point B without adding cars on the road. If it is built, you will see a mass of development along the line.
I'm not disagreeing with you about the effect that a LRT can have (I am a part time resident of Charlotte and have seen how it has reshaped the city), but the dynamics of Charlotte are much different than either CH or Durham. Uptown is a major centrally-located commercial district, and many businesses/corporations inside the 277 loop are walkable from the Blue Line stops. Here in the Triangle, so many workers commute to RTP from CH, Durham, and Raleigh that there just isn't the amount of employment in the downtowns here, although it is certainly headed in the right direction. People generally just don't commute from one city to another, which is why I'm worried about the effectiveness of the DOLRT plan. Knowing the current legislature's stance on things like light rail, I would rather see a great system similar to Charlotte's that will engender more support for future light rail endeavors than a mediocre one that just makes it harder to build future light rail systems. I will grant that LRT does help lay the groundwork for future urbanization, but the proposed route between Durham and Chapel Hill is so indirect and currently so rural that it will take a long time to see much benefit outside of downtown Durham.
I honestly don't think that a light rail is a great fit for Chapel Hill unless they are willing for it to go through downtown (which they aren't), and efforts would be better served in planning a shorter light rail route running Durham Tech CC > NC Central Univ > parallel to existing tracks in downtown > Old West Durham > Duke. It would be about six miles long, so it would be much less expensive to build, but would probably retain the bulk of riders who would actually use it regularly (because let's be honest, what can people get in downtown Durham that they can't get in CH and vise versa?). A couple of street car spurs through some of the more up-and-coming areas of downtown Durham would be a great addition as well.
I'm not against light rail, I just am not a fan at all of the current proposed DOLRT route.
To help Charlotte to be competed for Germany Companies, And to give service to Germany companies in the Charlotte Metro. American Airlines expects this upcoming spring to add its first international long-haul flight at Charlotte Douglas International Airport since 2014.
The nonstop daily flight to Munich, Germany is scheduled to begin at the Charlotte airport — home to American's second-busiest hub — on March 31.
“Our new flights from Charlotte will provide German customers with access to our second-largest hub and onward connections to more than 120 destinations," he said. "Through our Atlantic Joint Business with British Airways, Iberia and Finnair, we have seen increased demand for service into Munich, and introducing this new flight provides more choices for customers on both side of the Atlantic.”
Raleigh moves forward with plans for a 20-story City Hall downtown
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Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/lo...#storylink=cpy[/LEFT]
Plans for a multimillion-dollar 20-story government building in downtown Raleigh are moving forward.
The Raleigh City Council agreed Tuesday to pursue the project at the corner of West Hargett and South McDowell streets, the site of the former police headquarters.
“We make a lot of hard decisions up here,” said council member Dickie Thompson. “This isn’t a hard decision. This, to me, is a no-brainer.”
I'm not disagreeing with you about the effect that a LRT can have (I am a part time resident of Charlotte and have seen how it has reshaped the city), but the dynamics of Charlotte are much different than either CH or Durham. Uptown is a major centrally-located commercial district, and many businesses/corporations inside the 277 loop are walkable from the Blue Line stops. Here in the Triangle, so many workers commute to RTP from CH, Durham, and Raleigh that there just isn't the amount of employment in the downtowns here, although it is certainly headed in the right direction. People generally just don't commute from one city to another, which is why I'm worried about the effectiveness of the DOLRT plan. Knowing the current legislature's stance on things like light rail, I would rather see a great system similar to Charlotte's that will engender more support for future light rail endeavors than a mediocre one that just makes it harder to build future light rail systems. I will grant that LRT does help lay the groundwork for future urbanization, but the proposed route between Durham and Chapel Hill is so indirect and currently so rural that it will take a long time to see much benefit outside of downtown Durham.
I honestly don't think that a light rail is a great fit for Chapel Hill unless they are willing for it to go through downtown (which they aren't), and efforts would be better served in planning a shorter light rail route running Durham Tech CC > NC Central Univ > parallel to existing tracks in downtown > Old West Durham > Duke. It would be about six miles long, so it would be much less expensive to build, but would probably retain the bulk of riders who would actually use it regularly (because let's be honest, what can people get in downtown Durham that they can't get in CH and vise versa?). A couple of street car spurs through some of the more up-and-coming areas of downtown Durham would be a great addition as well.
I'm not against light rail, I just am not a fan at all of the current proposed DOLRT route.
I agree. I was supportive and excited about any rail transit coming to the Triangle until I read the details of the proposed line.
Almost everything is wrong with this project.
Instead of beginning with two places that people regularly frequent back and forth to the point of needing an alternative to cars that's faster and more convenient...
This proposed line does neither. It would probably take between 1 and 2 hours for a slow-moving light-rail train to make a ridiculous 17 stops on a very indirect, curvilinear route that's clearly trying to justify its existence by serving too many neighborhoods.
They've got it all wrong, and it seems like a project where, "Hey they'll pay for us to have a light rail line, so let's sit down with a map and fit it in somewhere."
And to the comment about the development along the route, I say...
Yes, this is a good direction to go in so that future traffic doesn't totally limit people's mobility.
And in some parts of the Triangle it's a good fit to have much denser development either nodal or continuously along a rail line.
But I also want to point out that places already cherished for their quality of life, like Chapel Hill for example, don't want anything jeopardizing what they're enjoying now.
Growth and development are fought tooth and nail is prized towns and neighborhoods all over the country.
What tangible joy and happiness are you getting from the new apartments along Charlotte's Blue Line Extension?
If you're a student, or developer or a commuter to city center then yes it is wonderful.
But growth and development in and of itself isn't the end all to end all, despite the all worshipping here.
The commuter rail and BRT efforts from Wake just makes more sense to me even if it’s not as “cool” as LRT. Just a more appropriate system for the way the Triangle is built.
@CLT1985 I was just reading that article. Glad they’re going through with it. Excited to hopefully see renderings in the fall. Last I knew the city was hiring SOM to do the design work. Could potentially be the most architecturally exciting building in downtown.
The commuter rail and BRT efforts from Wake just makes more sense to me even if it’s not as “cool” as LRT. Just a more appropriate system for the way the Triangle is built.
@CLT1985 I was just reading that article. Glad they’re going through with it. Excited to hopefully see renderings in the fall. Last I knew the city was hiring SOM to do the design work. Could potentially be the most architecturally exciting building in downtown.
I dislike commuter rails. At least in DC, MARC train operates on weekdends on the line to Baltimore. But VRE commuter trains don’t operate on any line on weekends and they pretty much end at 7 or so.
I think most commuter rails operate like M-F, 6-7 with terrible frequencies. It sucks for it to be so single purpose
I dislike commuter rails. At least in DC, MARC train operates on weekdends on the line to Baltimore. But VRE commuter trains don’t operate on any line on weekends and they pretty much end at 7 or so.
I think most commuter rails operate like M-F, 6-7 with terrible frequencies. It sucks for it to be so single purpose
Eh we'll have to see how it works out. LRT always seems to be the flashy answer but the studies done on the Triangle for the most part just say it wouldn’t be as effective here as cities with one vastly dominant core. I don’t know as much about the Durham/Chapel Hills LRT plan. Hopefully it works out fine but it seems kind of like it may be forcing it. There’s legitimate concern on its effectiveness. Commuter Rail should do a lot of good connecting the major areas throughout the Triangle and then BRT can play that role of LRT in filling in the spots through Raleigh’s core, but as a cheaper faster way to get it up and running. Raleigh’s 4 main arteries should have full service by 2027 including access from downtown to Cary. But the BRT will also allow the ability to tweak plans easier depending on the need and how the city grows. It’ll be interesting.
As Charlotte and Triangle grows, traffic will be our number one problem.
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