Jan
10

Lake Boone Trail Continues Backlog

Three years ago I posted about traffic problems on Lake Boone Trail causing significant backups for morning commuters on I-440. Afterward it appeared that adjustments had been made to the Lake Boone Trail light, but the relief was short-lived. Later I submitted this information to SeeClickFix, but it seems to be to no avail.

Yesterday this followup comment was posted to SeeClickFix:

It’s no secret to anyone that Lake Boone Trail needs serious reworking. However, during my visit to it this morning it seems that synchronizing the traffic lights at the Beltline exit with the one at Wycliff Rd would go a long way to smooth traffic flow.

It does not appear that these lights are in sync now so traffic goes in fits and starts, backing up traffic to the east on LBT and also up the off-ramp from the Beltline.

What do the folks in the City’s Traffic Engineering department say about this?

Good to see that someone else is noticing the problem, which really lies with the combination of the Lake Boone Trail lights at I-440 and the Wycliff intersections. Funny that more I-440 backups are caused by the Lake Boone Trail queue spilling over than the Wade Avenue backlog, but it’s true. This is a City of Raleigh problem causing problems on The State’s road. Perhaps provincial engineers are to blame, but the bottom line is that the situation has not improved.

Dec
02

Preview Ford Focus Electric on Saturday

image001Tomorrow (Saturday) the McDonald’s at 1299 Kildaire Farms Road will host a special visit from Ford with its 2012 Ford Focus Electric, the company’s first ever all-electric passenger car. The event runs from 11am thru 3pm, so UNC fans will need to budget their time wisely.

The Cary McDonald’s opened in July 2009 with the restaurant’s first electric charging station, and the Dec. 3 event will showcase a newly upgraded CT 2000 Level II version. Other activities planned include free products from Burt’s Bees, holiday crafts, face painting and balloon art as well as a raffle to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Durham.

Raleigh is one of the first U.S. markets slated to receive the Focus Electric in 2012. Ford recently recognized the city for being among the 25 EV ready markets in the U.S. The Focus Electric initial markets were chosen based on several different criteria including existing hybrid purchase trends, utility company collaboration and local government commitment to electrification.

Chad D’Arcy, Ford Motor Company’s Focus Electric Marketing Manager, will be present to answer consumer and media questions about the vehicle. Additionally Crossroads Ford of Cary will also display hybrid and fuel efficient gasoline engine vehicles currently available in the Raleigh/Cary market.

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Oct
19

Use GoLive to Plan Area Transit Trips

GoTriangleArea transit just got easier. Today GoTriangle introduced GoLive , is a free automated tool providing public transportation riders with real-time arrival predictions for Triangle Transit, Chapel Hill Transit, Durham Area Transit Authority, Capital Area Transit and North Carolina State University’s Wolfline buses. C-Tran, the Town of Cary’s transit service, will also be part of the GoLive system beginning in early 2012.

GoLive leverages Google Maps to assemble transit trips between two destinations. One can change walking, transfer, and layover priorities among many other options. What’s most valuable is the system’s integration of all of the area’s fragmented services. The service appears to be web-only for now, but does offer links to other area mobile apps.

It appears that TransLōc has done good job with the online application. After using the outstanding Transit Genie app to navigate Chicago, TransLoc’s had to do a lot to impress me. While the service does integrate the systems, there are still some logic holes with the routing. For instance some of the transfer choices in Chapel Hill so not seem efficient.

I planned about a dozen trips at different times of day, and one of the ?un/intended? effects of the app is the realization that using transit takes way, way more time than using a car. For example a trip to the DPAC from the North Hills area requires nearly two hours for transit, while a car trip usually takes right at 30 minutes. Trips to Chapel Hill from most places but the Hillsborough Street spine take around 1.5 hours. While high-occupancy vehicle transit will never match the efficiency of a car when connecting a remote area to others, it seems that the transit system still could be much more effective. My conclusion after using the app is that the area still really needs more comprehensive bus service before people think twice about using it. Personally I would love to see TTA launch express buses to the Dean Smith Center, DPAC, and DPAC from Raleigh for nighttime events.

Nevertheless, public transit system is an evolutionary process, and an integrated routing service is clearly the next step the area’s progression. In fact, this isn’t just a mundane hurdle, as the integration of so many services is commendable and perhaps unmatched in the US?

The service will certainly encounter some bugs, but as soon as this is worked out, it is imperative to develop apps for Android and iOS, as the target audience for transit expansion is consistent with the heaviest app users. If GoLive can offer an app that is as much fun to use and as impressive as TransitGenie, they can actually make the process of riding the bus a huge selling point for transit.

Sep
26

“High Speed” Rail Plan Put On “Life Support”

The “High Speed” rail plan pitched by President Obama a couple of years ago was given $100 million of “life support funding” by a Democrat-controlled Senate subcomittee last week. The funding came a day after the Senate’s transportation subcommittee omitted any funding for the “High Speed” rail plan altogether.

What is newsworthy here is the fact that the plan, which would bring a line through Raleigh requiring elevated segments and closure of some streets in downtown, is a lot further off than we thought. Just a year ago we were debating the merits of NC5, NC1, and the like. Now, however, these concepts, like so many, seem decades away, not years..

Raleigh planners have been busy deciding how to adapt development planning for the ensuing variants of high-occupancy rail transit, however it is clear that these operations cannot survive without massive amounts of federal funding; money that isn’t there and isn’t going to be there for a long, long time. Cyclists like Paul Farrell and John C. Dvorak have actually called for the Great Depression 2 hitting in 2012, rendering the winner of next year’s presidential election irrelevant. While it seems that an Obama re-election gives “high speed” rail a better chance at seeing the light of day any time in the moderate future, the stark reality is that Washington isn’t going to have money for new projects like this for a while. Infrastructure maintenance will trump new projects for a while even after the economy eventually turns around.

What this means to us as a region is that we probably need to do what we can as a region within fiscal means to mimic the actions of rail. Because a light rail system would rely on heavy federal funding, in the moderate future out focus should be on better integration of the Triangle’s bus services. A merger between Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Cary, and Triangle transit groups will not happen, for political reasons, however we can still meld these five systems to seemingly create a cohesive network that provides short, medium, and long distance travel in the region. For sure, these groups must come together and provide good shuttle networks to large sporting and music events in the region.

In lieu of “high speed” rail, we can still work on presenting a marketing effort focusing on the advantages of train over plane for short-distance trips. Free internet connectivity on board would be a start. Perhaps a more elite line of regional bus services that more closely resemble charter services than a bus-of-the damned could do well.

Great bus services sure isn’t as sexy as the dream of multilevel trains through downtown Raleigh. However the role of our government here is to provide reasonable means to move people, and we have those means.

Aug
18

Classic Car Show Coming This Weekend

The Carolina Classics at the Capital car show is coming to the Raleigh Convention Center tomorrow (Friday). The show, which runs thru Sunday, will feature “the Southeast’s largest indoor car show”, plus free viewings of classic cars on closed-off Fayetteville Street and a Kids Zone with inflatable attractions. Last year’s event drew more than 25,000 attendees.

New for 2011 are the Munster Mobile and Grandpa’s Dragula from TV’s “The Munsters,” a $2 million 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Super Legera, Ferrari, car club block parties, and a History of the Automobile exhibit.

Admission is $10 and tickets are available at the Convention Center.

Aug
01

City Council Advises Light Rail Route D6

Note: Mayor Meeker is increasingly difficult to understand in meetings, so it sometimes is hard to gather all of the details in City Council meetings

Rail_downtownalignmentsTonight the Raleigh City Council hosted a workshop and public hearing regarding proposed routes for light rail trains in downtown Raleigh. In early July the Passenger Rail Task Force presented their recommendation for a rail plan, D6a, that would put light rail trains down Morgan Street and up the Salisbury/Wilmington Street pair so as to best serve state government workers. This plan was re-presented in a pre-hearing “workshop” (I use quotes because it was simply a series of presentations with absolutely no interaction with the general public).

However city planners also presented their recommendation, plain ol’ Plan D6, which brings trains down Morgan Street, and up Harrington Street to the point where it joins the existing rail corridor, then crosses over and follows Capital Blvd.

The problems with Plan D6a include the choice to serve government land parcels in lieu of tax-base bolstering parcels that are ripe for private development. D6a also proposes crossing Dawson and McDowell Streets, a state highway pair, which is apparently blasphemy in the eyes of the State Department of Transportation (why can’t the cars just wait an extra cycle every 20 minutes?). Finally, D6a recommends a bridge flying over Peace Street for the southbound track, adding to costs.

The workshop easily blended into the 7:00 public hearing where a 3/4 full council chamber played ostrich given the opportunity to speak. Only 4 people expressed opinions before the mayor quickly and unclearly closed the public session. The Council moved on to closing comments, and voted to recommend Plan D6 by a vote of 6-2. One dissenting councilor was Bonner Gaylord who prefers route D5, however willingly accepted Plan D6. It appeared that Russ Stephenson was the other dissenting voter, however it was unclear why. Presumably his actions regard his consideration of a D6/D6a plan that would run the Northbound train along D6a and the Southbound train along D6. He postulated that this would put train access to prime private land in the Glenwood South area while serving the government buildings; the best of both worlds.

None of the presenters or councilors seemed concerned by the complete lack of coverage of south downtown, however. The assumption is that riders accessing East and South Raleigh will gladly connect to D6a by riding circulator buses, like the R-line, when coming downtown for events. Unfortunately in real life this won’t happen. People in North Raleigh will not take a park & ride downtown to a circulator bus stop in order to get to Memorial Auditorium. They would walk 3 blocks from a station, but they will not take a 3rd mode of transit.

Also absent from discussion was the long walk between Amtrak and light rail platforms for people carrying heavy luggage. The proposed 2-3 block length is too long. This connection needs to be graceful. Most importantly, missing from discussion were ideas about how to best present the plan to main source of funding, suburban citizens.

While I am happy to essentially see the demise of Plan D6a, I still have big concerns about Plan D6. It is a plan that ignores any entertainment and convention venues. However it is a plan that minimizes exposure to traffic, services museums and government offices reasonably, and one that avoids extremely expensive elevated portions of track.

Don’t be fooled, however. The reality of a light rail system is still many, many years away. I have a strong sense that no progress will occur on this project in the next 12 months, in fact, as there are still uncertainties about the engineering and funding of the plan. With an uncertain political climate and a dismal economy extending beyond the horizon, it will likely be a while, a long while, before significant progress is made.

Handout from the Meeting (.PDF)

Aug
01

Rail Workshop/Hearing Set for Tonight

Tonight marks the next public event surrounding the future of rail transportation in the Triangle. The City of Raleigh will host a workshop at 5:30 and a public hearing at 7:00pm focusing on the current plans to place a light rail commuter line through downtown Raleigh. Here is the city’s announcement:

The Raleigh City Council has scheduled a workshop and public hearing for Monday, Aug. 1 on the various light rail transit routes proposed for the Downtown area. The workshop starts at 5:30 p.m. and the public hearing at 7 p.m. Both events will be held in the council chamber on the second floor of the Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex, 222 W. Hargett St.
Triangle Transit is planning a light rail system that would serve the region, including Raleigh. Representatives from Triangle Transit, City of Raleigh staff and members of the City’s Passenger Rail Task Force will appear at the workshop to discuss with the City Council the proposed routes for the planned light rail system into Downtown. The public hearing will give Raleigh residents and businesses an opportunity to comment on proposed routes.

Aug
01

Lake Boone Trail Now Open

Just as a reminder, the segment of Lake Boone Trail just inside of I-440 that was closed in mid-June for greenway construction is now open.

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Jul
25

Idol Show to Create Traffic Problems

If you plan on being in west Raleigh or on I-40 during the Wednesday afternoon rush hours, it might be smart to make alternative plans. Wednesday’s American Idol Tour show at the RBC Center, featuring Garner native Scotty McCreery, will add thousands of cars to an already busy area in the afternoon.

The situation is unlikely to be a replay of the U2 concert at Carter-Finley Stadium due to the smaller nature of this show, however Wade Avenue at Edward Mill Road is absolutely to be avoided. The best way to approach this event is to take Hillsborough Street to Youth Center Drive, adjacent to the N.C. State Fairgrounds. This road leads directly to the Carter-Finley Stadium parking lots which are more adjacent to the RBC Center. Gambling on parking in the arena’s paved lots will likely result in prolonged wait times leaving the event.

Map picture

Jul
06

A Better Rail Plan

20090912-273Yesterday the Passenger Rail Task Force (PRTF) presented their recommendation for planning light rail lines through downtown Raleigh. The group has been pouring through the details about not only servicing downtown points of interest with the rail lines, but also how such lines will impact traffic. The PRTF concluded that Plan D6A is the plan that makes most economic, transportation, environmental, and logistical sense.

Plan D6A takes the line coming from North Raleigh off of the rail corridors and onto downtown Raleigh city streets just north of Logan’s. The line then travels down Salisbury Street by the legislature to the Capitol where it turns and (after making two turns at intersections) basically finds its way up Morgan street to Charlie Goodnights where it joins the existing rail corridor to head west. The East/Northbound line takes a slightly different approach. It enters downtown on Morgan Street, turns left onto Wilmington Street in front of the Capitol, and heads north to Logan’s where it joins into the existing rail corridor.

Railplan_D4AThere are several reasons the group selected Plan D6A. By exiting the rail line at Charlie Goodnights, the system is able to avoid expensive maneuvers to negotiate the “wye” near the existing Amtrak station. While downtown, the plan makes use of light rail’s biggest strength, its ability to become a cable car on a city street. (Evidently the plan now calls for light rail trains that can negotiate sharp turns in downtown intersections. My understanding was that they favored a vehicle that could only negotiate sweeping turns).

Setting aside the fact that all of the considered plans are estimated to cost anywhere from 1.4 to 1.6 BILLION dollars and do not serve RDU or the RBC Center, we can still make a better plan than any of those examined by the task force.

The gogoraleigh Plan

If we are going to spend $1.5B on a transit entity, it needs to serve the existing needs of real people. It should not serve only as a Park & Ride service for downtown’s state government workers, it must also be the backbone for future private developments while including some of today’s most popular destinations and residential centers.

Faulty Pillars

All published plans have been built upon four primary faulty pillars. In order to get the best plan, each of these pillars needs to be reconstructed or the system will have severe flaws.

read more…

Jun
21

RDU Terminal 1 Renderings Updated

term1TBJ reported yesterday that some updated renderings for RDU are available.

Can you say “lipstick on a pig”? First of all, I don’t understand architects’ fascination with pulling rainwater back into buildings. This is a design that has failed time and time again. Secondly, what in the world are we doing dropping a dime into this facility for anything other than tearing it down? The terminal was originally supposed to be a hangar, and got a last minute upfit for short-term terminal space. Renovating this terminal is another step in the airport authority’s history of blowing money hundreds of millions of dollars at a time. There is a reason that people love airports like TPA, they are designed well and handle future growth well.

[Renderings at TBJ]

Jun
18

Parking Problems

image

I just don’t understand some of the parking zone selections in Downtown Raleigh.

Jun
14

Lake Boone Trail Now Closed

barrelDrivers hoping to cross inside/outside the beltline (440) at Lake Boone Trail beware. Construction of a greenway underpass has Lake Boone Trail closed between Horton Drive and Ridge Road. Therefore anyone wishing to go ITB from 440 needs to consider two alternatives: Take Wade Avenue inbound or take the Ridge Road exit near Crabtree. Those inside the beltline seeking WhichWich, Chubby’s, Rex Hospital, and other businesses in that area should detour via either Wade Avenue to 440E or access 440W at Glenwood by accessing 440E at the end of Ridge Road, immediately taking the Glenwood exit, turning left, and accessing 440E via the loop ramp. CAT bus routes 4 and 38 are also affected by this closure.

The road will be closed for approximately one month.

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