Planning & Transportation
The Chapel Town Council has a big meeting tonight. I meant to blog about it in advance, but since I didn't I will start this thread and hope to post live comments as it goes along.
Here's the agenda. I'll stick with this at least through the Public Forum on the Downtown Development Initiative.
No matter how much fun you have on Halloween, TTA invites everyone to celebrate FESTI-BUS on November 1st! TTA staff will be barnstorming around the region all day on November 1, bringing with them a few of the newest, most technologically advanced buses available on the market today. Brand New Demonstration Vehicles from Gillig, ORION, and OPTIMA bus companies will be coming to Chapel Hill from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM on Wednesday, November 1.
TTA has several events coming up in November where we will be soliciting public input on the design of TTA's next vehicle, as well as other topics pertaining to how we can improve our existing services. TTA will order these vehicles in 2007, and they will arrive in 2008. We want YOU to tell us what types of features and amenities these vehicles should have!
YOU will be able to walk onboard, kick the tires (gently), and take a survey about what you would like to see in the next generation of TTA buses. Everyone who attends FESTI-BUS and fills out our bus survey is eligible to WIN a $50 cash card just for giving your opinion!
After the recent bunch of articles (Herald, N & O) about how crappy Estes Drive Extension is and how unlikely it is to get better any time soon, I'd like to make a modest proposal.
There are two other possible ways to get from the railroad crossing on Estes to downtown Carrboro. Both alternatives offer a way for cyclists, pedestrians, and wheelchairs to avoid the Straits of Estes. Right now these routes are informal, only used by those of us willing to cross other people's property and bring a flashlight at night.
The Leadership Advisory Committee on Carolina North had an interesting discussion about housing as a part of Carolina North this afternoon.
Here are some prepared comments that I presented as a way of launching the discussion:
The housing problem at Carolina North is, in short, that the new workers at Carolina North will either live at Carolina North or they will live elsewhere and need to commute to the campus. There is not a great deal of vacant housing currently available within the Chapel Hill Transit service area (although there is some), so new employees will either have to occupy housing that is to be built in the Chapel Hill Transit service area, or they will have to live outside that service area and commute. Let's take a look at the scale of the problem:
The Ayers/Saint/Gross Development Plan commissioned by the University proposed to build the following:
So has anyone used the new Blue Urban Bikes yet?
For a $10 annual membership fee, riders can rent one and roll out for up to 24 hours.
"For people used to driving everywhere, this is an easy, cheap introduction to public transportation," said Chris Richmond of the ReCYCLEry, an amateur mechanics collective that will maintain the fleet.
The ReCYCLEry runs the bike-loan project with the Carrboro-based environmental group SURGE, which stands for Students United for a Responsible Global Environment.
Similar initiatives have cropped up in other college towns such as Davidson -- home of Davidson College -- Austin, Texas, and near Emory University in Atlanta, Ga.
- chapelhillnews.com | Cup of java and a bike to go, please
Pages
About Us
OrangePolitics is a not-for-profit website for discussing progressive perspectives on politics, planning, and public policy in Orange County, NC. Opinions are those of their authors. Learn more.
Community Guidelines
By using this site, you agree to our community guidelines. Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will result in moderation or eviction.
Zircon - This is a contributing Drupal Theme
Design by
WeebPal.
