Orange County Public Transportation
With the rollout of regional transit plans in our area, we can see that Wake County plans 20 miles of bus rapid transit (BRT) routes. Here in Orange County, we have an 8 mile BRT route planned in additional to a proposed 18 mile light rail line connecting Durham and Chapel Hill. Should we deploy BRT as the anchor of our transit network and replace the Durham Orange Light Rail line with BRT?
First, a bit about BRT. It takes many of the things that make riding light rail transit (LRT) attractive, but uses diesel buses in dedicated exclusive roadways instead of electric rail cars on tracks. A true BRT system has stations with shelters and raised platforms like LRT. Fares are paid in advance to speed loading and buses come at regular intervals. Most importantly, a true BRT system has its own exclusive roadway. If the bus is stuck in the same traffic with cars, it’s not really “gold standard” BRT. It’s just a bus.
Orange
County Public Transportation is inviting residents to attend a half-day
workshop for the Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization (TARPO)
Locally Coordinated Human Service Public Transportation Plan. The
workshop will take place from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on Friday, April
26, at the County's Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill. The
workshop will focus on the needs of rural Chatham and Orange Counties
as a part of the larger TARPO region, and will be facilitated by RPO
staff with assistance from the North Carolina Department of
Transportation (NCDOT) and the local transit service agencies.
This plan will not
focus on the urban transit services provided by Chapel Hill Transit or
Triangle Transit, but will instead be focused on the more rural services
provided by Chatham Transit Network and Orange Public Transportation.
The
recommendations that come out of this workshop will be incorporated
into the Locally Coordinated Human Service Public Transportation Plan
for the region and will identify the specific areas of need for
individuals with disabilities, older adults, and persons with low
incomes; to propose strategies for meeting these needs; and to
prioritize public transportation services to meet these needs.
The
public is invited to complete a survey that will be used to provide
information for the Locally Coordinated Plan. The survey is available
online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9N3SNYF or at http://www.tarpo.org/topics/lcp.shtml
For more information, please call Matt Day, TARPO senior planner, at 919.558.9397 or send an e-mail to mday@tjcog.org
Date:
Friday, April 26, 2013 - 9:00am to 12:00pm
Location:
Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill
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.
