Wake Forest Chamber Members Ride The Bus To Learn About Current And Future Transit Plans
(Rolesville Buzz, August 2017)
On July 27, approximately 20 members of the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and several members of the town board enjoyed a jaunt around town on the Wake Forest Loop bus. Their time on the bus enabled them to hear more about potential transit opportunities for the northeastern reaches of Wake County.
During the hour-long bus ride that began at 5:30 p.m. on that Thursday, Joe Milazzo II, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance; Sig Hutchinson, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners; and Jeff Mann, general manager of GoTriangle, spoke about the $2.3 billion Wake County Transit Plan and how northeastern Wake County can benefit from transit going forward.
The plan is funded primarily by the half-cent tax increase approved by Wake County voters in 2016. According to the Wake Transit website, the plan aims to connect all Wake County communities by expanding the reach and frequency of existing bus routes, implementing dedicated bus lanes on local roads, implementing commuter rail transit via existing rail lines along the corridor stretching from Garner to the Research Triangle Park, providing matching funds to local towns that choose to develop local bus service, and expanding funding for rural on-demand service (the TRACS system).
“I would call it one of the most rational, forward-thinking, flexible transit plans,” Milazzo said. “The plan we have before us is very good. It passed the test of business. It passed the smell test.”
The N.C. Department of Transportation is nearing completion on a project that will install on-ramp meters on several exits along Interstate 540 to ease congestion during the weekday commute. Additionally, the Regional Transportation Alliance supports feasibility studies on the addition of shoulder lanes to I-540 for express bus transportation.
Additional interest was also articulated for express busing from Triangle Town Center to RTP, something that may happen, particularly if the NC DOT implements the shoulder bus lanes on I-540.
While the various organization involved in furthering Wake County transit continue to work toward future transportation solutions, the message presented at the July 27 event was that the various interests around Wake County are pushing hard for transit solutions, but that the business community and town governments need to ask for and advocate for increased transportation solutions in their communities.
For more information, visit www.waketransit.com, www.gotriangle.org and www.letsgetmoving.org.