Four future transit plan options for Wake County are being developed and will be unveiled to the public during a series of “Choose Our Transit” events in May. The Town of Wake Forest will host one of these events in town hall’s ground floor meeting room on Wednesday, May 13, at 6 p.m. The room is most easily accessed via the Taylor Street entrance to town hall.
“We are excited about engaging with the public at these events, as well as others that will be held throughout the summer,” said Wake County Board of Commissioners Chair James West. “Public feedback is such an important part of this phase because we want the final recommendation for transit investment to reflect our community’s voice, and be beneficial for Wake County as a whole.”
More than 3,900 people provided feedback on the Transit Choices Report between January and March 2015. This input, in conjunction with input provided by the 76-member Transit Advisory Committee (TAC) and technical input from local planners, has been used to develop specific transit scenarios that will make up the Expanded Transit Choices Report.
On Wednesday, April 8, 2015, the TAC met and determined what types of transit networks to recommend to the community.
- High ridership-focused scenario including Rail Rapid Transit infrastructure and ridership focused bus investments.
- High coverage-focused scenario including Rail Rapid Transit and Commuter Rail extension investments and coverage focused bus investments.
- High ridership-focused scenario including corridor-based Bus Rapid Transit, some rail replicating Bus Rapid Transit, and ridership-focused bus investments.
- High coverage-focused scenario including corridor-based Bus Rapid Transit, some rail replicating Bus Rapid Transit, and coverage-focused bus investments.
Technical planners are now working to develop scenarios for each of the types of networks. The scenarios will be presented for public discussion in the upcoming Wake County Expanded Transit Choices Report and will be published on WakeTransit.com in May along with a survey for the public to share their thoughts on the scenarios.
Additional events for the community to learn about the transit strategy and scenarios are being scheduled. As they are scheduled, details will be posted to waketransit.com/meetings. Presentations and information sessions can also be requested online.
“Strategic transportation planning is vital to the continued economic success of Wake County, and our region,” said Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina President and CEO Bob Geolas. “Our partnership involvement with the Wake County Transit Strategy is strong, and we will continue working to educate the public as the process continues to evolve.”
The Wake County Transit Strategy is a partnership that includes Wake County, Triangle Transit, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), City of Raleigh, Town of Cary, Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, N.C. State University and Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
For more information about the Wake County Transit Strategy, visit waketransit.com.
