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6:04 p.m. • 2-10-12

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Mass transit could help ease air pollution


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Mass Transit Could Help Ease Air Pollution
Mass Transit Could Help Ease Air Pollution

As the Triangle grows, traffic grows, and so grows air pollution.

Currently, the area does not comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for air quality.

"Our air pollution problems don't come from factories, they primarily come from cars," said John Hodges-Copple, the planning director for the Triangle J Council of Governments, the regional planning group for Wake, Durham, Orange and surrounding counties. "So, whatever we do, transportation-wise, that will have the long-term effect."

Studies indicate that during the heaviest commute times in the Triangle, nine out of 10 vehicles have one person on board.

Trains and buses could help take cars and pollution off the road, but the Triangle Transit Authority's commuter rail plan was put on hold after the federal government declined to help fund it.

And, buses carry only 5 percent of Triangle commuters.

"I'm not going to pretend that any particular rail system or bus system will be the be-all and the end-all for air quality in the Triangle, but every little bit's going to help," Hodges-Copple said. "And I think that most people realize transit is going to play an important role in that broader equation"

If the Triangle is not in compliance by 2009, the federal government could withhold funds for future projects.

A regional Blue Ribbon panel appointed to create mass transit solutions meets to discuss the issue on Thursday.

RELATED TOPICS: Triangle J Council of Governments, Triangle Transit, Durham

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Dulhp!

low ridership not readership

No, but maybe enough people to make it worth building. Look at the awfully low readership of the tta buses, if people aren't willing to ride the buses or carpool they won't ride the train either. Heck if those that could commute on the bus or carpool would we wouldn't have a problem in the fist place. Why waste the $'s?

If you wait for everybody to want a rail system, it will be too late. Envision a 12 lane I-40, where it takes 3 miles just to get from the left lane to the exit. Picture yourself in the 7th lane in a traffic jam on a friday night. Picture yourself wishing for an alternative. It won't be there. Sound far fetched? How many of us thought a 2 bedroom bungalow in 5 points would cost half a million dollars?

They're going to be fighting property owners for land no matter what happens, whether it be on a proposed rail line or on the side of a highway that will need constant widening. This is a long term investment that will take time to reach its full potential. Of course it will not be making millions of dollars in its first year. It's not there to make money, it's there to give people hours of their life back not stuck in traffic. Put a price tag on that. Just because a light rail line and density are not the status quo around here doesn't mean that it doesn't have a place here. Oh yeah, it will help reduce auto emissions, too.

Flashlight

The issue is we are not hard against LRT, we are against tax dollars going down the drain. Most LRT routes are for say 10-15 miles. The City NeXT has to plan for potential expantion (spokes) of the LRT and they learn they are fighting against property owners who do not want the line in their back yard.

The root question again becomes why install a transportation system that will operate in the negative on the financial side, and ridership will be low most of the time.

Best places to either start or end it are Malls, or Airports. Then if there is a large residential downtown region thats another place to serve (a line) knowing that the airport line won't serve it. However you need to decide if you want a end to end system or a spoke based for the Rail and busses so commuters can easially transfer.

It depends on the current transit system.

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