Raleigh struck out on its bid for money to upgrade New Bern Avenue with sidewalks and super bus service, but Charlotte hit it big today with a $25 million federal grant to start building a downtown streetcar line.
The Federal Transit Administration announced $293 million in grants for urban circulators and downtown livability programs. Charlotte was among six cities that won the maximum $25 million for downtown circulators: ... [MORE]
Capital Area Transit says the free R-Line bus, a downtown Raleigh circulator that began making the rounds in February, is averaging 535 riders each weekday and 719 riders on Saturday.
The quiet Sunday count of 219 brings down the daily average to 519.
Two electric-hybrid buses make the downtown loop with stops every 10 to 12 minutes. The bus starts at 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday, running until 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 2:15 a.m. Thursday night through Saturday night. Sunday hours: 1-8 p.m.
It serves downtown workers, residents, visitors, convention-goers, and patrons of restaurants and other downtown businesses. The evening route is expanded to include the City Market and Warehouse District areas.
Route maps and more info are available online.
Downtown Durham’s next big opening will come on Feb. 22, when city buses start rolling through the $17.6 million Durham Station transit center.
But a city budget squeeze will delay the launch of fare-free downtown circulator bus service, which had been planned to start with the Durham Station opening.
(Meanwhile, Raleigh's downtown circulator bus, called R-Line, will start rolling this Friday.)
The two-story, 10,000-square-foot transit hub stands on the former Heart of Durham Hotel site, at the corner of West Pettigrew and Chapel Hill streets. A dedication ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. Feb. 23.
It will be a generous replacement for the cramped, dirty bus transfer center two blocks away. ... [MORE]
Frequent, fare-free circulator buses will start rolling around downtown by mid-February in Raleigh and, probably, by late March in Durham.
These new buses will make it easier to move around the center city without worrying so much where your car is parked -- whether you work downtown or live downtown, or you're coming downtown to dine, shop or play.
Rob and Linda Stahl of Raleigh were glad to read about it. One of them said by e-mail: "I can see our family using the circulator when we go downtown to our favorite museum – the Natural Science Museum."
But the Stahls wanted to see route maps, which appeared in the print edition today but not online. ... [MORE]
