Let's talk about transit

David King, Triangle Transit's general manager, spoke to the editorial board this week, answering questions about why there's still no transit stop planned for RDU and about how transit paths can shape growth in a good way, among other things.

Click "read more" to listen to some snippets from the interview. In the RDU soundbite, King is talking about John Brantley of RDU. Also, there's a blog post on transit written by editorial board member Allen Torrey.

Blog post from Torrey:

Things are finally moving, at least in a measured way, for mass transit in the Triangle.

On Wednesday a state House committee backed a bill that would allow Wake, Durham and Orange county officials to put a sales-tax-for-transit option before voters. An N&O news report notes that, "Two Triad and three Triangle counties would have the option to emulate Mecklenburg County, where voters twice have endorsed a half-cent sales tax that was spent to double the bus fleet and launch a popular light-rail line."

Speaking to N&O reporters and editors earlier in the week, David King, Triangle Transit's general manager, said that if voters do approve a funding plan, the initial focus would be on adding buses, some of which might run in special lanes. Light rail, which takes longer to plan and deliver, would be a few years down the road. The House bill, and a companion measure in the state Senate, would allow voters in any of the Triangle counties to say yes to a half-cent sales tax — a $3 hike in annual vehicle registration fees is also envisioned — and get transit improvements going in that county, even if other counties didn't go along.

For years, area residents struggled with the terminology involved in the Triangle Transit Authority's (note that it's no longer the Authority) previous rail system plan. It was often termed "light rail" but wasn't. Light rail involves relatively lightweight rail cars that are powered by overhead electric lines. The TTA's plan was for what it called commuter rail, involving heavier, diesel-powered units. That was because the designated rail line runs in the same corridor as Amtrak and freight trains. But a change may be brewing.

A special transportation committee last year advised that light rail lines be incorporated into the plans, in Wake County and between Chapel Hill and Durham. And King said the current thinking is that because the Triangle Transit rail line along the original rail corridor is 25 feet or so away from the heavy-duty rail lines,  it would be safe to run light rail in that corridor, provided certain safety measures are put in place. The agency is exploring that possibility with railway and federal officials. Getting rid of the diesel-car part of the rail plan, and relying on light rail instead, would likely be a plus with voters.