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Try Transit Week 2008 details

International Car Free Day:
Monday, Sept. 22, 2008

September 19, 2008

Andy Henry
City of Durham - Transportation Division
101 City Hall Plaza
Durham, NC 27701

LET THERE BE TRAINS: Bring Rail Transit to Orange County and Durham!

Dear Mr. Andy Henry,

I support light rail transit between Orange County and Durham. Of the several alternatives presented in the 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan for the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, the light rail transit option – as shown in the “fixed guideway” scenario – provides the most opportunities for the region. Here’s why:

1. Light rail was recommended as the best transit investment possible for linking Carolina North, Carrboro, downtown Chapel Hill, and downtown Durham by the Special Transit Advisory Commission. This is the most heavily traveled corridor in the MPO, connecting residents to job locations, medical care and cultural institutions and providing access to shopping opportunities in between.
   
2. Light rail is superior to bus rapid transit because it has a proven track record of influencing land use and shaping growth. This is because rail transit provides a sense of permanency that is attractive to developers. In our own state, Charlotte will realize more than $1.86 billion in private-sector investments in the light rail corridor by 2011, including restaurants, housing, and office space.  (Raleigh News and Observer, Jan 26, 2008)
3. Rail transit generally achieves better operating cost efficiencies and savings than buses because they are less labor intensive to operate. As passenger demand increases, more cars can be added without needing additional operational staff.
4. Light rail is powered by electricity, which reduces our dependence on foreign oil and can be powered by renewables such as solar or wind. Electric light rail would free us from the rising costs of diesel fuel as well.
5. People like rail transit! Ridership projections for the first year of the Charlotte LYNX system projected 9,100 weekday trips. In June, the LYNX blue line averaged over 16,000 weekday trips!

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