Wake County Transit Investment Strategy
The Wake County Board of Commissioners has
established the expectation that proposed investments in transit should be structured, prioritized and justified similar to other investments the County makes on behalf of its citizens. To create an appropriate transit investment strategy the County is partnering with the
Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the
City of Raleigh, the
Town of Cary,
Triangle Transit,
NC State University, the
Raleigh-Durham Airport and the
Research Triangle Park Foundation to fund additional studies.
Transit consultants
Jarrett Walker and
Kimley-Horn have been hired to review previous work produced by local planning staff and provide a new vision for transit in Wake County.
This new effort will have two major initiatives – public outreach and public education about system design and the trade-offs to be made when investing in transit.
The new process will include scenarios that allow the public to understand possible transit opportunities for our community.
In July 2014 the Wake County Board of Commissioners established expectations on what a transit investment strategy should look like and what information it should contain.
In November 2013 the Wake County Commissioners invited three national transit experts to comment on the Draft Wake County Transit Plan. The comments of these experts informed Commissioners' expectation for a transit investment strategy.
In 2010–2012 Wake County worked with various transit agencies and municipal partners to compile a "complete" picture of existing transit investment "thinking" and "planning." The Wake County Board of Commissioners used this document to inform its expectation for a transit investment strategy.
The Research Triangle Region has been planning for further transit investment for many years. This link details major steps and decisions, and details why and when Wake County engaged in the transit conversation.
Various operators provide transit services currently within Wake County.