Member Briefing: March 8, 2019
- March 8, 2019
- Posted by: Joe Milazzo II
- Category: Member briefing
Here is a brief weekly update from the RTA business coalition – the voice of the regional business community on transportation.
BRT takes another step forward in Raleigh and Wake County
This week the Raleigh City Council endorsed an interim agreement to jumpstart the development of four bus rapid transit corridors serving the City. This will enable the City to submit a Small Starts Project Development application to the Federal Transit Administration, while also initiating some coordination meetings, data collection, and other public involvement work. This is great news for advancing transit. My understanding is that the City expects formal contract signing by May with RTA Leadership Team member WSP; other contract partners include fellow RTA members McAdams and HH Architecture.
Speaking of BRT – downtown Raleigh BRT event is this Wednesday
There will be a public meeting on the Raleigh Downtown Transportation Plan on Wednesday, March 13th, from 4pm – 7pm at the Raleigh Convention Center. RTA Gold investor Kimley-Horn has done excellent work creating and navigating this process in concert with the City of Raleigh/GoRaleigh, a fellow RTA Leadership Team member. Downtown Raleigh is the hub of the Wake County bus rapid transit network, so what happens in Downtown will impact the entire network. I plan to be there and encourage you or a colleague to attend.
Our transit lanes may be better off RED than dedicated – for now
RTA Leadership Team member Capital Area MPO has an ongoing study of potential “RED” transit lanes that would prioritize transit while allowing for complementary uses. The MPO held an excellent coordination meeting this week; RTA is participating with a number of key partners. We released a post on the RED lanes concept yesterday as part of our Thursday Thoughts at 3 blog series. Please read if you are interested, and feel free to share and/or comment on my LinkedIn post. Thank you for providing the business perspective and focus needed to deliver mobility results as a member of the RTA!
Let’s get moving,
Joe
Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA Executive Director
