News

Here is a brief weekly update from the RTA business coalition – the voice of the regional business community on transportation.

Outstanding RTA Transportation Breakfast This Morning 

This morning we held our annual RTA Breakfast at The Umstead Hotel and Spa. The sold out event saw more than 200 business leaders, elected officials, transportation partners, and guests come together to learn about a game changing — and life changing — mobility and life science innovation.

Breakfast attendees heard keynote presentations from United Therapeutics (UT), a pioneer in xenotransplantation and the first biotech/biopharma to take the form of a public benefit corporation; UT subsidiary Unither Bioélectronique, which is researching the adaptation of electric vertical aircraft (EVA) for manufactured organ delivery; and UT partner BETA Technologies, an electric aviation company building electric aircraft and the charging infrastructure to support it.

Event attendees left inspired about the opportunities and possibilities that the EVA innovation represents for both delivery of medical necessities and for mobility broadly. Attendees were also energized as we learned of the return to growth at RDU from Airport Authority chair Patrick Hannah. You can visit the event webpage to view the presentation deck and videos.

Celebrating a decade of BOSS-ing around traffic congestion

This past Saturday, July 16, marked the 10th anniversary of the activation of North Carolina’s first Bus On Shoulder System (BOSS). BOSS represents a very effective way to help buses stay on schedule, which improves the viability and reliability of transit as an option for travelers. The region’s first BOSS initiative began on I-40 in Durham County on July 16, 2012. GoTriangle (then Triangle Transit), NCDOT, and RTA cooperated for many months on the preparation for that effort — including a site visit to Minneapolis, the site of the nation’s largest bus on shoulder operation.

Kudos to NCDOT and GoTriangle for allowing transit patrons to “BOSS” around their commute, for 10 years and counting. More about BOSS in this week’s blog. RTA continues to support the BOSS program and its expansion, including the excellent recent study by CAMPO. We also support an enhanced program for new or modernized freeways which we are calling a transit priority shoulder (TPS). 

Thank you to each of our more than 50 RTA Regional Leadership Team companies, and all RTA members, who allow the RTA to drive consensus and action every day. A special thank you to the Research Triangle Foundation and to Credit Suisse, TowneBank, and the Town of Cary for sponsoring today’s event.

Let’s get moving,

Joe
RTA Executive Director

Click here for prior RTA Member Briefings and RTA Blogs.