News

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

Hyperloop: we saw a glimpse of the future today
I have been at the helm of RTA for more than 17 years. In all of my time in this role, I do not recall a discussion about a technology as advanced or futuristic as hyperloop. At today’s 2019 RTA Breakfast event, our speakers from Virgin Hyperloop One and AECOM were outstanding, as were the members of our panel from those firms and our local and state leaders from NCDOT, RDU Airport, and Research Triangle Park. Our conversations on advancing freeways and transit are as important as ever, but sometimes we need to peer into the future – and I think we might have seen it today. You can view the presentation, materials, and media coverage here. Thank you to our event sponsors and our Leadership Team members for making the event a reality.

RDU wait times, and some options for you
We have a remarkable airport in terms of performance, aesthetics, and options – and in the future it might even serve as our center of the region hyperloop station, as we heard today – but as we well know, our airport is also experiencing some growing pains. My advice: book your parking in advance, if you are driving to RDU, and sign-up for TSA Pre✓, particularly if you frequently fly out before 9 a.m. If you do those two things, you will largely avoid the current slate of challenges. For more information on wait times at RDU, click here.

We are launching an RTA task force on transit
I use transit on occasion in this region – and I use it more frequently than I used to, now that many of our buses come more frequently. What helps make it work for our family is the Youth GoPass for our two teenage children, and a $25 stored value card that I buy in advance for me, so that I don’t have to think about the fare aspects of how to use the system. Our regional business group will be launching a new task force later this summer to look at potential ways to make transit work easier and more intuitively, so that we can get even more members of the business community using the system. If you are interested – call or email me or Natalie.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Breakfast this morning, and to each of you for your support of RTA!

Let’s get moving,

Joe

Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA Executive Director