Wake residents have waited three years to see action on a plan to expand and improve public transit in our county. Finally, concrete steps are ahead to create a refreshed plan for transit, now called the Wake County Transit Investment Strategy (WTIS). Key transit stakeholders – local governments, Triangle Transit, RTP, NSCU, WakeUP, CAFT and others comprising the Transit Core Team – are working together in a dynamic process guided by consultants, Jarrett Walker & Associates and Kimley-Horn. The goal is to engage the community in identifying our values and goals and understanding the transit choices for Wake County, and then eventually select the best transportation options to achieve them. The consultants launch the seven month long WTIS process December 8 with a Public Kickoff (6 pm, Raleigh Convention Center), combined with interviews with key community stakeholders. A 70 member Advisory Committee will be appointed to represent elected officials, civic and business leaders from all twelve municipalities and others, and this Committee will provide input December 9 and January 20, 2015 at workshops. The goal is to create a fresh, relevant transit vision for the community.
Using results of public input, analyzing current and future transportation and demographic data, and reviewing the past transit draft plan, a technical core design team will then create two transit network plan scenarios by February 10, 2015. These scenarios will then be released for significant public review and comment throughout the spring. The core design team will then fuse the best aspects of the scenarios and release a transit network plan report to the Wake Board of Commissioners by June 1, 2015.
The incoming 2015 Board of Commissioners are keen to advance public transit in Wake as soon as possible. They will review the plan and at some point in 2015, and then must vote on the plan and if and when to go to the voters with a half-cent sales tax referendum to fund the plan. Details on that, of course, are yet to come and much will happen before then!
By Karen Rindge, 11/10/14