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50 <br /> The Bus and Rail Investment Plan in Orange County <br /> I. INTRODUCTION <br /> Orange County has achieved an enviable quality of life at the end of the first decade of the <br /> 21St century. Recent accolades include its ranking as the one of the best place to live by <br /> Money Magazine,July 2010, one of the best places to start a business by Entrepreneur <br /> Magazine, August 2009 and one of the best places in the nation to raise children by Business <br /> Week, December 2010. Orange County is nationally known for its excellent public education <br /> systems.Two districts serve the residents of Orange County: The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City <br /> School System and the Orange County School System. The University of North Carolina at <br /> Chapel Hill consistently ranks among the great institutions of higher education in the nation, <br /> most recently honored by US News& World Report. <br /> With these successes comes growth in population and increased pressure on our roads and <br /> highways. Since 2004,the Triangle has moved from 46th largest metro area in the nation to <br /> 40th in 2009, and our vehicle demand on freeways is up by 28%over those five years. <br /> Recently, our region was named the 3rd most sprawling urban area in the country among the <br /> 83 areas studied. <br /> In 2009,the Joint Long Range Transportation Plan for 2035, by the Durham-Chapel Hill- <br /> Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) noted that the region's population <br /> would more than double over the 25-year period. For the last two decades,the demand on <br /> our roads has grown significantly faster than our population. Even with planned highway <br /> improvements and likely additional revenues for new roads, it is clear that Orange County and <br /> the region will see declining levels of service on major roads in the next 25 years. Orange <br /> County population grew by 1.6%a year since 2000 and is projected to grow from the <br /> countywide 2010 census of 133,801 to approximately 173,000 by 2030. <br /> The economic costs for increasingly congested roads are significant. In its 2010 Annual Urban <br /> Mobility Report, the Texas Transportation Institute estimated that our region has "congestion <br /> costs" of almost one-half billion dollars a year. Recently, a May 10, 2011 study cited in Forbes <br /> magazine found that the Triangle was the urban region in the nation that is most vulnerable <br /> to rising gasoline prices. Enhanced transportation options need to be created to ensure that <br /> Orange County's residents of all income levels have access to job centers and commerce. <br /> Orange County residents and their regional neighbors are aware of the growth in clogged <br /> roads, as well as the accompanying air quality problems, negative economic impacts and the <br /> loss of the quality of life we enjoy if these transportation challenges are not met. Local <br /> citizens and elected leaders have responded to these challenges,with some assistance from <br /> state government,as described in this investment plan. <br /> 9/ //,,01 1. -Page 13 <br />