Agenda - 03-25-1986 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • Also within the realm of public transportation are several more exotic and more expensive transportation modes. Monorails, light rail transit, and rapid transit modes all are candidates for consideration within the Triangle area. In addition, it is possible that people mover systems, such as the one now operating at Duke Hospital , may also have applicability within • certain.portions of the Triangle area. • Finally, several approaches that are grouped in what is known as transportation systems management (TSM) and which represent departures from standard highway construction as the principal means of addressing transportion needs could resolve the Triangle's highway congestion. Among these approaches are various traffic engineering strategies (signalization improvements, lane restriping to create more lanes without construction, and intersection improvements) , demand management practices such as flexible work schedules for peak travel spreading, and changes in parking policy which promote carpooling. Perhaps the most promising of the TSM approaches, though the most expensive, is the construction of dedicated communter lanes on existing highways. While all of these public transportation and non-traditional , TSM options hold some promise for the Triangle area, their implementation points to the need for a comprehensive, region-wide approach to the transportation problem. This is because whereas traditional highway planning and construction are the responsibilities of the state (and, indeed, the federal funding for implementation of highway plans is controlled by the state and matched typically only with state funds, not local funds) , public transportation planning and provision of services are the responsibilities of the cities (with federal transit funds flowing directly to the cities with little or no state matching funds) . Planning for thoroughfares in the Triangle is done at the metropolitan scale which encompasses large areas outside municipal boundaries as well as multiple municipalities (Raleigh-Cary-Garner- Morrisville and Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro areas) , thereby enhancing the ability of the state, as the central coordinator and leader, to address region travel needs to be met by the highway system. On the other hand, the provision of public transportation services is limited to municipal boundaries because of the direct tie between the source of funding (local property taxes and other local revenues) and the provider (local units of government) . Thus, although there are legitimate transportation needs that could be met or problems that could be solved through public transportation approaches, there is not an adequate organizational structure to deal with these extra-municipal public transportation needs. Thus, it can be seen that there are mobility problems in the Triangle area which, while they are regional in nature, fall between the natural jurisdicition of the cities and the state. All of the urban areas in the Triangle, as well as the Research Triangle Park, have conducted public transportation studies. However, there has never been a region-wide look at the mobility problems of commuters which focuses on the organizational issues of how to attain the potential benefits of various forms of public transportation and TSM-type actions in solving these mobility problems. A region-wide problem requires a regional solution.