Orange County NC Website
13 <br /> 1 Commissioner Price asked if the conclusion is that bus riders would rather get on the <br /> 2 train. <br /> 3 Patrick McDonough said in areas of high bus ridership, the addition of higher capacity <br /> 4 transit draws riders to it, and in greater numbers. <br /> 5 <br /> 6 LRT and BRT rarely provide a similar type of service. <br /> 7 "BRT" is a term used for many things. <br /> 8 <br /> 9 Travel Speeds of Light Rail and BRT in the USA, Projects Built or Added to Since 2000 <br /> 10 (hand out) <br /> 11 Why is speed important? <br /> 12 In a large, continuing study of upward mobility based at Harvard, commuting time has emerged <br /> 13 as the single strongest factor in the odds of escaping poverty. The longer an average commute <br /> 14 in a given county, the worse the chances of low-income families there moving up the ladder."- <br /> 15 'Transportation Emerges as Crucial to Escaping Poverty," New York Times, May 7, 2015 <br /> 16 <br /> 17 Operating Costs of Bus & Light Rail (graph) <br /> 18 <br /> 19 Economic Development & Rail (graph) <br /> 20 <br /> 21 Projected Economic Impact of D-O LRT <br /> 22 • Add $4.7 Billion in economic output in Durham and Orange Counties each year <br /> 23 • Add $600 Million in additional economic impact statewide <br /> 24 • Estimated 750 of direct construction related jobs, + over 1,000 indirect construction <br /> 25 related jobs <br /> 26 • Add $175 Million in new tax revenue (per year) due to economic impacts <br /> 27 <br /> 28 BRT and LRT both offer environmental benefits. <br /> 29 LRT benefits demonstrate increasing efficiency with greater use, just like operating cost. <br /> 30 <br /> 31 Emissions of Transit Modes Per Passenger Mile-graph <br /> 32 <br /> 33 Emissions Benefits Facilitated By Compact, Focused Growth <br /> 34 • More walking means fewer short vehicle trips, fewer cold starts trips <br /> 35 • Each 1% of short-trip mileage reduced typically reduces air emissions by 2-3%. <br /> 36 <br /> 37 Mixed-Use Developments Reduce Traffic <br /> 38 • Mixed use generates far less traffic than single - use suburban development <br /> 39 • Experiences of 6 large - scale US Suburban Mixed Use Developments: <br /> 40 o 30% Internal Capture <br /> 41 o On average, 15% of external trips by foot, bike, transit- <br /> 42 • Thus "45% of trips put no strain on external road network" <br /> 43 <br /> 44 Public Health Benefits Facilitated By Rail <br /> 45 Before —and-after surveys of Charlotte, North Carolina LRT passengers found: <br /> 46 • Body Mass Index (BMI) declined an average of 1.18 kg/m2 compared to non-LRT users <br /> 47 in the same area over a 12-18 month period, equivalent to a loss of 6.45 lbs. for a <br /> 48 person who is 5'S. <br /> 49 • LRT users were also 81% less likely to become obese over time. <br />