Agenda - 04-27-2017 - 1 - Consideration of the Final Draft Durham – Orange Light Rail Cost Sharing Agreement and Final Draft Orange County Transit Plan

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167 Clogged roadways already prevent efficient travel times of both private cars and buses, and this will only worsen with an increased population in the area.46 Like increased bus service, BRT falls far short of meeting the Purpose and Need of the project. Triangle Transit ruled out BRT largely because of its inability to meet the economic development and compact growth elements of the project's Purpose and Need.47 While proponents of BRT tout its flexibility and ability to respond to growth and development, this characteristic is precisely why BRT is less effective in driving compact land use patterns. Light rail outcompetes BRT in passenger capacity,partially because cars can be added to trains, and additional trains can be added to the entire light rail system with minimal impact so as to easily increase passenger capacity. Finally, commuter rail or heavy rail was appropriately rejected as a feasible option for the D-O corridor. Such vehicles are incapable of stopping quickly enough between closely-spaced stations, such as are needed on Duke and UNC campuses and in downtown Durham. In contrast to other options, the D-O LRT project is a fixed transportation system which will drive smart, compact development while decreasing the numbers of cars on the road and enhancing public transportation accessibility. As the Alternatives Analysis succinctly summarized, after extensive evaluation of other modes of transportation, "the [light rail alternative] alone can fully address the stated Purpose and Need for a fixed-guideway investment in the Durham-Orange Corridor."48 Ridership forecasts of the NEPA Preferred Alternative demonstrate that light rail will provide a substantial reduction in automobile trips; by 2040, the preferred alternative will account for more than 23,000 trips per average weekday.4° These forecasts are supported by the ridership rates of the Charlotte Lynx system where daily ridership exceeded 2020 forecast levels within three years of its initial operations "and now averages about 15,000 trips per day."50 The DEIS also projects that the light rail system will yield 23 million fewer vehicle miles traveled annually by year 2040.51 We agree with and support GoTriangle's determination that light rail is the best mode of public transportation for meeting the transportation and development needs of the D-O Corridor. B. The NEPA Preferred Alternative is the Superior Alignment for the D-OLRT Project We urge GoTriangle to proceed with the currently identified NEPA Preferred Alternative. We agree with and applaud the DEIS's observation that"[t]he NEPA Preferred Alternative would cause the least damage to the biological and physical environment and best protect, 46 Id. at 1-18. 47 E.g. Alternatives Analysis at 5-88, 5-113 ;DEIS at 1-16. 48 Alternatives Analysis at 5-113. 49 DEIS at 3-14. 5°Alternatives Analysis at 5-86. 51 DEIS at 4-252; id. at Table 4.13-1: Comparison of Estimated Annual VMT for the Triangle Region (2040) (in millions of miles). 9