Agenda- 01-23-2018 11-a - Go Triangle Transit Citizen Advisory Committee - Recommendations

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31 Describe the importance of transit with regards to affordable housing and land use planning. Beyond getting people to jobs, efficient transit is a magnificent land use tool. It provides responsible focused economic growth that preserves rural buffers, clean air, and clean water. Bringing people closer to jobs is an integral part of providing affordable housing. Access to efficient and cost effective transit decreases the expenditures involved with housing and getting to work. The Orange County Transit plan, anchored by Durham Orange Light Rail and part of a comprehensive multi -modal plan for the entire Triangle, has been carefully designed to bridge the gap between low income housing and our major job centers. Advocating for policies that protect affordable housing and access to transit is the next step and needs to begin now. Describe the importance of transit with regards to individuals with handicaps or disabilities. Our region is only just beginning to learn how to grow around something other than cars and highways. Those with disabilities need us to address more than just vehicle access. Without an efficient multi - modal network of public transit, many with disabilities will not have access to jobs, education, or healthcare, not to mention cultural opportunities. Describe the importance of transit with regards to economic opportunity. Transit is a social justice issue. No single factor is as closely tied to poverty as commute times. As our region grows, we are outstripping our road capacity with congestion costing the average Triangle commuter nearly $700 and 34 hours per year according to the Texas A &M Urban Mobility Report. As we sprawl, affordable housing is displaced further from our job centers. We need high capacity transit such as DOLRTto serve our job centers and focus growth in walkable communities. DOLRT will serve 100,000 jobs along the highest transit trip intensity region in the Triangle while also serving households that need more jobs than they have cars; 43% of those living along the line are low income. Further, we need efficient transit to attract jobs. Either we embrace transit or lose out economically to those regions that do. Have you had experiences with transit or other related issues in other places that could provide beneficial information to this committee? (Please limit your response to 100 or fewer words) I was living in St Louis when a transit plan anchored by light rail was first considered. Opposition to that plan was every bit as fierce as the opposition to DOLRT. Now, St Louis Metrolink is a 50 mile network serving 20 million riders a year. Think about how many cars that takes off the road, how many accidents are prevented, and how much smog and CO2 that takes out of the air. Think about the economic impact of efficiently moving that many people to local businesses and jobs. That should be us in 25 years.