Triangle Public Transportation Coordination and Consolidation Projects

Triangle Regional Transportation Development Planning Project

Background:

In October 2002, the Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) at North Carolina State University completed a report titled Regionalizing Public Transportation Services for NCDOT's Public Transportation Division. The report looked at community transportation systems in North Carolina and other parts of the country, identified opportunities and concerns related to regionalizing services and provided recommendations. Consistent with the report, the NCDOT is encouraging community transportation systems to identify counties in the same geographic area and consider opportunities for regionalizing services.

On February 8, 2005, Ms. Miriam Perry, Public Transportation Division Director, and Mr. Charles Glover, Assistant Director for Community Transportation, for NCDOT, met with Commissioner Ellen Reckhow, Durham County Board Chair, Commissioner Moses Carey, Orange County Board Chair and Commissioner Joe Bryan, Wake County Board Chair. The purpose of the meeting was to provide Ms. Perry and Mr. Glover with the opportunity to share information on regional initiatives underway in other areas and discuss ideas for working with community transportation systems in the Triangle.

The County Board Chairs expressed interest in preparing a Regional Transportation Development Plan (RTDP) for Durham, Orange and Wake counties that would assess the opportunities for regionalizing services among their community transportation systems and with urban and regional systems in the Triangle. Between April 11 and March 2, 2005, the County Boards of Commissioners in Durham, Orange and Wake passed motions or resolutions supporting their participation in a Triangle RTDP.