Transit News in Raleigh

On Thursday night, The Downtown Raleigh Alliance introduced their new branding and Circulator Bus to around 500 members and guests at their annual meeting at the Marriott Hotel on Fayetteville Street.

Tomorrow the Downtown Circulator Buses will start running.

In this week’s Q&A, New Raleigh wants to know how you prefer to get around town: car, bike, bus, or legs? While many of our writers have found alternative transporation surprisingly reliable and even liberating, others of us still cling tightly to the safety and private road rage provided by our own four wheels.

The small army of city and county officials who are in charge of drafting the Raleigh 2030 Comprehensive Plan have been dealing with a mountain of issues and information.  The Bike Facilities Map looks like the work of a strung-out spider with a box of rainbow sharpies. There are bike lanes planned for thoroughfares throughout town, but close to the center Raleigh will not be following the example of Berlin or Amsterdam, with their dedicated bike lane systems.  Raleigh is going a more American route, believing separate-but-equal to be false (and difficult to fund).

City Council voted on Wednesday to convert to metered parking on many downtown streets.