Transportation Plan - Town of Garner

defined starting and ending points. Another recent effort is the offering
of regional bus passes that allow travel on Triangle Transit (Triangle
Region), DATA (City of Durham), CAT (Raleigh), and C‐Tran (Cary) systems.
Additional, ongoing efforts to procure new funding sources (by county
referendum, if passed in the State legislature) may also create new
opportunities for increased services and inter‐operator cooperation. The
current discussion surrounding future funding centers on the ability of
North Carolina counties to levy a half‐cent sales tax to finance bus and
rail services. Another potential source of financing is the recent American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (aka, the “Stimulus Bill”). A part
of this bill includes not only monies for acquiring new buses for existing
service providers (although the omission of additional operating funds
was an oversight towards expanding service), but also includes $8 billion
for new high‐speed rail improvements. North Carolina, with recent
increases in rail ridership and continuous improvements on its Raleigh to
Charlotte trackage for the last decade, is in an excellent position to
compete effectively for some of these funds to get it closer to
implementing the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor (maximum speeds
of 110 mph).
The following is a brief description of the three primary transit providers
serving Garner and the surrounding area; their current performance
characteristics; and proposed modifications to service that are
anticipated to occur in the near‐term. After the descriptions of service, a
brief summary and investigation into two recent studies that would have
a direct bearing on the future of public transportation in Garner are
provided.
City of Raleigh Transit System (Capital Area Transit, CAT). Transit service
in the Capital City has a significant history, beginning with mule‐drawn
carriages in 1886; the service was short‐lived, being replaced by electric
trolleys by 1891 operated by CP&L electric company. The era of electric
streetcars would not last longer than 1933, in turn replaced by gasoline
buses. As ridership fell in the early 1950’s, CP&L abandoned the service,
which was eventually taken over by City Coach Lines, Inc. The City of
Raleigh only recently took control over its own system in the early 1990s.
Today, CAT service is provided by 39 routes (including seven connector
routes) covering an area of 97 square miles. Additionally, CAT provides 12
“demand responsive zones” that operate in the early morning and
evening or late evening time periods to extend their service hours in
sections of the City. CAT also provides subsidies to taxicab and 'handicab'
companies to serve those unable to ride CAT buses (Accessible Raleigh
Transportation, or ART). CAT also services the annual State Fair, providing
$4.00 two‐way or $3.00 one‐way fares for nearly 32,000 people (2002). In
2008, this service included a park‐and‐ride stop in Garner at the
Chapter 3: Existing Conditions Page | 27