Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Raleigh-Durham Voters Give Go-Ahead to Light Rail Plans

10:58 AM EST on November 9, 2011

false

Yesterday was a mixed bag for transit at the ballot box. Voters in Cincinnati beat back a second referendum that would have prevented the city from building its planned and ready-to-go streetcar line. In Seattle, meanwhile, an initiative that would have allowed local electeds to raise vehicle license fees to support transit was rejected.

Maybe the biggest news out of last night's election, however, comes out of North Carolina, where -- hooray!! -- it ended well for transit lovers. Voter approval of a sales tax increase will advance long-brewing plans for light rail in the "Golden Triangle" region, which includes Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

Yonah Freemark at the Transport Politic explains:

The passage yesterday of a half-cent sales tax increase dedicated to transit in Durham County offers strong evidence that the region’s electorate is ready to invest in new public transportation options — the referendum passed with a large 60% majority in approval. Durham’s endorsement of the transit improvement program, like similar efforts in cities from Los Angeles to Denver, provides clear evidence that voters are willing and even excited to pay higher taxes in exchange for tangible improvements in transportation.* If in the U.S. Congress future funding for mobility remains tenuous at best, local level support for such policies is clear.

For the Triangle, this is the first step towards the completion of what will not only be a vast upgrade over current transit offerings in the region but also a significant improvement on the 2000 regional rail plan.

Triangle leaders have learned from Charlotte’s success. Realizing that the FTA would be unwilling to commit to a project without a stronger demonstration of local funding efforts, politicians pushed the North Carolina State Assembly to allow counties to submit sales tax increases to their voters, an option that had been reserved for Charlotte’s Mecklenburg County until 2009. Charlotte’s half-cent sales tax provided a quarter of the light rail line’s cost, while the Triangle’s 2000 plan could cover less than 10% of costs with local revenues, which came from a tax on rental cars and vehicle registrations.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Walkable Dallas Fort-Worth exposes the misguided logic behind Austin's jaywalking crackdown. Mobilizing the Region says that Connecticut's new $636 million jobs bill includes some important land use and transportation reforms. And Bike Portland reports that national bike and pedestrian advocates are planning to push back against weakened support for active modes in the Senate's new transportation bill reauthorization proposal.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Distracted Off-Duty Cop Jumped Curb and Killed Chicago Woman On Sidewalk

It's infuriating that a person who was entrusted to help keep the public safe was reckless enough to take her eyes off the road while driving to pick up a phone, with tragic consequences.

December 8, 2023

Friday’s Headlines Include Transit

An International Association of Public Transport study found that many countries are neglecting transit in their plans to combat climate change.

December 8, 2023

Calif. Using“Auxiliary Lane” Freeway Widening Loophole for Non-Aux Lane Projects

Beyond just using harmful loopholes legally, Metro and Caltrans deceptively bypass environmental regulations in order to keep on widening freeways.

December 8, 2023

Talking Headways Podcast: Sausage Making and the ADA

"It is fundamentally inappropriate to keep charging disabled people twice as much," our guest Ron Brooks says.

December 7, 2023

The Real Reason Assaults Against Transit Workers Are On The Rise

Hint: it's not just because service has been slashed.

December 7, 2023
See all posts