A Comprehensive State-Wide Public Transportation System

Developed as a Cooperative Research Project by Mahaley Odell Thompson, Architect,

the Canary Coalition and the Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance

Diagram

Explanation

Point Sheet

A Comprehensive State-Wide Public Transportation System

Project Purpose

In recognition of inevitable population growth in communities throughout North Carolina, the necessity of an adequate transportation system must be considered and planned to accommodate future demands.  An increasing number of people will need the ability to get to and from work, bring children back and forth from schools, do their shopping, visit the post office, get to the doctor and fulfill the many other tasks of daily life that require the movement from one place to another both within the local community and between the various population centers of our state. But, as population increases, changes are occurring that demand new solutions. Open corridors of land are becoming rarified as development encroaches on formerly remote areas, while, at the same time, property values are increasing rapidly making new road projects dramatically more expensive and intrusive into the lives of growing numbers of people. Poor air quality has become a major factor in people’s lives as asthma and emphysema rates among children and the elderly have reached epidemic proportions even in the rural areas of North Carolina. Health care and insurance rates are being driven higher by the high incidence of respiratory illness and automobile accidents. Cars are becoming more expensive to buy and maintain. The purchase of increasingly expensive automotive fuel is becoming an economic hardship for many people and, in the near future petroleum products may not be as readily available as in the past. For these and other reasons, building new roads to accommodate thousands of more cars on a daily basis is impractical and misguided, geared toward the needs of a passing era. The purpose of this transportation plan is to accommodate the years ahead of us, anticipating the expected population growth, diminishing land availability, the limitation of energy resources and the desire to preserve the natural environment and cultural integrity of our region to the best of our ability.

Focus on Public Transportation and Walkable Communities

The most efficient method of reducing transportation costs is to reduce the need for transportation. Communities or village centers can be planned to incorporate basic daily necessities within walking, biking or a short drive’s distance from home for most residents. These centers can be developed around existing patterns of both commercial and residential development in communities. Some type of short-distance public transportation can be provided as an alternative to individual automobile use, where necessary.  Existing roads can be improved and expanded, where necessary, to accommodate needed automotive traffic.

The expense of building and maintaining a comprehensive public transportation system is prohibitive if considered the sole responsibility of local rural and small municipal communities.  Therefore it’s necessary to activate the interconnectivity between communities, counties, the state and federal government and other major economic entities, such as the university system, to pool resources and create an economy of scale that brings the transportation system into the realm of practicality, to the benefit of all involved. This proposal incorporates such a model.

The state-wide backbone or “spine” of this model is an inter-city monorail system that connects the entire North Carolina University system from coastal UNC Wilmington to Western Carolina University, in the Smoky Mountain community of Cullowhee. On the regional level this system will provide much needed public transportation between rural and urban areas. On the more local level, a system of trolley-type buses or trams will bring people from various village centers or “nodes” throughout the community to the “spine” for longer distance travel.

This system will reward many communities throughout the state with great benefits.  Poor air quality and traffic problems plague many cities and rural communities. This system will serve to address both of these problems. The monorail system eliminates the need for new massive, expensive land acquisition and condemnation to build new roads because existing corridors can be used to house the elevated infrastructure. The public transportation system will relieve parking shortages in many towns, while, at the same time, attract tourists and shoppers who can conveniently visit downtown areas.

The monorail system will greatly benefit the various branches of the state university by conveniently connecting them, allowing travel to exchange courses and seminars. The rail system will also allow easy off-campus travel for students and faculty for cultural or recreational activities and shopping, while bringing the schools into a closer involvement with nearby communities. By including the university system in the planning of this system, new avenues of initial funding and resources are opened to the project as a whole. Students, faculty and university employees will also provide an initial base population who will use the system extensively.

Conclusion

This proposal is consistent with a global and national trend toward cooperative ventures between local communities and governments to fully utilize the principles of economy of scale, the pooling of resources and the sometimes unforeseen benefits of achieving mutual goals.  Many communities in North Carolina are faced with similar common transportation problems and the time is ripe to work together toward a unified solution. Times are changing and old models don’t meet the projected needs of the future.  This is a plan that incorporates the needs of a growing population during a time when resources and land are becoming more scarce. This proposal allows for the maintenance of a high quality of life while improving public health and the environment and providing for affordable, convenient transportation for all people throughout the state of North Carolina.

A Comprehensive Statewide Public Transportation System

POINT SHEET

  Community needs and benefits

Ø      Provides carefree (and car-free) travel between population centers within the state, making available to the public a wide variety of cultural and regional destinations and activities.

Ø      Increases tourism traffic in communities along the extensive route of the monorail

Ø      Helps ease parking and traffic problems in urban areas

Ø      Ties together the mountain and coastal regions of the state

Ø      Helps manage the environmental impact of transportation and future population growth

Ø      Brings campus cultural and educational resources closer to communities

Ø      Sets an example for a modular public transportation system that can, in the future, be used to connect to other states and cities throughout the region and country

Campus needs and benefits

Ø      Brings community services and off-campus cultural activities closer to students and university staff

Ø      Eases parking demands on limited University-owned property

Ø      Attracts a wider base of students from different economic and cultural backgrounds

Ø      Potentially increases student retention rates in more rural and less accessible campuses

Ø      Provides expansion of campus resources by

o       Allowing more options in course exchange and classroom locations between campuses

o       Easing exchanges of books, materials, equipment and personnel between campuses

  Finances

Ø      Brings together the financial resources of the Federal, State and local governments with those of the University System

Ø      Size and extent of system creates an economy of scale, easing the financial burden of local communities

Ø      $287 Billion transportation bill adopted by Congress, 2005.

Ø      Users pay a fare to help defray construction, maintenance and operating costs.