Traveling throughout the region today using the bus system is a nightmare. We have 4 municipal bus systems (Cary, Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill), 3 university bus systems (NCSU, UNC-CH, and Duke), and sort of interconnected with Triangle Transit. Figuring out where buses are with the new Transloc system on gotriangle.org is an improvement but trying to mesh schedules from these different systems is an almost insoluble problem. Add to that my multi-modal requirement (i.e. taking my bike so I have transportation at the end points) and you’ll soon find out that it can’t be done today with anything other than a folding bike. Plus it takes much longer than traveling by car. Other than cost and productive time spent on the bus, it is hardly worth the effort.

Lastly, I lived in Silicon Valley during the 1980s when the San Jose light rail system was in its infancy. It took a decade before it became truly useful. Plus, that was in a region that suffered gridlock and desperately needed it. With the attitudes toward mass transit that are prevalent here in the Triangle, I don’t expect to see it operational in my lifetime.