GoDurham Transit Plan Alternatives

GoDurham is seeking input on a short-range transit plan that will guide how the GoDurham transit improves service over the next several years to better serve existing and potential riders, new developments, and essential services in our community. After hearing from Durham residents through public meetings, conversations about the system, and an online survey, the GoDurham service planning team focused on:

• Simplifying routes,

• Improving frequency of service, and

• Providing more direct service to popular destinations.

Three scenarios were developed to help visualize ways to improve the system. Each scenario is a concept that is meant to show what the system could look like. As you look at these scenarios, take note of what you like, what you dislike, and what you think is missing. Also consider what you would like to use the public transit system for. The final recommendation will consider all of these comments and will try to combine the most popular parts of each scenario to guide the growth of the system moving forward.

Convenient and cost-effective transit service requires a delicate balance of where buses travel, how often they arrive and what times of day they operate. To develop the following service scenarios, we reached out –to stakeholders, residents, riders, and non-riders to hear their input, commendations, and complaints about the current system. We also looked at existing ridership patterns, on-time performance, where people travel and demographic data in order to identify any unmet needs within the system.

The scenarios above are examples of what our transit system could look like. The final recommendations will be based on feedback we receive from you. Your input will guide how we make improvements as well as how we prioritize expansions that will require additional funding, such as: more frequent bus service, improved night and Sunday service, new on-demand services, and more direct service to major destinations in Durham and the region.

Durham Transit Vision Highlights

The highlights of the cost-unconstrained Transit Vision include:

Extended High Frequency Service Network – New destinations with service every 15 minutes: Patterson Place, Streets at Southpoint, Duke/VA Hospital, E. Main Street (to Alston Ave) and North Duke Crossing
Simplified Service – Fewer route variations and deviations
More frequent weekday & Saturday service – All routes operate every 30 minutes or better
Extended Evening Service – 30-minute service would end at 10 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.
Expanded Sunday Service – Most routes would operate the same frequency on Sundays as on weekdays and Saturdays
More Direct Service to Major Destinations
- Connecting South Durham and North Durham to Duke/VA Hospital
- Connecting East Durham/The Village to NCCU
- Connecting more neighborhoods in South Durham to South Square
- Connecting East Durham neighborhoods to RTP
- Service to the Museum of Life and Science
On-Demand Zones
- On-Demand Zones incentivize the use of on-demand services, which can be agency-operated or partnerships with private providers such as Uber, Lyft, or taxis. Trips within or between zones are subsidized.
- Potential zones include low-density areas throughout the edges of the service area
- This service can also provide service after regular bus service stops operating, including between midnight and 4:30 a.m.
Supporting Capital Facilities
- Enhanced bus facilities at the Village, North Duke Crossing, and by MLK/Fayetteville Road to make connecting buses easier.
- New park-and-rides to improve service access
- Bus Stop Enhancements
- Sidewalk access improvements

Additional operating resources will be necessary to implement these improvements.

Benefits of the Durham Transit Vision include:

29.4 more miles of very frequent service (every 15 minute or more all day)
91,000 more residents and jobs within a quarter mile of very frequent service
146,000 more residents and jobs within a quarter mile of service that operates every 30 minutes or better

Download the full res version here.

Do you support the Preferred Alternative?

Yes

Not Sure

Closed to responses

Scenario 2 Themes/Benefits

Themes for Scenario 2 include the following:

Simplifying service
- Eliminating confusing variants
- Providing consistent all-day service
- Emphasizing bi-directional service
Improving the Bull City Connector
- Extending the service so it runs from E. Main Street to the Horton Career & Resource Center and The Village Shopping Center
- Transitioning from a 17-minute frequency to an easier-to-remember 20-minute frequency
Emphasizing high ridership areas
- Providing 15-minute service on E Holloway, Fayetteville, and Chapel Hill Rd
- Offering new all-day 15-minute service from Durham Station to Southpoint
Expanding the number of routes with 15-minute all-day service
- Route 5 service to Southpoint would be improved to every 15-minutes, but Route 5 would no longer travel through parking lots or to NC 751 to provide access
Extending direct service to Duke/VA Hospital to North Durham
- Offering new all-day service directly connecting North Durham to Duke
Direct service to the Museum of Life and Science
Improving on-time performance
- Adjusting routes with chronic on-time performance issues
Reducing service in low ridership areas

All of Scenario 2’s improvements can be accommodated within the current operating budget.

Benefits of the Scenario 2 include:

3.9 more miles of very frequent service (every 15 minute or more all day)
9,000 more residents and jobs within a quarter mile of very frequent service
9,000 more residents and jobs within a quarter mile of service that operates every 30 minutes or better

Download the full res version here.

Do you support this transit proposal?

Yes

Not Sure

Closed to responses

Route by Route Descriptions

This section allows you to view route-level changes proposed in Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. Please click on the route number you are interested in viewing.

Route 7 - No Changes Recommended

Route 8 - No Change Recommended