Draft Comprehensive Transportation Plan Update_September 25

DRAFT

TRANSIT Like a complete system of roads, sidewalks, and bikeways, transit must provide connections to the places people need or want to go at a time when they need to get there. Potential riders are interested in transit service that is fast, frequent, dependable, and easy to use. As shown in Chapter 2, limited transit service in the Town of Morrisville is provided by GoTriangle. Future Opportunities The Town of Morrisville is at a unique crossroads that will require balancing many challenges and opportunities to best prepare for future transit expansion. The Wake County Transit Plan (adopted in December 2015) set the stage for a county-wide vision for transit service. This plan included an aggressive public outreach effort to gain feedback from citizens, and involved intensive participation by the county’s municipalities. In the November 2016 election, Wake County residents approved a one-half cent local sales tax to fund County-wide transit, advancing the recommendations of the Wake County Transit Plan . As part of this plan, the Town of Morrisville will be home to one of the planned stops for the Durham-Wake Commuter Rail planned to stretch from Garner to Duke University. Figure 4-4 shows existing transit services in the Town along with proposed future service discussed in the Wake County Transit Plan .

Source: Wake County Transit Plan

FUTURE LOCAL SERVICE Additionally, municipalities like Morrisville are eligible to apply for financial assistance through community funding areas. Community funding areas are eligible for matching funds that will be set aside to create or accelerate new or enhanced service. The current details of the program are still being developed, but it is paramount that the Town of Morrisville plans accordingly and stays involved in the decision-making process. It is recommended that once the program details have been finalized, the Town pursue a new plan that will study and identify the most viable local option for transit in Morrisville. TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (TOD) In 2013, the Town of Morrisville completed a local area study creating an action plan for a future transit-oriented development and transit station at the intersection of McCrimmon Parkway and NC 54, following a 2011 resolution passed by Town Council strongly supporting the station. The McCrimmon Transit Small Area Plan provides a detailed action plan of the role the Town of Morrisville will need to play to provide the McCrimmon TOD. Continual support of the McCrimmon TOD offers many benefits for the Town of Morrisville including the creation of an important hub for regional transit via the Durham-Wake Commuter Rail, increased viability of local transit through community funding areas, improved connectivity to higher education at Wake Technical Community College, and creating an environment that supports quality mixed-use development. As enhanced transit service makes its way into Morrisville, a secondary TOD could also be considered east of NC 54 to further enhance connectivity to Wake Technical Community College.

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September 25, 2017 Draft