The New York Times reports this morning that the rate of transit use in the U.S. continues to grow according to the report by American Public Transportation Organization (APTO), which has recently released its latest annual report.
Aside from national data, the report contains some interesting information about the overall growth of public transit ridership in. As detailed in the table below, the ridership increased by 13% from October 2010 to October 2011. In its press-release APTO specifically singled out Durham, along with the Triangle as a whole, as an sample of 2012 ridership increases. According to the press-release, the January saw a 15% increase in transit use in Durham.
Things are looking even better for the region as a whole. For the Triangle, the increase in ridership between October 2010 and October 2011 was at strong 16%. But the January 2012 growth was at a staggering 33.9%, with double digit increases every month they were tracking it.
To put all of these numbers perspective, consider that in large cities the bus ridership increased only by 0.4% and the total transit use rose by 2.5%
This data should lend additional support and urgency to the need to implement light rail and other public transit solutions in the region. Durham has lead the way by passing the first transit referendum. And it leads North Carolina in transit use per capita. But now Orange and Wake counties must follow suit. And, if light and commuter rail is ever built, our neighborhood will be among its major beneficiaries because one of the major stations will be located just a short distance away from the Ninth Street Shopping District.
Here is to hoping that decision-makers in our and neighboring counties are drawing similar conclusions!
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