On January 31, 2011, a group of about 20 neighbors met at Carolina Pines Community Park to discuss recent changes to CAT bus routes 11 and 7c. The routes were changed at the beginning of the year and are having a negative impact on the Trailwood Hills community according to neighbors who live on Trailwood Hills Drive.
David Eatman, Transit Administrator, and Carmalee Scarpitti, Transit Planner from the City of Raleigh Public Works joined the neighbors. District D City Councilor, Thomas Crowder, also attending to help drive towards a resolution.
The meeting was focused on gathering the concerns and laying out the next actionable steps. Eatman and Scarpitti provided maps of the old and new routes and explained that the CAT buses we no longer going to be able to turn around in the Raleigh Oaks Shopping Center parking lot. Apparently, NCDOT will be closing one of the entrances at the shopping center at some point in the future.
Neighbors not only outlined their concerns, but they provided potential solutions. Some attendee’s noted that in order to get from the Carolina Pines community to NC State’s campus, they now had to transfer from route 7c to 11. The rider said it wasn’t bad going there, about a 5 minute wait, but it was close to 25 minutes on the way back and was easier to walk.
Most of the neighbors wanted the route completely revamped and for the buses to use an alternative road, such as Trailwood Drive, instead of Trailwood Hills Drive (which cuts through a neighborhood). Neighborhors also expressed concerns for those not at the meeting, primarily residents from Orchard Point who depend on the CAT bus for transportation. The stops near Orchard Point were moved and now force those riders to walk quite a distance to catch the bus.
When it was all said and done, the meeting was very productive. Eatman and Scarpitti are going to take the concerns to the next meeting where changes to bus routes are discussed. This was supposed to happen on February 10 and a representative from Public Works will be providing an update at the SouthWest Citizens Advisory Council (SWCAC) meeting on February 14 at 7:00 pm.