I take every opportunity to push for public transit systems that are also tourist draws--unique, ingenious, and demonstrating something of the region. There are precious few in existence, so I have to go back to the cable cars in san francisco repeatedly as an example. If you visited Greensboro, would all your friends ask you if you rode the bus while in town? If you visited San Francisco, everyone wants to know if you rode the cable cars. If you visit Seattle, some people would be interested in whether you rode the monorail (it's what I did as soon as I hit town). Seattle had a very exciting plan to expand the monorail to cover the entire city, turning it into more than just a ride from place to place, but an exciting sightseeing tour that rose high above the city that was also in daily use by commuters, hopefully reducing the smog and traffic. Sadly, the plan fell through. Seattle is also home to the most beautiful commute in the country--the car ferry across Puget Sound. On a clear day, you can see mountains in almost every direction. And even on a foggy, rainy day, there's something special about drinking a latte on a huge ship within feet of the open water. We need to think about a demonstration project in Raleigh of something unusual that can be used by commuters but which would be mobbed by visitors. Feature it on t-shirts and postcards, and give all legislators free passes to ride. What form should it take? I leave that to the creative minds of people who know Raleigh and North Carolina better than I do. I like cablecars--not like in San Francisco, but like the ones in the Alps. A silent ride high above the houses suspended by big cables from one loading point, maybe at 440, to one discharge point, maybe at the museum. What do you see when you envision something unusual for moving people around Raleigh? Write a paragraph, send it to your legislator. I think that opening a vein and pouring money on a solution to be defined by bureaucrats is a backward way to approac this problem. We should start with a vision that people can get excited about and then start raising seed money for a demonstration project. Moving sidewalks? Wheeled gondolas? An electric trolley on rails? What do you think would be best?

Hey, thanks for your post, even if it's wildly OFF TOPIC.

I'm laughing as I write this, but I basically agree that (1) the more transit is a part of the everyday lives of more North Carolinians, the more support and funding it will receive, and (2) it would be nice to have some really distinct, fun experiences for people to associate with Raleigh and other North Carolina cities. To some extent, Asheville and Wilmington already have that. For me, a transportation experience is definitely not going to be the signature experience - I find the San Francisco cable cars hopelessly touristy. What I'm looking for in a transportation system is something that gets me to interesting or useful places seamlessly and fast - oh, and that provides choices, of course. :)