Governor Perdue signing the bill into law, surrounded by the bill sponsors, co-sponsors and key supporters.

In North Carolina, we just came that much closer to a seamless, modern, and efficient transit system linking highways, public transportation, freight, passenger rail, and coastal ports. That’s the vision of legislation introduced in the recently concluded session of the North Carolina General Assembly, which allowed for public referendums on local funding options for transit projects.

The bill, “Congestion Relief/Intermodal Transport Fund” (HB 148 and SB 151), attracted broad support from 50+ business, economic development, and environmental groups.

Despite regional considerations that came into play throughout the bill’s evolution, a growing consensus in the capitol understood that construction of more efficient public transit systems – like the LYNX in Charlotte – would move people more efficiently in one of the fastest growing states in the country and create all kinds of jobs.

The initiative was sought primarily at the request of the Triangle with a forward thinking eye towards funding a light rail system, but the bill  passed largely because of its statewide scope; the Triad was a major supporter, and we hope that rural communities will use the new law to hook into larger public transport systems that the newly signed law will make possible.