BUS

In 2015, the Triangle’s regional bus authority merged with bus systems in Raleigh, Durham, and Cary to create the sprawling GoTriangle. What this means for commuters is that bus passes for travel around the Triangle’s cities can be purchased through one source, either online at gotriangle.org or on any GoDurham, GoRaleigh, GoCary, or GoTriangle bus. (Chapel Hill Transit has not adopted the “Go” branding but is also the only member system that does not charge a fare.) Each of these transit systems has slightly different rates, but those interested in traveling through the Triangle will want a regional pass ($4.50/1 day, $16.50/7 days, $76.50/31 days).

GoTriangle offers express routes from Apex to Zebulon and every major town in between, with many of the most popular routes running through one of three major stations. GoRaleigh Station sits at Moore Square, in the heart of downtown Raleigh and a five-minute walk from the city’s new Union Station (more on that later). Durham Station is similarly close to downtown Durham, with American Tobacco Campus just a half-mile southeast. The Regional Transit Center is both a hub for buses and a vital connector to RDU International Airport—take the GoTriangle #100 route from the RTC to either of the airportís two terminals.

TRAIN

Raleigh Union Station opened earlier this year, giving the Triangle a taste of what its future might look like if and when two major rail infrastructure plans—the long-planned Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit project and Wake County’s 2016 transit plan, which includes provisions for a thirty-seven-mile commuter rail systemócome to fruition. 

Amtrak holds the key to traveling the state by train. The service isn’t exactly practical for everyday use—there’s only one station each in Raleigh, Cary, and Durham, and buses have the edge in affordability and reliability—but the Piedmont, Silver Star, or Carolinian trains can provide a novel change of pace for weekend trips around the state.

CYCLING

Quality local shops, a thriving local community, and the simple addition of bike lanes on popular roadways mean that the Triangle’s cycling scene is growing every day. Downtown areas are, predictably, the most popular spots for bikes, but leisure riders can check out the twenty-two-mile American Tobacco Trail that runs from western Wake County to downtown Durham, as well as the Raleigh’s Capital Area Greenway System, twenty-eight trails that comprise more than one hundred miles. 

Bicycles are vehicles in the eyes of North Carolina law, meaning that cyclists can share the road except on highways. It also means that cyclists should follow some basic safety guidelines, most of them obvious:

  • Stop at red lights
  • Travel with traffic
  • Signal before turning
  • Have both front and rear lights at night
  • Wear a helmet (not required but still smart!)
  • And yes, you can get a DUI on a bicycle
ALTERNATIVE TRANSIT

Several less conventional forms of transportation have found their way onto the Triangle’s urban streets, offering everything from a convenient ride to work to a cartoonish jaunt through downtown Raleigh.

Bike-sharing services, most notably LimeBike in Durham and Raleigh, allow users to hop on a bike and pay to ride for just as long as they need it (either $1 for thirty minutes or $29.95 for a month of rides). Closely related are the motorized Bird scooters that swept unannounced through America’s cities this summer; provided local lawmakers don’t ban them, they’ll make the joy of motorized scooting available to anyone for a $1 initial fee and then fifteen cents a mile.