In our climate change research article, we concluded that climate change will increase average temperatures and flooding in the Chapel Hill community. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, increased temperatures and flooding caused by climate change will damage transportation infrastructure in the Southeastern United States (“Climate Impact on Transportation”, 2017). This is because warmer temperatures will cause pavement to soften and break, creating potholes and damaging bridges, too. Flooding will create erosion and make roads more slippery and accident-prone. Unpleasant, hot weather will increase the demand for public transportation since fewer people will choose to walk/bike to their destinations (“Climate Impact on Transportation”, 2017). Combined, these changes will stress local transportation infrastructure and resources.

Chapel Hill Transit, which provides public transportation services, ensures that the fixed-route bus services, EZ riders service, and Tar Heel Express are operating efficiently and that the regulations of the State and Federal governments are being upheld. (“Town of Chapel Hill…”, 2017). Because it is a college town and within the Research Triangle area, Chapel Hill relies heavily on these services. Thus, when there is a severe weather event, many people will be impacted if these issues are not remediated expediently. Even those who do not utilize public transportation will be affected by severe weather damages or impedes the use of streets and sidewalks. The Public Works Department is currently in charge of managing both of these issues as it presides over the Streets and Construction Services, Stormwater Management, and Traffic Engineering. (“Town of Chapel Hill…”, 2017).

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), which operates buses and a light rail in Mecklenburg County, currently does not adequately serve the community. Thus, the Mecklenburg County government is currently trying to improve CATS. For example, by 2020, the CAT System is planning to expand its routes and stops to have stops within one mile of every public park and library (“Fiscal Year 2017 Budget”, 2017). Also, the CAT’s budget was increased from $38 million to $48 million from 2016 to 2017, so it appears that the county has made real progress expanding the service (“Fiscal Year 2017 Budget”, 2017). Mecklenburg County funded this budget increase by slightly increasing the sales tax. While state grants and contractors are often used to construct transportation infrastructure in Mecklenburg County, the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) actually maintains the roads (“Fiscal Year 2017 Budget”, 2017). Thus, the county pays for road maintenance. Since the Mecklenburg County government has run a budget deficit throughout the last few years, road damage due to climate change will worsen the county’s fiscal situation.

   San Francisco is a city that currently relies heavily on its public transportation with people riding the bus within the city or using BART to commute from all over the Bay Area. However, heat often poses a problem for the city’s public transportation, especially for BART, which frequently experiences long delays and miserable rides for commuters on hot days.These delays are caused by the overheating of the older electric vehicles, as the only way for them to continue running is to stop and cool down (Wilson, 2017). Long rides combined with intense heat - one rider said the train can feel like it is 120 degrees inside - is extremely uncomfortable and potentially dangerous, too (Wilson, 2017).

In Carolina Beach/Wilmington, North Carolina, the Wave Transit System or Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority is the primary source of public transportation in New Hanover County, where Carolina Beach and Wilmington are located. It is a reliable, economically efficient for users, and a system that values the environment and the preservation of natural resources ("Wave Transit History & Company Mission", 2017). The environmental impacts of climate change could have a ravenous impact on this means of public transportation in the future. This could thus impact the people that rely on this great source of public transportation. Certain environmental impacts being an increase in future natural disasters, rainfall, and heat index. This could then lead to road flooding and thus prevent the Wave Transit System from functioning.

Asheville is a city in western North Carolina that takes a progressive approach to public transit. Asheville’s transit system, also known as “Ride, Relax, Connect,” has energy efficient busses that serve the community well (Policies & Programs 2017). The city of Asheville is committed to sustainable transit, hybrid busses, and biodiesel fuel. Asheville’s busses reflect the community’s standard of energy efficient living, but the transit system is not heavily utilized because it is a smaller city with downtown being walking or biking distance from most people’s homes. Asheville’s transit system is lucky in that not many natural disasters come through the mountain region. The only time the busses are significantly affected is when it snows because Asheville is not well equipped to clear the roads in a timely manner (Policies & Programs 2017).

   Currently, Chapel Hill does a good job of providing public transit to the broad community with fare-free rides. And because it is such a utilized resource, it is important to see how public transportation systems are impacted by extreme weather so that Chapel Hill can better prepare for delays and road damage.