CATS' struggles are bigger than John Lewis
The departure of Charlotte's transit chief will offer a fresh start. But deeper societal changes will continue to be a challenge to increasing the use of public transportation.
You’re reading Transit Time, a weekly newsletter for Charlotte people who leave the house. Cars, buses, light rail, bikes, scooters … if you use it to get around the city, we write about it. Transit Time is produced in partnership among The Charlotte Ledger, WFAE and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute.
How much difference does John Lewis’ leaving CATS really make?
John Lewis will resign as Charlotte's transit chief at the end of November. (WFAE)
By Steve Harrison
As Charlotte pushes for a new penny transit sales tax next year, John Lewis’ decision last week to resign as Charlotte Area Transit System CEO lets the city spin a new narrative: reform, accountability, new vision.
But even the best new transit leader can’t reverse the societal changes that have nearly crippled transit in Charlotte. Those changes include:
Working from home
The rise of convenient ride-share services such as Uber and Lyft
More people owning cars
In Charlotte, bus ridership is down 75% since 2014. No other large transit system has lost a greater share of bus passengers than CATS.
Here’s one reason the new transit CEO will have such a hard time: A study recently examined census data on working from home for the nation’s roughly 700 commuting zones, a group of counties like a metro area.
The Charlotte commuting zone has the nation’s ninth-highest share of people working from home, at 27%.
Washington, D.C., was first, at 34%.
A lot of tech-heavy cities were next: San Francisco (33%), Austin (32%), San Jose (30%), Seattle (29%).
Charlotte had far more virtual workers than some other large regions, like Houston (15%), Miami (16%), Los Angeles (19%), New York (23%) and Chicago (23%).
Charlotte, a banking city, is more white-collar than many others. And, when you are Zooming in for meetings, you don’t need to ride the bus or train. That’s going to continue to be a challenge.
CATS buses carry fewer people now than they did a year ago, during the pandemic. (Steve Harrison/WFAE)
As CATS leader, Lewis had several missteps:
He opened the Gold Line streetcar in 2021 with not enough drivers, leading to the service stumbling from the get-go.
CATS buses had maintenance issues.
When speaking to City Council, Lewis often shaded the truth or said incorrect things.
He did this when talking about how the Silver Line light rail couldn’t go near the terminal at Charlotte Douglas.
And he did it again in September when he told council members that two consultants working on a proposed new station were working for CATS — when in fact they were working for a private developer who may not necessarily be prioritizing what’s best for bus riders. He continued to say head-scratching things about the need for a new bus station, including that bus riders struggled to find the Gold Line streetcar station that’s right in front of them.
Lewis said he’s leaving to shift into the private sector.
In 2023, the city is expected to mount a serious push for the $13.5 billion transit plan, which includes more money for buses and a new light rail line.
As they lobby for support, Mayor Vi Lyles and other city leaders can use Lewis’ departure to talk about the future.
But what will the ridership numbers say in a year?
Steve Harrison is a reporter with WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR news source. Reach him at sharrison@wfae.com. A version of this article first appeared in Steve’s weekly “Inside Politics” newsletter — you can sign up for that here.
Envisioning a different future for uptown’s I-277 loop
I-277 has greatly shaped Charlotte’s development patterns. Is it time to make a change? Ely Portillo explored that topic in the latest issue of Charlotte magazine. (Photo by Travis Dove/Charlotte magazine; republished with permission)
If you’re looking for an intriguing read, check out a piece by Ely Portillo of UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute about I-277 in the latest issue of Charlotte magazine.
The thought-provoking article examines the damaging history and legacy of the I-277 loop around uptown — and what might be done to change it. Portillo writes:
The I-277 loop — the 4.4-mile U of the Belk and Brookshire freeways, plus the 1.7 miles of Interstate 77 that cap it — has profoundly shaped our city’s development since its completion in 1988. You can argue, as planners and urban advocates increasingly do, that the loop is one leg of a system that has hampered Charlotte’s growth and people in the ways that really matter in a city: neighborhood connectivity, economic opportunity, and a general sense of community.
The sterile strip of highway hems in development and occupies hundreds of acres of developable land. By cutting off neighborhoods — most of them, until recently, home to poor Black residents — the loop is both a reminder and enforcer of separation, a “Keep Out” sign on uptown’s doorstep. …
Any attempt to reverse the damage that I-277 has caused would take a tremendous amount of time, effort, and patience, plus the persistence to endure the inevitable backlash to such a massive project. But some Charlotteans have seriously discussed the idea for years, and they own another powerful argument: By any standard, merely on its potholed and pockmarked face, I-277 is a terrible road.
➡️ You can check out the full piece on Charlotte magazine’s website.
In brief…
Bus safety data reveals dozens of incidents: Data obtained by WBTV shows that the level of safety and security incidents on CATS buses ranks among the highest in the country. The figures seem to contradict a claim by CATS CEO John Lewis in July, when he said CATS had “operated several million miles without incident.” Between April and August, CATS’ private security firm logged 50 reports of assault, 10 assaults with a weapon and dozens of reports involving drugs, theft, larceny and robbery attempts. One bus driver told the station: “You have drugs, prostitution. On any given day, honestly, for any drug users in Charlotte, come to the transit center. You can get all the dope you want.” A CATS spokesman said Lewis’ claim referred specifically to driver assaults between May 18 and July 25. (WBTV)
I-77 toll roads reviewed: Charlotte transportation leaders on Wednesday discussed a proposal for privately run toll lanes on I-77 between the S.C. line and uptown but reached no conclusions. They’ll continue to study the issue. State officials have said state-run toll roads might not be completed until 2045 or later, but an unsolicited proposal from the company running the I-77 toll lanes in northern Mecklenburg says it could have additional pay lanes up and running around 2030. There are no plans for additional free lanes. (WCNC)
Today at lunchtime, a transit and transportation conversation: UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute is holding a virtual panel discussion today at 12:00 on transit and transportation in Charlotte — and where to spend limited dollars. Panelists are Jason Lawrence of the Charlotte Area Transit System, Elizabeth Delmelle of the University of Pennsylvania, Maureen Gilewski of CharlotteEAST and Meg Fencil of Sustain Charlotte. The moderator is Ely Portillo, director of research engagement at the Urban Institute. Details here.
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