Four questions CATS must answer to get back on track
After a series of revelations, the city faces decisions on leadership, restoring trust, setting priorities — and the fate of its vision for transit
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Bad news at Charlotte’s transit agency keeps accelerating like a runaway … something; What comes next?
There’s been a lot of looking under the hood of CATS following a May 2022 derailment that wasn’t publicly disclosed until last month. (Photo courtesy of city of Charlotte)
By Ely Portillo
What a year the last month has been for CATS, huh?
Since the revelation March 13 that a Blue Line train derailed last year and the transit system didn’t tell anyone for nine months — not even its new CEO — unpleasant discoveries about CATS keep coming to light.
Not only did that one train derail, but all the trains on the Blue Line are at risk of a similar axle failure.
And that’s because CATS skipped required maintenance work it had the money to perform.
And the N.C. Department of Transportation ordered CATS to cap the speed of all Blue Line trains at 35 mph until that problem is fixed.
Oh, and required inspections on bridges and parking decks were skipped.
Plus, there’s a “culture of silence” at CATS that led to all these problems being covered up.
And the NCDOT ordered CATS to keep two rail controllers in its control center (instead of the one they’ve been working with) or it would shut down the Blue or Gold line.
And 1/3 of CATS buses are so old that they need to be replaced, like, now.
Not to mention, even after the threat of a strike and a new contract, the private contractor that runs CATS’ bus system says so many drivers still aren’t showing up that they might have to cut service.
Don’t forget: City Manager Marcus Jones, who said he wasn’t aware of the May 2022 derailment, had to admit that CATS’ former CEO had actually texted him about it that day (though Jones said he didn’t remember or acknowledge that text).
As interim CEO Brent Cagle put it, perhaps slightly plaintively, at a recent meeting with City Council’s transportation committee: “We will get to a place where hopefully I don’t have to provide you with new information. … But I guess I do need to provide you with new information.” (That was right before he disclosed the NCDOT had threatened to shut down one of Charlotte’s rail lines immediately if the city couldn’t staff its rail control center properly.)
The drip-drip-drip of bad news from CATS that’s become a flood is a bit like how Ernest Hemingway described going broke: Gradually, and then suddenly. Or, to paraphrase another fine work of artistic expression — the 1980 movie “Airplane!” — it looks like Transit Time picked a bad month to go on hiatus.
After taking a few weeks off — frankly, it felt like there was plenty of transit coverage in every other outlet in Charlotte — we’re back. Let’s start with a few crucial questions looming in front of CATS that the agency has to answer before it can move forward:
1. Who will lead CATS?
When John Lewis left CATS at the end of November, the city turned to a trusted administrator to lead the transit agency for a few months while it conducted a nationwide search for a new CEO. It was Cagle’s second time stepping in to a sticky situation: The city tapped Cagle to lead Charlotte Douglas International Airport after longtime aviation director Jerry Orr left on contentious terms.
The plan was to launch a nationwide search and pick a new, permanent CEO within a few months. But that was before this spring’s meltdown really got underway. Earlier this month, Jones said that he’s pausing the search for a CEO and sticking with Cagle for at least six months.
Cagle has earned high marks from City Council so far handling the crises. But he’s not a transit expert, and he’s never led a large transit system. Is he the leader for CATS long-term? At a recent City Council meeting, Cagle emphasized — twice — that he’s the interim CEO. And that raises the possibility that as soon as CATS rights the ship, the agency will be launching a new leadership search.
2. What problems should CATS solve first?
Charlotte City Council voted this month to spend $30 million fixing the axle trouble with its Blue Line trains. That’s a clear priority — you can’t run a train system with a persistent, known risk of derailment. But after that, what should CATS prioritize?
Replacing the 100 or so buses that are older than the federal guidelines of 12 years?
Hire and pay more drivers?
Hire a new company to run its bus system once RATP Dev’s contract runs out?
Rejigger CATS’ unwieldy management structure?
Changing the “culture of silence” that’s apparently persisted for years?
It’s tempting to say “all of the above,” but the reality is that with limited staff and money, CATS will have to pick and choose.
3. What does the transit expansion plan look like now?
The Charlotte MOVES transit plan is stuck in limbo without a one-cent local sales tax, and city officials have admitted there’s no chance of a referendum on that this year. In the three years since the plan was introduced, there’s been a lot of planning but little actual movement. (This newsletter has even declared the plan dead.)
So where does Charlotte go from here? Back to the drawing board is one possibility, but after spending so much time and effort on new plans like the Silver Line and the Red Line, it might be hard to pull the plug. It remains to be seen how much of the Charlotte MOVES plan (itself in some ways a refreshed version of the old 2030 Plan) will stick around.
4. What will CATS’ governance structure be going forward?
CATS is a city department, reporting to the city manager. CATS is largely funded by a countywide regional sales tax, and reports for policy matters (but not budget or personnel) to the Metropolitan Transit Commission. And CATS wants to expand regionally, working with the surrounding counties and the Centralina Regional Council to build a system that stretches well beyond Mecklenburg.
Confused? Yeah, CATS is, too. Mayor Vi Lyles pointed to the split leadership structure as one of the reasons behind CATS’ maintenance and derailment issues. Whether or not you give that credence, there’s a clear mismatch between CATS’ ambitions and current status as a city department. And there’s clearly something awkward and confusing about having two separate-but-overlapping governing boards responsible for different aspects of CATS’ management.
So what’s the solution? Maybe a regional authority. There’s been a lot more talk about that recently — both Lyles and transportation committee chair Ed Driggs seemed open to the idea at a talk Tuesday before the Charlotte Area Chamber of Commerce — and a regional authority could solve some of CATS’ issues. It might be a lot more palatable to Republicans in the state legislature than giving more money to a transit system in Democrat-run Charlotte. But a regional authority opens up many new cans of worms:
Do other counties want to contribute financially?
How will a transit system that mostly serves Charlotte deal with ceding control to the region?
Who appoints the members, and who gets the most votes?
If nothing else, we’ll have plenty to write about at Transit Time.
What do you want to see next from Transit Time?
When WFAE, The Charlotte Ledger and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute launched Transit Time in 2021, our thought was that we would be covering the launch of Charlotte’s new transit plan, a sales tax referendum and the start of work on new projects like the Silver Line. Clearly … that didn’t exactly happen.
We’ve been on the forefront of providing you with analysis and insights on transit and transportation — not just on public transit, but on road projects, toll lanes, bridge crossings, speed traps, scooters, bike lanes, traffic backups at certain fast-food chains and more. It’s a critical topic for our region, and we try to approach it with a fair and analytical approach — one that’s informed by our writers’ deep local experience in these issues.
So, we want to know: What do you want from us now? What questions do you have that we can answer? What subjects are we not covering that we should be?
Tell us your ideas, questions and gripes: Email editor@cltledger.com, or drop a note in the comments, and help us plan the next chapter of Transit Time.
Ely Portillo is senior editor for news and planning at WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR news source. He was previously with the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and spent a decade as a reporter at The Charlotte Observer. Reach him at eportillo@wfae.org
In brief…
Former CATS leader blasts management: Former CATS CEO Ron Tober says the transit system’s recent troubles result from incompetent management. Tober, who led CATS from 1999 to 2007, told The Charlotte Observer: “It’s not a problem of the structure. It’s a problem of the competence of the management that was in place. … Letting the bridge inspection contract expire and not initiating any procurement to start getting something going until recently, that is criminal. The maintenance of the cars — it’s not competent management.” A CATS spokesman “didn’t comment on the competency of past management when asked,” the Observer reported.
Outside audits revealed many issues: Three audits of CATS conducted last year detailed many of the problems that are only now coming to light. (WBTV/Axios Charlotte)
Independence bus lanes: The N.C. Department of Transportation says the dedicated bus lanes in the middle of Independence Boulevard won’t open until 2024. The city had previously expected the lane to open by the end of 2022, but the NCDOT says it needs to relocate a portion of the lane by the Hawthorne Lane Bridge, as a pier for the bridge was placed in the eastbound bus lane. (WSOC)
Bill would add tax to Uber rides: A bipartisan bill to boost state transportation funding is moving through the General Assembly. It would add a small tax to ride share services such as Uber and Lyft, raise the registration fee on electric vehicles and allow more toll roads built by public-private partnerships. (WRAL)
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Maybe take a look at how other cities funded their light rail and how their systems of governance work for that? I was just in Minneapolis and they have a system that runs downtown, to the Mall of America, and to MSP airport. That's exactly the type of thing we'd love to have here.
How about evaluating pros/cons of shutting down traffic lanes for bike lanes. I see many cars that had been using major traffic corridors (7th Street, Parkwood as examples) to get to/from work now cutting through neighborhoods to avoid backups. Not exactly what advocates of that had anticipated and certainly not a way to increase pedestrian safety. And I certainly haven't seen an increase in bike traffic since the changeovers were made. This grand master plan that is being forced upon us needs an honest appraisal.