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.
Transportation is all modes of transport, and all that allows transport to happen safely. It is also (much) more than Charlotte Mecklenburg. Look north, east, south and especially west (I feel like Gaston county is seriously overlooked and many transportation infrastructure issues are growing in our area. It appears there is more appetite to address north/south issues). Look at the state of our bridges that are being used every day? Are they safe? Well maintained? Look at the state of our freight railway system which run through heavily populated areas. Could a derailment here, in (semi) heavy urbanization happen, and would it be a disaster of unimaginable proportions? Are we ready to deal with such a disaster as we have seen on the evening news? We have a great airport, but what are the negative side effects of the volume of flights they are pushing through its system on pollution, risk of accidents, etc.? How is access to EV charging stations going? What are new building developments doing about sufficient access to EV charging? What about older neighborhoods and buildings? CLT also appears to be of growing importance as a distribution network. Trucks, trucks and more trucks are on i85, 77 and 485. They need to park somewhere (by law) but not enough space is allocated for this. So what are we doing about it (other than ticketing the poor drivers who have no choice then to park 'somewhere")? And is any thought given to transport corridors and/or dedicated truck lanes to alleviate the roads? How about electric trucks? Buses? I hope this helps in creating some ideas.
Ely, as usual a great recap. The unsaid problem? Political and affirmative action hires. Who let the bridges and car go un inspected? They should be indicted.
I think a big component missing in your article is Marcus Jones responsibility in his oversight of CATS. Appears he has paid little or no attention to what's going on. I think Ron Tober hit the nail on the head the problem is with management and that starts at the top. Why is no one calling him on the carpet?
On transit time the continued coverage of these issues is very important to our region. I think we are stuck with a regional commission with the MTPC that its in place. If they have such a big impact on how our road money is spent then CATS probably falls under that umbrella.
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.
Great reporting Ely and please keep it coming!
Transportation is all modes of transport, and all that allows transport to happen safely. It is also (much) more than Charlotte Mecklenburg. Look north, east, south and especially west (I feel like Gaston county is seriously overlooked and many transportation infrastructure issues are growing in our area. It appears there is more appetite to address north/south issues). Look at the state of our bridges that are being used every day? Are they safe? Well maintained? Look at the state of our freight railway system which run through heavily populated areas. Could a derailment here, in (semi) heavy urbanization happen, and would it be a disaster of unimaginable proportions? Are we ready to deal with such a disaster as we have seen on the evening news? We have a great airport, but what are the negative side effects of the volume of flights they are pushing through its system on pollution, risk of accidents, etc.? How is access to EV charging stations going? What are new building developments doing about sufficient access to EV charging? What about older neighborhoods and buildings? CLT also appears to be of growing importance as a distribution network. Trucks, trucks and more trucks are on i85, 77 and 485. They need to park somewhere (by law) but not enough space is allocated for this. So what are we doing about it (other than ticketing the poor drivers who have no choice then to park 'somewhere")? And is any thought given to transport corridors and/or dedicated truck lanes to alleviate the roads? How about electric trucks? Buses? I hope this helps in creating some ideas.
Ely, as usual a great recap. The unsaid problem? Political and affirmative action hires. Who let the bridges and car go un inspected? They should be indicted.
I think a big component missing in your article is Marcus Jones responsibility in his oversight of CATS. Appears he has paid little or no attention to what's going on. I think Ron Tober hit the nail on the head the problem is with management and that starts at the top. Why is no one calling him on the carpet?
On transit time the continued coverage of these issues is very important to our region. I think we are stuck with a regional commission with the MTPC that its in place. If they have such a big impact on how our road money is spent then CATS probably falls under that umbrella.