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 between The Charlotte Ledger and WFAE.
Transit Time readers weigh in with transit and transportation improvements they have seen in their travels — would these inventions work in Charlotte?
We asked Transit Time readers to pass along any ideas they spotted in their travels — and they came through.
Here are a few of the highlights:
Bus ticketing: Tap in and tap out
Why not have machines on buses that charge your credit card the correct amount? (Shutterstock photo)
Transit systems in other cities (e.g. London and Stockholm) don’t require that riders buy tickets. You tap in with your credit card at the start of your trip and tap out with the same credit card at the end of the trip. The appropriate fare is charged to the credit card.
You can also pay with your phone (using Google Wallet, Apple Pay, etc.). Most people we saw on the Tube in London were paying with their phones. That worked for us in Stockholm, too.
In London, there is a cap on how much you’ll be charged each day, so you don’t need to buy a day pass to save money.
—Stephen Addison
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Sidewalk ridges to help the visually impaired
All over Greece, there were ridges in the sidewalks to help visually impaired walkers stay on the sidewalks. It’s barely noticeable to the sighted and helps keep people from going off the curb or walking into other people. I thought it was a great idea.
—Gina Howard
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Surface-level manhole covers
I have traveled extensively in Europe and just got back from a trip to Japan. Manhole cover are not buried inches below the road surface like they are in Charlotte. I was in Ohio for the eclipse and drove in Cleveland, Dayton and Cincinnati — cities in the Rust Belt. Even with potholes in the thousands, the manhole covers were at street level. Does Charlotte have a legit explanation on why they bury the manholes?
—Ronald Bilek
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More street lights, reflectors on lane markings
Some cities have reflectors on the roads to help drivers navigate in darkness and poor weather. (Shutterstock photo)
Changing the street lamps will drastically improve safety because it is so hard to see at night while driving in Charlotte. Also, if it rains, it's even worse. The highways should have reflectors on the lane markings because you can’t see what lane you're in when you’re driving on a rainy night. While zero traffic fatalities is not realistic, some of these items could definitely cut down traffic accidents and save lives.
—Darrell Horwitz
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Crowding families onto scooters, like in Thailand
(I don’t think this one is an actual suggestion — just an observation)
How about this commuter family? We saw this everywhere in Thailand: School-age kids up front and riding “side saddle” off the back is the norm. Average price of these rides, new, is about $1,500.
Imagine Charlotte commutes down Providence Road at rush hour with families zipping in between cars to make soccer practice.
Editor’s note: With the start of summer, our Transit Time newsletter will publish less often, beginning next week. Instead of weekly, look for us more sporadically over the next three months. We’ll resume our weekly publishing schedule after Labor Day.
Here's another transit idea from other cities. In California many of the traffic lights have on-demand signaling. The light stays green almost 100% of the time in the main direction, but when traffic is detected in the cross direction (in-street loop or pedestrian signal), the light switches ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. Effectively no one has to wait in low traffic situations. And the Charlotte thing of a pedestrian having to wait so long that jaywalking across the busy street looks appealing, well that doesn't happen.
Here's another transit idea from other cities. In California many of the traffic lights have on-demand signaling. The light stays green almost 100% of the time in the main direction, but when traffic is detected in the cross direction (in-street loop or pedestrian signal), the light switches ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. Effectively no one has to wait in low traffic situations. And the Charlotte thing of a pedestrian having to wait so long that jaywalking across the busy street looks appealing, well that doesn't happen.