Unfortunately our “leaders” can’t even get tactical decisions right - like the alignment of the Silver line through uptown. I’m not exactly brimming with confidence that they can wrangle a compelling regional plan that has potential to gain support at the state and federal level. Such a shame.
Unfortunately, there are no leaders within the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, or the greater Charlotte Region that advocate for a regional transit system. To a great extent, Charlotte missed the opportunity to build on the momentum of having completed the Blue Line. With the new City Manager and the election of Vi Lyles as Mayor, the city shifted its priorities with affordable housing rising to the top. As we might expect, the costs of construction have risen substantially and they will get even more expensive as the light rail projects are postponed even further. In addition, the excellent work of the Centralina Regional Council's work on a broader plan is helpful, but without the authority to move aggressively. It would seem obvious from the political squabbles between parties that any successful plan must include support beyond the boundaries of the city and the county to include support from the surrounding counties. With significant support from neighboring counties, the likelihood of support from the State of North Carolina and from the federal government is severely diminished. Unless or until there is a regional demand and support, our light rail system is doomed to fail with insufficient support or leadership to move it forward. Further speculation will demonstrate that our efforts will be just like Groundhog Day, postponed for many more years and getting hugely more expensive. Thank you, Charlotte Ledger!
Unfortunately our “leaders” can’t even get tactical decisions right - like the alignment of the Silver line through uptown. I’m not exactly brimming with confidence that they can wrangle a compelling regional plan that has potential to gain support at the state and federal level. Such a shame.
Unfortunately, there are no leaders within the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, or the greater Charlotte Region that advocate for a regional transit system. To a great extent, Charlotte missed the opportunity to build on the momentum of having completed the Blue Line. With the new City Manager and the election of Vi Lyles as Mayor, the city shifted its priorities with affordable housing rising to the top. As we might expect, the costs of construction have risen substantially and they will get even more expensive as the light rail projects are postponed even further. In addition, the excellent work of the Centralina Regional Council's work on a broader plan is helpful, but without the authority to move aggressively. It would seem obvious from the political squabbles between parties that any successful plan must include support beyond the boundaries of the city and the county to include support from the surrounding counties. With significant support from neighboring counties, the likelihood of support from the State of North Carolina and from the federal government is severely diminished. Unless or until there is a regional demand and support, our light rail system is doomed to fail with insufficient support or leadership to move it forward. Further speculation will demonstrate that our efforts will be just like Groundhog Day, postponed for many more years and getting hugely more expensive. Thank you, Charlotte Ledger!