Charlotte-area leaders face choice between rail projects

On Flashpoint, Commissioner Leigh Altman said east Charlotte and Matthews need the Silver Line.

[@scpatl4now]

So, the people of Charlotte need "permission" from the state government to ask voters to vote on a new sales tax? So much for local control.

[@mrxman581]

It's probably because the transit infrastructure will be in areas outside Charlotte, too, even though Charlotte will run the system. That sounds similar to what Los Angeles had to do since the LA Metro serves all of LA County and not just the city.

[@Hahlen]

How about build both trains and don’t do the next highway expansion

[@IamNiggler]

Wrong

[@stickynorth]

Light rail when developed properly can be a real gamechanger for cities when it comes to public transit. Both Edmonton and Calgary have ridership that exceeds 7000 users per mile of service which is higher than most American subway systems and it was built for a fraction of the cost... Commuter rail while nice doesn't deliver nearly the same impact of declogging traffic...

[@mrxman581]

True, but you need both. It's not one or the other.

[@FGH9G]

Oh for God's sake, just build the transit already! We should've started YEARS ago, we gotta start sometime somewhere!

[@pleaseinsertacoin]

People who care about this really should be much more impatient and assertive with their local officials. Just build the trains already. It will be better for everyone and people will love it, whether they rely on transit or simply want more choice. Even those who wouldn't consider transit yet will get on board soon enough. Rail gives you so much more benefit per dollar invested than roads... If you don't want your city and region to be left behind, get on with it.

[@Scrabbleship820]

The problem like anything else in this state is Republicans.

[@mrxman581]

True, but you have powerful forces that what to keep the status quo like NIMBYS and the auto and gas industries.

[@andrewdiamond2697]

@@mrxman581 And the legislature in Raleigh, who never misses an opportunity to stick it to Charlotte.

[@prometheus140]

Por que no los dos? Would make more sense to stop roadway expansions

[@mrxman581]

I hope Charlotte's transit agency and the communities it serves can expedite this light rail infrastructure project. Their residents deserve it. If the residents of Los Angeles hadn't voted decades ago to build a Metro rail system from scratch, I would hate to think just how much more terrible the traffic would be here today. Two Los Angeles politicians made a terrible, cowardly, and politically selfish decision when they decided to support a county measure to stop local funding of subway construction. That resulted in the lost opportunity for matching federal funding, which led to a 20-year moratorium on subway construction. A subway line that should have been operational 15 years ago and would have cost half as much will finally open in 2027. Learn from the shortsighted mistakes from places like LA and demand that the much needed public rail transit gets build NOW! Both lines! You guys have waited long enough.

[@nyxmike]

The NC General Assembly is such a joke. The state should not be telling local communities we should be taking care of roads when NCDOT does a horrible job of taking care of and expanding state roads. The half cent sales tax was specifically to implement a mass transit plan in the county. I seriously hate the NC state politics.

[@SaishoVibes]

Honestly, vote them out

[@tjjones33]

Leigh Aktman is awesome glad to see her making moves in my hometown

[@qjtvaddict]

Sacrifice the red line silver is more useful

[@mrxman581]

Build both lines in multiple phases. Build both at the same time, but break them up into chuncks that make sense. You don't have to build all of the Red Line first.

[@camerondixon9060]

What about the gold line cause they have to extended that too and why not cut the gold line extension project to same money