Charlotte Center City Streetcar Network

[tozmervo]

The sidewalk next to the streetcar platform has been widened. (At Tryon street eastbound)

Edited September 30, 2021 by tozmervo

[DMann]

yep, equip the streetcars with cameras, photograph the car/license, and send the owner a ticket, though I think it should be more like $250.

[CLT2014]

Does the law in NC and in the city allow a parking ticket to be issued from a photo alone and not by an on site police officer or parking enforcement employee? 

[kermit]

26 minutes ago, CLT2014 said:

Does the law in NC and in the city allow a parking ticket to be issued from a photo alone and not by an on site police officer or parking enforcement employee? 

Photo parking enforcement is legal in NC — they do it at UNCC. If there are any requirements about the personnel I would imagine it would be easy enough to train / certify gold line drivers to do it.

[CLT2014]

6 minutes ago, kermit said:

Photo parking enforcement is legal in NC — they do it at UNCC. If there are any requirements about the personnel I would imagine it would be easy enough to train / certify gold line drivers to do it.

Awesome, thank you

[pathb]

Can we organize a campaign to City Council/CATS leadership to get the ball rolling on this?  At Trade and Tryon yesterday I saw about 4 cars parked in the curbside lane over the streetcar tracks while about 6 CMPD officers stood on the sidewalk taking no action.  The cars just sit there with their blinkers on, sometimes occupied, sometimes not completely degrading the reliability of the transit service.  If elected leaders and CATS want this to be viewed as a reliable mode of transportation they have to start enforcing this strictly.  The fact is that there are PLENTY of convenient spots to park in Uptown...you just have to be willing to pay to use them.  

[KJHburg]

4 hours ago, pathb said:

Can we organize a campaign to City Council/CATS leadership to get the ball rolling on this?  At Trade and Tryon yesterday I saw about 4 cars parked in the curbside lane over the streetcar tracks while about 6 CMPD officers stood on the sidewalk taking no action.  The cars just sit there with their blinkers on, sometimes occupied, sometimes not completely degrading the reliability of the transit service.  If elected leaders and CATS want this to be viewed as a reliable mode of transportation they have to start enforcing this strictly.  The fact is that there are PLENTY of convenient spots to park in Uptown...you just have to be willing to pay to use them.  

Here is how to fix this:  city allow a tow truck to cruise the line and tow any car parked in the track even for 1 minute and this will stop real quick when enough people get a fine and towing bill.  Ticket should be $100 plus the towing bill.  If I parked my car or truck in middle of the Square I would be towed immediately.  Lets get our tow drivers some easy money and solve this problem. 

[Skyybutter]

I was THRILLED to see the new trolley going over Independence yesterday just before I reached the bridge!!!! So cool...

[Skyybutter]

BOOT AND TOW THESE VEHICLES.  Period.  Once word gets out that Buffy had her Peugeot towed... problem solved. 

Edit***  which is exactly what KJHburg said 4hrs ago. Lol. Well said KJHburg!! 

Edited October 1, 2021 by Skyybutter

[go_vertical]

10 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Here is how to fix this:  city allow a tow truck to cruise the line and tow any car parked in the track even for 1 minute and this will stop real quick when enough people get a fine and towing bill.  Ticket should be $100 plus the towing bill.  If I parked my car or truck in middle of the Square I would be towed immediately.  Lets get our tow drivers some easy money and solve this problem. 

Hell, I'd even go one step further and have the driver pay for any potential loss of revenue the line suffered while the tram was sitting idle. (Obviously this only applies once fares come in to play.) 

[videtur quam contuor]

Tow trucks used to wait on the 4th st side of the County Office building where parking was allowed and at the stroke of 4pm parking expiration they hoisted and drove the cars away. I should know. I had the "experience". (Never assume your county office affairs will take a reasonable amount of time. They always take longer.)

Edited October 2, 2021 by tarhoosier

[KJHburg]

KJ's CLT Towing would have had my first tow today in front of the Marriott the blue truck . (last photo)   Parked there for just a few minutes.  Train had just passed heading the other direction.   The city needs to have a news conference on Monday have every TV and radio station there announce the new NO Tolerance not one Minute towing program and this problem would be solved in a week believe me!   

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by KJHburg

[nakers2]

I never understood the mindlessness of some motorists uptown. I drive, I'll admit I sometimes even drive between locations uptown, but if I need to double park to run into a business, I either park in an established spot, or I will put my flashers on and make sure I'm not obstructing *anything.* I was picking up Chipotle the other day and had a big ol' BMW park behind me directly over the crosswalk. But parking on tracks? That's a whole new level of stupid. Even if you don't understand streetcars (out of towners etc) you certainly understand tracks=trains. 

[Nolan]

So I was driving in Uptown last week, and saw a fire truck and ambulance parked on the tracks by the Omni for an emergency situation, so what does the city and CATS need to do in that situation? 

[CLT2014]

11 hours ago, Nolan said:

So I was driving in Uptown last week, and saw a fire truck and ambulance parked on the tracks by the Omni for an emergency situation, so what does the city and CATS need to do in that situation? 

This happens in other cities too and is a downside to streetcars running in mixed traffic. The train just sits there and waits until the ambulance or fire truck moves, while buses, cars, and bikes just drive around it and switch lanes. In Washington DC, their media day ride with the mayor came to an abrupt 20 minute delay due to an ambulance on the tracks. Seattle is pursuing dedicated lanes going forward due to backups on the current line and poor ridership over reliability. The inability to navigate around blockages like this is why there is so much debate on the effectiveness of moving people via street cars over buses and if it is more of an economic development tool than a transit tool.

One benefit of our 20 minute headways is paramedics can have some patients stabilized, on the gurney, and in the ambulance before the next train even arrives...

Edited October 7, 2021 by CLT2014

[Desert Power]

A long long time ago when we all could work Uptown, we would frequently get afternoon beers at Amelie's. The city was always out there towing people that parked during the 4-6 hours outside. We have two very well located towing companies near uptown. And the city can always use revenue. It is ridiculous we are letting cars sit on the tracks like this.

[Third Strike]

Would the idea of eliminating on-street parking on Trade/Elizabeth be plausible? Seems like it would help with cars blocking the track. 

[rancenc]

Recent episode of "Carolina Impact" on WTVI.

 

[Nathan2]

Took the Gold Line home after the Panthers game yesterday.

The good was that the stations were packed with people waiting to get on the train and once on the train the cars were packed full. 

The bad was that the wait for the train took almost 30 mins before I decided to start walking home. I walked from Mint station to Davidson st station before the train caught up and I jumped on. It then took an additional 20 mins to get to Sunnyside. The city has to make some drastic changes to the Gold line or it will continue to be a joke. I would never pay $2.50 to ride with the current situation. Most people on the train discussed how this would be the first and last time taking the train. When traveling such short distances you shouldn't have to wait so long to get on a train. This was my third time attempting to take the train and first time actually getting on as the past attempts the trains simply never showed up. The city needs to start taking major investments like this seriously. 

[CLT2014]

My biggest concern with the answer by CATS CEO John Lewis to the Carolina Impact reporter's question...

"This is not just about moving people. Its about creating communities that people want to live in, feel comfortable in, feel safe in, and create upward mobility." 

OK.... so basically he has no idea for how to make the Gold Line efficient at moving actual human beings from point A to point B.... and didn't even address the train's speed. So since it sounds like he is resigned to the train taking 40 minutes to cross town at an average 8mph.... he deflects to vague statements about "creating communities." Plaza Midwood, Wesley Heights, and the Gateway Village area were already under going explosive growth prior to the streetcar. Elizabeth likely would too if it wasn't for the hospital owning all the land. 

Also.... not sure how it creates "upward mobility" to have a train that is slow and screws over riders that are actually dependent on transit and don't have a backup Toyota 4Runner.... they can show up to work late... and enjoy the constant stress and risk of wondering if today is the day they'll be fired because it took CATS 40 minutes to get them 3 miles.  

Edited October 11, 2021 by CLT2014

[RANYC]

4 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

My biggest concern with the answer by CATS CEO John Lewis to the Carolina Impact reporter's question...

"This is not just about moving people. Its about creating communities that people want to live in, feel comfortable in, feel safe in, and create upward mobility." 

OK.... so basically he has no idea for how to make the Gold Line efficient at moving actual human beings from point A to point B.... and didn't even address the train's speed. So since it sounds like he is resigned to the train taking 40 minutes to cross town at an average 8mph.... he deflects to vague statements about "creating communities." Plaza Midwood, Wesley Heights, and the Gateway Village area were already under going explosive growth prior to the streetcar. Elizabeth likely would too if it wasn't for the hospital owning all the land. 

Also.... not sure how it creates "upward mobility" to have a train that is slow and screws over riders that are actually dependent on transit and don't have a backup Toyota 4Runner.... they can show up to work late... and enjoy the constant stress and risk of wondering if today is the day they'll be fired because it took CATS 40 minutes to get them 3 miles.  

His response was platitudinal nonsense.
If not about reliably and competitively moving people, then why would it be viewed as the community benefit to spur high-quality adjacent growth?  

[TheMightyBK]

What it does is gives fuel to the anti-transit types, validating a refusal to back future expenditures. Call me cynical, but it’s sure convenient to wax poetic about a system that has gotten off to such a poor start. [emoji2371]


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[TGIBridays]

Anyone know the reason there's still construction material on the Hawthorne bridge? It makes the bridge look pretty trashy, IMO. Are they still not finished with the bridge or did the contractor just leave without cleaning up the project?

[Hushpuppy321]

5 hours ago, TGIBridays said:

Anyone know the reason there's still construction material on the Hawthorne bridge? It makes the bridge look pretty trashy, IMO. Are they still not finished with the bridge or did the contractor just leave without cleaning up the project?

That portion of the Overhang Falsework has to be removed during the overnight hours with Traffic reduced to 1 or 2 lanes to permit the work.  Looks to me like it just hasnt been scheduled yet.

[TGIBridays]

1 hour ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

That portion of the Overhang Falsework has to be removed during the overnight hours with Traffic reduced to 1 or 2 lanes to permit the work.  Looks to me like it just hasnt been scheduled yet.

Ah, makes sense.  It just seems like it's been up for a long time considering we're closing in on a year of the bridge being open to traffic.