Charlotte Center City Streetcar Network

[southslider]

^$12 million local funding to advance design in preparation of a future Federal project.  For example, the City would be more prepared to apply for Small Starts (under $50 million) for Phase 2 of "CityLYNX Gold Line."

[Matthew.Brendan]

Where? Do they ask for public comment, or what?

[dubone]

This seems like great news.  I am not in town to attend, but hope people do show up.

 

I guess this means we got a [definite maybe] and we have a better chance than Jim Carey's in Dumb and Dumber. 

 

We had to do the design locally before getting funding for the initial streetcar, and that money paid dividends.  Obviously the design not only gives an air of inevitibility, but can also be laying in wait to help apply over multiple budget years.  Eventually, many things get funded through persistence, and so it would make sense that we would want to have everything in order.

[ajfunder]

The allocation of $12 million for engineering and moving the phase 2 of the gold line project forward passes with a 8-3 vote. Am I dreaming or did Fallon just vote in favor of the project.

[15895]

I'm so excited for the gold line. Even if it is the classic replicas at first

Edit; Does anyone think that if the Feds match our local funding that before the starter line starts up that Cats will be able to use at least 1 modern car on the starter segment just to show off the ultimate plan??

Edited January 28, 2014 by AirNostrumMAD

[Missmylab4]

This is good news hopefully this will lead us to the small grants money.

[southslider]

No modern trams til Phase 2.

[15895]

No modern trams til Phase 2.

But by the time the starter line opens up, there is a chance we could get the grant money for phase II which I assume includes funding for trams?

I guess I'm wondering if that's a "no trams because we have no money" or "no teams period until phase II"

Edited January 28, 2014 by AirNostrumMAD

[ah59396]

"Don't read the comments section on the Observer....don't read the comments section on the Observer...no, don't do it, please don't OH NO I LOOKED AT THE COMMENTS ON THE OBSERVER"

 

[Promptly walks out into traffic]

[Urbanity]

^How many "boondoggle", "Socialism", "Obamacare", "Benghazi", references? 

[ah59396]

^How many "boondoggle", "Socialism", "Obamacare", "Benghazi", references? 

 

My understanding is when you get on the "Folly Trolley", you immediately sing up for Obamacare, and some people actually just have their health insurance taken away completely.  Tickets for the trolley are free, because all the people that will ride it are on welfare anyways.  And the line's name is being changed to the "White Elephant Line".

[Urbanity]

My understanding is when you get on the "Folly Trolley", you immediately sing up for Obamacare, and some people actually just have their health insurance taken away completely.  Tickets for the trolley are free, because all the people that will ride it are on welfare anyways.  And the line's name is being changed to the "White Elephant Line".

We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine...

[tozmervo]

This is what Observer comments bring to mind. #obscurereference

 

[southslider]

No modern vehicles because Phase 2 would include a VMF (barn/shop) at French St beside JCSU.

[Brendan]

Has there been any study done on what the Blue Line has done for Charlotte?  The amount of development -- restaurants, condos, apartments, retail, etc -- all by the line is simply incredible.  How much has this expanded our tax base?  NONE of this would have been built without the the vision of those who voted to build the Blue Line.   This needs to be used against those who are against any and everything.  

[Niner National]

Has there been any study done on what the Blue Line has done for Charlotte?  The amount of development -- restaurants, condos, apartments, retail, etc -- all by the line is simply incredible.  How much has this expanded our tax base?  NONE of this would have been built without the the vision of those who voted to build the Blue Line.   This needs to be used against those who are against any and everything.  

Didn't you know that all those young working professionals are on welfare?

 

Most of the people that complain the loudest don't go anywhere near these areas, so they haven't even seen with their own eyes the transformation that has gone on in South End. I don't really go to South End much (stick mostly to PM, Uptown, and NoDA) and even I'm surprised sometimes when I go to South End how much has changed just within a month or two.

[ah59396]

Didn't you know that all those young working professionals are on welfare?

 

Most of the people that complain the loudest don't go anywhere near these areas, so they haven't even seen with their own eyes the transformation that has gone on in South End. I don't really go to South End much (stick mostly to PM, Uptown, and NoDA) and even I'm surprised sometimes when I go to South End how much has changed just within a month or two.

 

 

Ha-ha, I absolutely agree.  It's always like "Tom from China Grove" complaining about Charlotte's decisions regarding transit.  Cracks me up.

[HopHead]

I've actually seen several comments before where a poster said aside from the light rail being a boondoggle that isn't profitable (public transportation's sole purpose was to be a profitable entity? Ok.) that they wouldn't ride it because they didn't want the government having control of how they got from point A to point B. OK, really? So not having to sit in traffic on 77 or South Blvd, waste gas and paying $10-15 or more to park didn't cross your mind?

[Niner National]

I've actually seen several comments before where a poster said aside from the light rail being a boondoggle that isn't profitable (public transportation's sole purpose was to be a profitable entity? Ok.) that they wouldn't ride it because they didn't want the government having control of how they got from point A to point B. OK, really? So not having to sit in traffic on 77 or South Blvd, waste gas and paying $10-15 or more to park didn't cross your mind?

So do they just drive through people's property to avoid driving on government built and/or maintained roads to get from point  A to point B?

[Guest]

So do they just drive through people's property to avoid driving on government built and/or maintained roads to get from point  A to point B?

Funny no one ever talks about the ROI of Public Roads before they get built.

[HopHead]

So do they just drive through people's property to avoid driving on government built and/or maintained roads to get from point  A to point B?

 

Yea, funny how they never seem to understand that the government funds and builds the roads they drive their cars on...

[Urbanity]

^And lets even not talk about the uproar to be had of mentioning the cost of gas being subsidized in this country versus Europe

[ajfunder]

In light of the above discussion and recent snowfall thought this was funny, the majority of people who post on the Observer comments probably share this view.

[Guest]

Off topic but My friends mom ( a former NC tea party politician ) was in NYC this weekend, she called McCrory a crook in the liberals pocket, denied that Art Pope was pulling the purse strings and tried to argue that climate change wasn't real because it was cold outside. A former state elected official, going straight down to crazy town. I feel like she would be in the observer comment section if it wasn't a liberal rag.

[Spartan]

Yea, funny how they never seem to understand that the government funds and builds the roads they drive their cars on...

 

The argument I hear all the time is that the gas tax functions as a user fee for roads. Interestingly, the gas tax does not come even remotely close to covering the maintenance costs for roads. Not to mention road upgrades and new streets.

 

Has there been any study done on what the Blue Line has done for Charlotte?  The amount of development -- restaurants, condos, apartments, retail, etc -- all by the line is simply incredible.  How much has this expanded our tax base?  NONE of this would have been built without the the vision of those who voted to build the Blue Line.   This needs to be used against those who are against any and everything.  

 

Sort of. I think CATS has an economic impact analysis of some sort. The last number I saw was $2 billion in reinvestment along the LYNX Blue Line. I think that was excluding uptown, and that number is probably much higher now. I don't recall if it talked about tax base.