Charlotte's Light Rail: Lynx Blue Line

[Scribe]

30 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

for free for $25 extra a semester

[staffer]

Wonder whether there will be a speed-up in full opening of the line, or a 21-day gap between inaugural run and March 16 opening.

 

 

Edited February 7, 2018 by staffer
fix picture

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

29 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

in other LYNX news all students at UNC Charlotte will be able to  ride all trains and buses for free for $25 extra a semester.   http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article198815104.html

And unlimited Charlotte Area Transit System bus usage too.  This is a steal for them.  A semester (half the year), typically has 75  class days which equates to about 15 weeks of class (not including weekends).  So you only have to ride this more than 6 times in a semester (roundtrip) for it to pay for itself.   What a deal!

[Scribe]

That would be nice.

[KJHburg]

14 minutes ago, Scribe said:

You know there is no such thing as a FREE ride!  But lots of students riding unlimited for $25 a semester is a great thing for the LYNX  but I am still unhappy they will charge to park at 2 huge garages in the UNCC area (that is something no other commuters face and could stunt ridership from Cabarrus and rest of the non student residents of the area) 

[kermit]

12 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

 but I am still unhappy they will charge to park at 2 huge garages in the UNCC area (that is something no other commuters face and could stunt ridership from Cabarrus and rest of the non student residents of the area) 

I thought it was free, you just needed to scan your CATS ticket on exit from the garage (so only non-riders will be charged to park).

[and this setup was necessary to prevent UNCC students from parking for free in the deck to avoid the $450+ campus parking permit charge]

Edited February 7, 2018 by kermit

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

26 minutes ago, kermit said:

I thought it was free, you just needed to scan your CATS ticket on exit from the garage (so only non-riders will be charged to park).

[and this setup was necessary to prevent UNCC students from parking for free in the deck to avoid the $450+ campus parking permit charge]

I can't remember where I read it, but like you said, I'm pretty sure it's free with a paid ticket.  Not sure if there are any stipulations with that (one way vs roundtrip) or the duration of how long you can stay parked in there.   UNCC station is prob permit parking (lot) only though, not sure about that one.

[kermit]

^ Yup, no public parking at UNCC station.

[KJHburg]

No I think they are charging for parking at JW Clay and University City Blvd garages to prevent students from parking there.  I get that but penalizes commuters to uptown.  Of course the technology exists to prevent this but I read this several times for just those 2 garages will be paid which is very unfair to all the residents nearby.  

[kermit]

5 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

No I think they are charging for parking at JW Clay and University City Blvd garages to prevent students from parking there.  I get that but penalizes commuters to uptown.  Of course the technology exists to prevent this but I read this several times for just those 2 garages will be paid which is very unfair to all the residents nearby.  

This is certainly a change from a few months ago, can you point us towards your source?

[15895]

I think you have to have a weekly or monthly pass to avoid paying a parking fee at the deck and that price is still Being determined 

[KJHburg]

2 minutes ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

I think you have to have a weekly or monthly pass to avoid paying a parking fee at the deck and that price is still Being determined 

I think it is monthly pass to avoid the parking fee at those garages but like you said it is not decided yet. . I posted something about this months ago but I cant find it but I will look. 

[kermit]

I didn't time it but it felt like they were running 5 minute headways this afternoon. I wasn't sure they had enough equipment for that. Whatever it was, it was pretty great.

[Matthew.Brendan]

2 hours ago, Scribe said:

Charlotte magazine the 2018 City Guide issue has a foldout map of Uptown (and the county on the flip side) with all the attractions mapped out.  I noticed that the BLE stops are all listed and there are no caveats or fine print about it not being open.

Was there a schedule of running times included?

I’m starting a new job Uptown and plan on commuting from Sugar Creek Station to 3rd. Would love to know the train times. No such luck. 

[kermit]

^ I am guessing about 12 minutes on the train (the 6 stops make will slow it down compared to outer segments).

[Matthew.Brendan]

With 15 minute intervals? Ex. 7:00, 7:15, 7:30 etc?

[kermit]

1 minute ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

With 15 minute intervals? Ex. 7:00, 7:15, 7:30 etc?

Should be either 7.5 or 10 minutes at peak (can't remember which)

[navigator319]

47 minutes ago, kermit said:

This is certainly a change from a few months ago, can you point us towards your source?

 

40 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

I think it is monthly pass to avoid the parking fee at those garages but like you said it is not decided yet. . I posted something about this months ago but I cant find it but I will look. 

CATS, however, will charge a fee to use the JW Clay Boulevard and University Boulevard station decks. But people riding the Lynx will be able to park for free, so long as they have a daily, weekly or monthly pass. Riders can’t use a one-way, roundtrip or 10-ride pass to exit the decks for free.

 

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article197359189.html

[kermit]

2 minutes ago, navigator319 said:

 

CATS, however, will charge a fee to use the JW Clay Boulevard and University Boulevard station decks. But people riding the Lynx will be able to park for free, so long as they have a daily, weekly or monthly pass. Riders can’t use a one-way, roundtrip or 10-ride pass to exit the decks for free.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article197359189.html

Thanks for tracking that down. In my searching it appeared that CATS had taken down a bunch of recent info.

Yea, I agree -- that kinda sucks for the occasional rider. Day passes are $6.60, vs $4.40 for a RT.

[KJHburg]

9 minutes ago, kermit said:

Thanks for tracking that down. In my searching it appeared that CATS had taken down a bunch of recent info.

Yea, I agree -- that kinda sucks for the occasional rider. Day passes are $6.60, vs $4.40 for a RT.

I am that occasional rider so I guess I will drive uptown or to a closer in station depending on where I am going.    

[kermit]

^ perhaps the longevity of this policy will depend on how full the decks are.

[15895]

Weekends and after 5 should be free.  IMO. Employers should be able  to give validations. People should be allowed to register from their work email or register for a special pass that gets them free parking 

[lit]

After the BLE opens and students are able to ride the train to campus, I wonder how many will choose to live elsewhere along the line. If a student could afford it, they could live in a trendy neighborhood like NoDa or SouthEnd. Perhaps they could find something more affordable near Sharon Rd West and do homework on the long train ride or whatever. Could this cause a demographics shift in apartments around the University Area where a lot of college students currently reside?

[southslider]

In 2014, the cost of both fares and passes went up. In 2016, only the cost of passes went up. In 2018, neither fares nor passes increase in cost, but parking at two new large decks, including the largest deck in the system near IKEA, will only be included with passes.

[SgtCampsalot]

8 hours ago, lit said:

After the BLE opens and students are able to ride the train to campus, I wonder how many will choose to live elsewhere along the line. If a student could afford it, they could live in a trendy neighborhood like NoDa or SouthEnd. Perhaps they could find something more affordable near Sharon Rd West and do homework on the long train ride or whatever. Could this cause a demographics shift in apartments around the University Area where a lot of college students currently reside?

That's all I wanted to do when attending UNCC and heard about the BLE announcement. But then I was a Charlotte region native, so I knew my options.