Charlotte's Light Rail: Lynx Blue Line

[AuLukey]

I love how the bridge over Harris Blvd already has lights out

[nakers2]

Just saw on the interwebs, specifically WBTV’s facebook page that “The Lynx Blue Line Extension opens next week” is this accurate or some error on their part in terms of reporting? Because as far as I’m aware, the inaugural ride with the politicians and stuff isn’t even gonna happen until the last week of the month.

[southslider]

^February 26 for the elites. March 16 for the commoners. March 19 for the serfs and peasantry. 

[Hunted]

20 hours ago, Cadi40 said:

Carowinds is about one mile South if 485. In this scenario a line could run down I-77 and end at Fort Mill or Carowinds.

Priorities, man. Echoing what @AuLukey said, that’d be nice at a (much) later date, but there’re many other areas, locations that have precedence over Carowinds. Airport to Uptown is significantly more important than running a line to Carowinds.

Keep in mind that the VAST majority of people at Carowinds aren’t even Charlotte residents. Which means they’d be driving there regardless and wouldn’t even consider light rail as an option.

[Matthew.Brendan]

It’s not like a station near Carowinds will exclusively serve the park itself. Assuming there is a parking deck, you don’t think there will be commuters from Baxter Village, Ft. Mill, etc utilizing that station?

I’m not arguing numbers vs Ballantyne or anything, I think both spurs should be built with one incorporating Carolina Mills area as well. I just think it’s short sighted to dismiss a Carowinds station as thinking that it’s only purpose would be to serve the park. That’s just a side benefit. 

[15895]

1 hour ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

It’s not like a station near Carowinds will exclusively serve the park itself. Assuming there is a parking deck, you don’t think there will be commuters from Baxter Village, Ft. Mill, etc utilizing that station?

I’m not arguing numbers vs Ballantyne or anything, I think both spurs should be built with one incorporating Carolina Mills area as well. I just think it’s short sighted to dismiss a Carowinds station as thinking that it’s only purpose would be to serve the park. That’s just a side benefit. 

I think by the time even the youngest of us are old as dirt, the numbers will still not be there for density. Same with light rail to Northlake. The density is just to far off IMO.  I'm thinking people who want to use light rail to (maybe even at that time) Ballantyne/UNCC/Uptown/The Transity system will drive from Fort Mill to the blue line anyway. That's all still close enough for park and ride light rail. Plus, I think those who would be willing to pay $4.40 a person to use light rail to carowinds vs. free parking or whatever with season passes is just far too low. Plus Carowinds is shut down for a portion of the year. I just don't see the density out that way to support it. :/ 

 

Wayyyyy too many other opportunities that spans a lifetime before Carowinds is worth it (as amazing as it would be)

Edited February 11, 2018 by AirNostrumMAD

[tarwater]

Guys...there will be no new light rail lines in Charlotte after the BLE. Human transportation is going to look very different by 2030.  Ordering a self driving taxi will be faster and cheaper. Mass transit is going the way of the dinosaurs.

[kermit]

1 hour ago, tarwater said:

Guys...there will be no new light rail lines in Charlotte after the BLE. Human transportation is going to look very different by 2030.  Ordering a self driving taxi will be faster and cheaper. Mass transit is going the way of the dinosaurs.

You may be right.

If autonomous vehicles are really going to change society dramatically then we would be foolish not to immediately outlaw all new parking construction and create incentives for developers to to build on top of the parking we already have.

Junking our parking will make Charlotte much more walkable and bikable than it ever was in the squishy-driver era.

Edited February 11, 2018 by kermit

[Hunted]

3 hours ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

It’s not like a station near Carowinds will exclusively serve the park itself.  Then what? Cabela's? Shoney's? There's not much there.

Assuming there is a parking deck, you don’t think there will be commuters from Baxter Village, Ft. Mill, etc utilizing that station? No... not really. That area isn't populated enough. Perhaps one day, but not now. Non-urbanites aren't too keen on rapid-transit methods anyway. Cars are the go-to option. I just really don't see that area having enough ridership to justify the build. 

I’m not arguing numbers vs Ballantyne or anything, I think both spurs should be built with one incorporating Carolina Mills area as well. I just think it’s short sighted to dismiss a Carowinds station as thinking that it’s only purpose would be to serve the park. That’s just a side benefit.  Well, you HAVE to be short-sighted. We're not China. We're only going to see one rail line addition probably once a decade. In the best financial interest of CATS, they're going to, and understandably so, only build lines that will yield the most ridership with the most feasibility of implementation. 

 

[Cadi40]

Guys, The Carowinds Station was meant for far into the future. In addition, Fort Mill , Rock Hill and York County as itself is one of the most highly populated areas of Charlotte. If I am right, It's the most populated county other then Mecklenburg in the Metro. 

[Hunted]

14 minutes ago, Cadi40 said:

Guys, The Carowinds Station was meant for far into the future. In addition, Fort Mill , Rock Hill and York County as itself is one of the most highly populated areas of Charlotte. If I am right, It's the most populated county other then Mecklenburg in the Metro. 

I knew what you were getting at, but it's a pipe dream. Can't knock us for considering economic feasibility over wishful thinking.

Local news report on light rail accidents. Not to sound too harsh, but I'm inclined to believe that most, if not all, of these are not CATS' fault. I think citizens will adapt.

 

[AuLukey]

I disagree about the death of mass transit in favor of autonomous vehicles in our lifetimes for a few reasons.

 

1. Let’s get this out of the way. There will be far too many people that will still WANT to drive their own cars, despite how expensive gas could become in the future. Because of this, a truly automated fleet and its many perks cannot be realized until true autonomous-culture is universal in our country. As a result of this, congestion will still be a thing by sheer human error and reaction times alone.

 

2. Volume. Let’s just assume autonomous taxiing vehicles do make up 99.9% of vehicular transport out there. The demand for vehicles will spike during rush hour. The wait times would be ridiculous upon ordering up a vehicle. So let’s say you can schedule in advance, what about everybody else? To alleviate that, let’s say taxiing takes on multiple passengers to ease volume congestion. The logistics of a car stopping and waiting at every house/apartment/condo/etc and then reaching individual destinations without also impeding traffic behind is beyond improbable.

 

3. Being stuck in a very confined space with potentially three or more complete strangers would not always be the most inviting atmosphere to motivate most to take that mode of transport. Maybe our culture could learn to cope with this; but with classism as strong as it is in America, it would take decades to adjust.

 

4. Mass transit will be even more necessary for autonomous vehicles to make sense from a commute standpoint. Unless urban cores completely dissolve, the amount of vehicles headed to one central point almost simultaneously without adding many, many more roads (as the city grows) just spells increased congestion. And nobody wants more roads. Creating a series of arteries via mass transit can serve to consolidate the masses.

 

5. Autonomous vehicles will eventually spell the end of giant parking lots/decks. But I feel like a direct-drive will be for the upper class while a more hub-like approach will be used for the masses.

 

6. If a viable, autonomous flying car is invented or every human in large cities decides to live in a mixed-use community where they work then please ignore everything I’ve said.

 

In summary: autonomous fleets are not likely without mass transit to supplement.

 

So how bout that Blue Line? :/

 

[southslider]

In 2020, Mecklenburg voters expand half-cent sales tax to full-cent. In 2030, three lines open.

[jtmonk]

8 hours ago, AuLukey said:

 

1. Let’s get this out of the way. There will be far too many people that will still WANT to drive their own cars, despite how expensive gas could become in the future. Because of this, a truly automated fleet and its many perks cannot be realized until true autonomous-culture is universal in our country. As a result of this, congestion will still be a thing by sheer human error and reaction times alone.

 

This right here!! I'm all for public transportation and use it when practical, I also use uber often and believe that driverless cars will become a reality very soon.  However, even if I had access to a perfect transportation system and driverless cars at my fingertips, I'm still going to own a car that I can drive myself.  I know it's not for everyone but for me driving can be a great way to get away from the stress of everyday life.  I love just driving around exploring new places, taking a random road for no rhyme or reason.  I love the feel of driving a car down a winding mountain road or along the outer banks.  Sometimes owning and driving a car isn't evil.  What I envision with driverless cars is a car that people can actually drive but there will be certain "zones" and times where the car will just "take over".  For example, a car will become "autonomous" between the hours of 4 and 7 pm on I-85 and I-77 to help reduce rush hour traffic.   Anyway, just giving my 2 cents.   I love my car, I will always have a car, I'm sure there are many others that feel the same. 

[tarwater]

41 minutes ago, jtmonk said:

This right here!! I'm all for public transportation and use it when practical, I also use uber often and believe that driverless cars will become a reality very soon.  However, even if I had access to a perfect transportation system and driverless cars at my fingertips, I'm still going to own a car that I can drive myself.  I know it's not for everyone but for me driving can be a great way to get away from the stress of everyday life.  I love just driving around exploring new places, taking a random road for no rhyme or reason.  I love the feel of driving a car down a winding mountain road or along the outer banks.  Sometimes owning and driving a car isn't evil.  What I envision with driverless cars is a car that people can actually drive but there will be certain "zones" and times where the car will just "take over".  For example, a car will become "autonomous" between the hours of 4 and 7 pm on I-85 and I-77 to help reduce rush hour traffic.   Anyway, just giving my 2 cents.   I love my car, I will always have a car, I'm sure there are many others that feel the same. 

I think people like to romanticize car ownership. Sure, we all have fond memories of days in cars with friends. But if you think about it, aren't these moments actually few and far between? For every one great drive I have,  there are 30 that are frustrating, tedious, or at best totally neutral. I believe once people really do have the option of never needing to drive, the majority of people will take that choice. I know I will. 

As for the rest of you holdouts, well, eventually you won't have much of a choice. All of the associated costs of car ownership will go way up. And soon public opinion will shift. People won't want you on the road because you will be seen as dangerous, an unnecessary risk. And that will be entirely true. How often do you see a horse and buggy on the freeway?

[deleted]

5 minutes ago, tarwater said:

I think people like to romanticize car ownership. Sure, we all have fond memories of days in cars with friends. But if you think about it, aren't these moments actually few and far between? For every one great drive I have,  there are 30 that are frustrating, tedious, or at best totally neutral. I believe once people really do have the option of never needing to drive, the majority of people will take that choice. I know I will. 

As for the rest of you holdouts, well, eventually you won't have much of a choice. All of the associated costs of car ownership will go way up. And soon public opinion will shift. People won't want you on the road because you will be seen as dangerous, an unnecessary risk. And that will be entirely true. How often do you see a horse and buggy on the freeway?

I want both and have a ton of fond memories from car trips (and plan to have a ton more).  If you want to lose all support for transit, I suggest you keep talking about taking the right to drive from people.  More likely, the right to drive independently of autonomous technology in some locations and during specific times will be challenged (reasonably so).

[15895]

Meanwhile, weren’t we supposed to have hover cars by 2005 or something? 

I’m not sure we should be basing transit plans on something as conceptual or so early in the game. 

I think we should plan for self driving cars. But maybe in road infrastructure. Not as an alternative to rail investments or strategies.

[Third Strike]

25 minutes ago, JBS said:

I want both and have a ton of fond memories from car trips (and plan to have a ton more).  If you want to lose all support for transit, I suggest you keep talking about taking the right to drive from people.  More likely, the right to drive independently of autonomous technology in some locations and during specific times will be challenged (reasonably so).

Driving’s not a right, though. I’m all for making cars on public roads autonomous if it means seeing a significant drop in automobile accidents and deaths. Rural areas could be exempt from such rules, and private companies can open their own tracks for non-autonomous cars.

And I don’t see mass transit dying because of self-driving cars. There might be less of a need for grade-separation of rail and roads if cars are A.I. driven. This could mean faster service, which would still give mass transit an advantage over cars, autonomous or not. 

[deleted]

36 minutes ago, Third Strike said:

Driving’s not a right, though.

Not constitutionally.  But you won't win this argument (or the one taking place on the bike sharing thread) with the general public.  You may win it with UP'ers but most people aren't giving up their cars to ride transit exclusively (and they vote).  I'm pro-transit and pro-bike and would like to rarely use my car (a Prius, FWIW).  And you've lost me.  Good luck with the idiots enthusiastically supporting Trump (apologies to anyone I've offended), who somehow won a nationwide election and might (God help us) win another.

[soumith050118]

Did you guys know about this?

https://lightrail.uncc.edu/using-light-rail

Please note: Eventually, all train cars also will be equipped with contactless card readers. When this happens, you will tap and go on the light rail, too. 

Do you guys know any other light rail systems that are using contactless card readers?

Edited February 12, 2018 by soumith050118
cause i felt like it

[kermit]

12 minutes ago, soumith050118 said:

Do you guys know any other light rail systems that are using contactless card readers?

Seattle, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, London, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal....

(and welcome to UP)

Edited February 12, 2018 by kermit

[tarwater]

"Light rail privileges are tied to your 49er ID Card, so that means you don’t have to have a ticket to board. Just show your card if asked by a fare inspector on the train"

I was expecting to have to pay as an alumni! I'll just carry my old card with me. 

[soumith050118]

5 minutes ago, kermit said:

 

(and welcome to UP)

THX

[kermit]

6 minutes ago, tarwater said:

"Light rail privileges are tied to your 49er ID Card, so that means you don’t have to have a ticket to board. Just show your card if asked by a fare inspector on the train"

I was expecting to have to pay as an alumni! I'll just carry my old card with me. 

Were you enrolled last year? New IDs were issued to everybody then.

(and the "just show your card" thing only lasts until the contactless readers get fired up on all the vehicles. This was originally scheduled to happen before the BLE open date but.... )

Edited February 12, 2018 by kermit

[15895]

6 minutes ago, kermit said:

Were you enrolled last year? New IDs were issued to everybody then.

(and the "just show your card" thing only lasts until the contactless readers get fired up on all the vehicles. This was originally scheduled to happen before the BLE open date but.... )

No. Showing your card won’t work because Niner ID’s aren’t accepted until the extension opens.  

 

Any 49er’s who aren’t purchasing tickets right now are basically breaking the rules and would get ticketed.