Charlotte Greenway Trails

[ajfunder]

On 8/25/2017 at 10:56 AM, kermit said:

 

On 8/25/2017 at 10:56 AM, kermit said:

One of the surprises I found in the Gateway Station area plan (thanks EllAyy) was an elevated greenway parallel to the tracks (on the Tryon side) from the stadium to 9th street -- a great plan given the hostility of Graham to bikes and peds. I didn't see any discussion of what happens at the ends but I would hope it would connect to the bike lanes on Mint and the 12th street cycle track.

from pdf p 46  http://charlottenc.gov/cats/transit-planning/charlotte-gateway-station/Documents/CGS MSAP - Final Report.pdf

They are certainly imagining a high line for Charlotte (meaning quite a few loosely programed 'meeting spaces' along the path (not shown well in rendering)

 

 

I believe the city is planning a cycle track for 6th street across Uptown so I assume this would connect to that and thus it would connect to both the Rail Trail (12th street cycle track) and the Little Sugar Creek Greenway.

[Scribe]

Hmm, the "Greenway Concept" on pg 42 shows a few connections to the greenway. The shot below is of north of Trade...

[drawscape]

On 8/26/2017 at 0:56 AM, kermit said:

One of the surprises I found in the Gateway Station area plan (thanks EllAyy) was an elevated greenway parallel to the tracks (on the Tryon side) from the stadium to 9th street -- a great plan given the hostility of Graham to bikes and peds. I didn't see any discussion of what happens at the ends but I would hope it would connect to the bike lanes on Mint and the 12th street cycle track.

from pdf p 46  http://charlottenc.gov/cats/transit-planning/charlotte-gateway-station/Documents/CGS MSAP - Final Report.pdf

They are certainly imagining a high line for Charlotte (meaning quite a few loosely programed 'meeting spaces' along the path (not shown well in rendering)

 

 

Is this the final design for the Gateway station?

[NCMike1990]

I'd love to see something iconic like this built.     

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, NCMike1990 said:

I'd love to see something iconic like this built.     

I really really wish this is what was happening with the railtrail instead.

[CLT704]

 

This needs to happen. All of it, bridge, silver line. Just needs to happen. 

[Popsickle]

1 hour ago, CLT704 said:

 

This needs to happen. All of it, bridge, silver line. Just needs to happen. 

Where did you find that rendering? What is it suppose to be from?  I like it and agree with you!

Edit: Nevermind, just ran across the observer article on it. 

[SgtCampsalot]

I can't get over the fact that the Kings/Central bridge could easily accommodate a comfortable trail on the sidewalk, and the money from a TIGER grant for the 74 bridge could go toward a more urgently needed project. 

The city has been working to connect the east side of the Kings/Central bridge to the greenway at Alexander Street Park/Little Sugar Creek Greenway in Belmont.

[papadog]

Have Charlotte make a statement with the pedestrian/bike bridge and get Calatrava to design it if we were wearing big boy pants.

[SgtCampsalot]

1 hour ago, papadog said:

Have Charlotte make a statement with the pedestrian/bike bridge and get Calatrava to design it if we were wearing big boy pants.

I think that is a nice argument, and the project has some sound logic. Now where does the cash come from to build it and maintain it over time? Where is the tough decision of setting a priority? It's absent, and the TIGER program only exacerbates the notion that we don't have to make those hard decisions, that we can have it all -- a nasty highway through the middle of our city AND a nice pretty pedestrian walkway over it.

Charlotte, like most cities, is insolvent. We need projects that don't result in more long term liabilities for which we don't have a method to guarantee funding In the next generation. 

[uptownliving]

16 hours ago, SgtCampsalot said:

I can't get over the fact that the Kings/Central bridge could easily accommodate a comfortable trail on the sidewalk, and the money from a TIGER grant for the 74 bridge could go toward a more urgently needed project. 

The city has been working to connect the east side of the Kings/Central bridge to the greenway at Alexander Street Park/Little Sugar Creek Greenway in Belmont.

As someone who has actually ridden across the Central Ave bridge on a bike on the sidewalk I can assure you there is nothing comfortable about it. Anytime you can separate bike/ped traffic from car traffic via bridge or tunnel it is much better for everyone. The cars can zoom on by without having to worry about 5 y/o kids rolling in front of them on a bike. Compared to other cities in the USA Charlotte is it at the bottom when it comes to bike/ped infrastructure. This proposed bridge is really just a drop in the bucket for where we need to be.

[kermit]

^ agree. Short of closing a lane the bridge is largely unusable to the majority of bikers. This gap essentially forms a wall between pretty good greenways on the North and South sides of town.

[deleted]

1 hour ago, SgtCampsalot said:

Charlotte, like most cities, is insolvent.

I didn't know this.  Charlotte is insolvent?

[deleted]

I use the greenways constantly (including LSC).  I absolutely want this and believe it's money well spent.  It will perpetually link these trails and I suspect it will immediately be a place people go when visiting Charlotte.  Personally, I'd rank this above a new central library (I like the current one) and a soccer stadium.  Pedestrian bridges in SD (one by Petco, one by Balboa Park and the new one by SDSU for anyone wishing to Google) are beautiful and frequently utilized.  Build it even if we don't get the Tiger Grant!

[archiham04]

3 hours ago, JBS said:

I didn't know this.  Charlotte is insolvent?

charlotte is undertaxed and underleveraged.  Don't know why insolvency would even be on anyone's mind.

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, archiham04 said:

charlotte is undertaxed and underleveraged.  Don't know why insolvency would even be on anyone's mind.

http://www.governing.com/gov-data/municipal-cities-counties-bankruptcies-and-defaults.html
 I definitely don't see Charlotte on here.

[archiham04]

https://www.columbus.gov/uploadedfiles/09s0428.pdf

I see it here.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, archiham04 said:

https://www.columbus.gov/uploadedfiles/09s0428.pdf

I see it here.

<3 <3 <3 AAA baby.

[kermit]

Don't forget Openstreets on Sunday (roughly OldMeck -- Scaleybark, to the back end of Freedom Park.

[ajfunder]

Briar Creek Greenway Mint Museum Randolph Progress. 

1. Greenway towards Randolph Road

2 & 3. New Briar Creek Crossing

4. Stormwater/Tributary realignment.

 

[EllAyyDub]

I (unfortunately) just stumbled upon the 2008 county greenway masterplan (https://www.mecknc.gov/ParkandRec/Greenways/OpenGreenways/Documents/MPAppendix2.pdf).  Seeing as we should be nearing the completion of this plan , I thought it worth a read to see how close we got...

They summarized this by saying: "Goal – To construct 42.8 miles of new greenway trail by 2013" & "Goal – To construct 61.9 miles of new greenway trail by 2018, bringing the total miles of constructed greenway trail to 129"

These are/were admirable goals.  Unfortunately, when I look on the county greenway website, I see that "There are currently 37 miles of developed greenways in Mecklenburg County. "  Compare this to our progress in 2008, where "As of this 2008 master plan update, 30 miles of trail within 14 streamside corridors have been constructed."

That is SEVEN miles in TEN years... They were supposed to have "Launch[ed] construction of 12.8 miles of currently funded projects within the first year of the plan’s adoption"...

I know that the process is complicated and requires the coordination of a number of city & county departments.  That said, the fumbling of this plan is Embarrassing & Terrible, both for current residents and for our nationwide perception (see continued low rankings: https://ui.uncc.edu/story/parkscore-charlotte-trails-park-land-accessiblity-0; http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article80009637.html; http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article152364862.html)

What pains me even more is how this isn't even a new phenomenon, as evidenced by quotes from the same 10 year master plan quoted above: "The 1980 greenway master plan called for a 73-mile network of trails along 14 creek corridors." & "In 1999, a comprehensive update to the 1980 master plan was completed by the County, which proposed an expansion of the greenways and trails system to 184.9 miles along 34 streamside corridors and 29.7 miles within 19 overland connector corridors."

Someone please help talk me down.

[Scribe]

9 minutes ago, EllAyyDub said:

stumbled upon the 2008 county greenway masterplan

we can stop there, that master plan in the economic reality of the day had absolutely no chance of being accomplished. In reality that plan started in late 2012 or 2013.

Now if you add 5 years to every goal they had in that master plan you will see a more accurate picture of the timelines.

[EllAyyDub]

7/43 vs 7/62.  Both are failing grades in my class.  Especially when 13 miles were currently funded at plan adoption.

[Scribe]

28 minutes ago, EllAyyDub said:

Both are failing grades in my class.

touché.

My main point was to point out the times that plan was adopted in. We definitely should be further along.

[EllAyyDub]

I guess my questions is: is there anything I/we can do besides beotch & moan online?  I only somewhat recently moved back to Charlotte & know next to nothing about county government, but the lack of greenways & their connectivity is currently my second biggest gripe with the city.