Driving and Crying: Charlotte's Future Gridlock
Consider this. By 2020, a million additional people will move to this region and flood our roadways. Some 340,000 of the them will locate in Charlotte, the rest outside this county. That's on top of the 146,211 people who already live outside the county and commute in, according to the Charlotte Chamber. Worse yet, transit planners predict congestion here will double over that period.
That's petty alarming when you consider that Charlotte is already the second most congested mid-sized city in the nation.
If we were smart, like Atlanta, we'd be scrambling to widen the two interstates that those hundreds of thousands of additional commuters will use to commute to Charlotte-Mecklenburg from outlying areas. Instead, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is hatching an insidious plot to spend several hundred million dollars more on a northern commuter line that will carry ... 4,600 people.
Nothing illustrates the absurdity of transportation planning in Charlotte-Mecklenburg better than the Chamber's own transportation maps. First, take a look at this map of future transportation projects. Aside from some work on I-485, most of our future roadway projects are in the airport area or they connect uptown to the west side corridors the city is revitalizing -- corridors that have almost no congestion at rush hour.
Now notice the main roads and interstates most people use to get into the county -- I-85, I-77, 16, 51, 29, 49, etc. Virtually no roadwork. Nada.
Now here's the kicker. Check out the Chamber's map of where most commuters live, and this map of the where commuters with the longest drive times live. They show the stark reality no one is talking about, mainly that most commuters live in areas that require them to get on I-85 or I-77 to get into town. Even if 4,600 passengers a day use the northern commuter rail line, our interstates will turn into a parking lot each afternoon.
Yet we have no plans to expand the capacity of either interstate, or the roads that this traffic will fan out onto. It's not even currently up for discussion. In fact, it's politically taboo.
Instead, city and county leaders are now plotting to hit up taxpayers for another $70 million in property taxes for a northern commuter rail line in addition to the half-sales tax they already pay for mass transit. Why? The north line is so inefficient it didn't meet federal standards for mass transit funding, so we have to pay for it ourselves.
She's like Jonah running through the streets of Ninevah calling them to repent...only Ninevah did but Charlotte leaders only give us the finger. Charlotte government is what happens when you elect leaders suffering from anencephaly.
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Sometimes I wonder if these people cheated on their SATS just to graduate high school. How long are we going to let them get away this crap? It's absurd each time they get caught in a lie or REALLY bad decision, and they always seem to talk themselves out of the fault. I'M SICK OF IT! What do we do to stop the madness? They have not been able to show me any smart way that they have spent my tax money so why do they think I will want to give them more? I'm really getting fed up with Charlotte City Council and they are making me regret living here. And it's a shame because I love this city. Born and raised and it's a beautiful place, just run by morons. They keep it up and they will run the tax payers out.
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Ok, first you do not have to pass the SAT to graduate High School, but that's not the point. It's not really that these guys are STUPID, they're not. The thing is they are 1. Arrogant, and think everyone else is that stupid. Which, in many cases has proven correct. 2. Elitist, and think they alone have been given the superior wisdom to run everyone else's life and spend their money. 3. Self-serving. Politics is a cush-cush job with lots of fringe, (some of them very fringe), benefits, and they will do or say anything it takes to pander to voters who blissfully think the government is there in their best interest. The words Wasteful Government are analogous to Wet Water these days. It is sad and simple. To them, we exist to provide them the money, through taxes, to implement programs that will buy enough votes to get them elected for another term, which then has to be justified by more pork barrel projects to secure their voter base for the future. The city council, the state, and the federal governments are all to varying degrees going through this process, no matter which party is in right now, and they always get away with it for two main reasons that I can think of off the top of my head: 1. A media system, which aids and abets by smoothing over or ignoring the issues. 2 A general public that is too concerned with Anna Nichole Smith and Paris Hilton and their peers to worry about things as petty as freedom and property rights. Hey, in reality, we are getting robbed blind and stabbed in the back and we are too busy to care. Our children will inherit a semi, (or not so semi), socialist nation because the rest of us set back and let it happen. I spoke to my daughter the other day, who both did pass the SAT and will graduate from High School this Saturday. She told me that the majority of students that she knew were planning on registering Democrat for various reasons from health care to the war in Iraq. She said "We have pretty much lost this generation." So there you have it. The up-and-coming voters want free health care and whatever else they can get for free from the government and they will vote for whomever promises to keep them safe and secure not matter what the cost to everyone else. These politicians are just doing what it takes to line their pockets and insure their job security. The rail systems and Arobocop, and these expensive little worthless programs are just evidence to the fact. I hold out hope that the brightest in our next generation will see where we are going and do everything they can to turn back the tide of socialism and corruption that has infested our government. Sorry so long but I haven't vented in a while...
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I know we could probably add 2 more lanes to I-77 from Uptown to SC State Line. Why isn't this idea being pushed? Or how about a 6-8 lane bridge over Lake Norman on I-77? Oooopsss, NCDOT says 'Sorry, no money!!!!' But then again, they found $100 million to build a sprawling bridge/interchange complex down in New Bern for US 70 (yeah, tons of traffic goes thru that area I'm sure !!!!!!!!). I-85 is pretty much maxed out now (8 lanes from Cabrraus to Gaston county line) so not much can be done there. Yeah, I know some of y'all are going to say 'Hey why not go up to 10-12 lanes like I-85 in Atlanta'? Yeah, maybe in 20-30 years this area can finally get the funds for it!!!!! Most of the NC & US highways in the area (51/49/29) are already at 4 lanes anyhow right? I don't think you can go up to 6 lanes without taking away some businesses & houses front doors, which I'm sure some people will scream & holler about!!!!!
THE BOTTOM LINE: I just think Charlotte will never get its fair share of road money from NCDOT because the political power belongs to Down East politicians!!!!!! Look at where all of the proposed NC Turnpike Toll Roads are going; Eastern NC (except for the proposed Garden Parkway and Monroe Bypass) !!!!!!!!! Were 10 years behind on finally getting I-85 widened in Meck. Co. but I-77 still needs to be done from I-485 up to the county line (when will we get the money for this project, 2020?). Funny how the local media wanted to give high marks to former NC House speaker Jim Black for the fine job he did, but outside of lining up money for the NASCAR Hall of Fame and a couple of other pet projects for the area, he didn't do squat to improve the area freeways & roads!!!! Notice how half the lights on I-77/I-277/I-85 are still out. Why ? ? ?
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We need to keep pressuring our state officials to change the antiquated road formula that gives an equal share of money to the whole state. We make up 10 % of the state's population but get like 1 %! We make the most money for the state in taxes by far. We have so much potential to keep growing and prospering but our state government isn't helping us in anyway. We need to have constant road widening projects, as well as new connecting roads to stop the upcoming traffic nightmare, but we don't have hardly anything being done. We must keep on our officials or we certainly will all be in big trouble!
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I am an optimistic person, on the whole. But right now I cannot seem myself in Charlotte when I retire. The politics in this city is out of control, and I'm not willing to go down with it if we can't get some leadership voted into office that will change the current direction with crime, taxes, transit, etc. I'm disheartened....yet, somewhat hopeful for the future....
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