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In my experience, it has gotten worse from Pineville to 74 since the widening. The Rea Rd. Exit lane is a mile long, and is causing backups with drivers who are trying to get onto 485 from 521, while people on 485, are trying to get off to the Rea Rd. Exit.
The widening did nothing to alleviate the backup (and wasn't intended to). It won't relieve traffic until it is widened all the way to 74 and the extra toll lane opened (work to start 2017). The current widening just moved the backup down the road a few miles.
and the extra toll lane opened (work to start 2017).
Roy Cooper campaigned on and won because of his promises regarding toll lanes. He might be another one term governor if he doesn't deliver on his promises. Without toll roads McCrory would have won reelection despite HB2. Also, the toll lane is already there (built but left of the yellow line). I would have driven down it during the Thanksgiving congestion but its littered with pieces of wrecked cars.
The widening did nothing to alleviate the backup (and wasn't intended to). It won't relieve traffic until it is widened all the way to 74 and the extra toll lane opened (work to start 2017). The current widening just moved the backup down the road a few miles.
The widening did nothing to alleviate the backup (and wasn't intended to). It won't relieve traffic until it is widened all the way to 74 and the extra toll lane opened (work to start 2017). The current widening just moved the backup down the road a few miles.
I agree with what the end result actually was but how was the intention not to relieve congestion?
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,693,648 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by urbancharlotte
It's the same development pattern that has ruined so many other great American cities. The rising cost of doing business in the urban core causes many business relocations to the burbs. Shortly after that, residential areas crop up in the burbs too. However, the burbs never had a network of inter-connecting secondary streets like the urban core does. Burbs tend to lack decent mass transit. If a burb has mass transit, few people use it because mass transit is often not part of the suburban culture. In urban settings, mass transit is part of the culture.
As a result, people in the burbs are all driving on freeways that exit onto the same small once-rural roads that do not connect to a historic street grid. And everyone is "too good" to ride a bus or train. There are other options for folks sitting on I-485. They can always move to a residence that's walking distance from their jobs. This is especially true with folks that have stable employers. I personally know people with 30-plus years at central Charlotte jobs, but have chosen to live in Pineville.
So I have to ask. Is the problem infrastructure, or is the problem our mentalities? When it comes to insurance, repairs, taxes, and gasoline; the average vehicle can easily exceed $600/month. Many households in the burbs have at least 2 vehicles. That suburban family could easily relocate to a place closer to work, save $600/month on 1 vehicle, and pay $600 more each month on urban real estate. Financially, they'll come out the same, and they'll gain an hour each day by reducing their commute time. That's more time at home with your family, which is EXACTLY why we work in the first place.
However, a one-car household in a small townhouse/condo does not fit the so-called American dream. You need a big house, with 3 cars, and a backyard for your grill (that you rarely use). In short, I-485 traffic will get worse. The addition of lanes in the future won't help. And folks will not change their wants in an attempt to fix the real problem.
I agree & disagree.
Keep in mind that Gastonia & Concord have bus systems.
Compare CATS to SEPTA. Some of the blame, here, rests on NCDOT. Extend public transit, here, & people will use it. A few token bus routes at limited times doesn't solve the problems. They need a regional transit system. CATS, Gastonia, & Concord can be divisions of a regional system.
Keep in mind that Gastonia & Concord have bus systems.
Compare CATS to SEPTA. Some of the blame, here, rests on NCDOT. Extend public transit, here, & people will use it. A few token bus routes at limited times doesn't solve the problems. They need a regional transit system. CATS, Gastonia, & Concord can be divisions of a regional system.
Instead of comparing Charlotte to Philly, we should instead look at cities with a similar sunbelt culture like Dallas. DART in Dallas is currently the largest regional light rail system in the US. However, it has extremely low ridership on a trips-per-mile basis. The video below explains the difference between Dallas vs Houston light rail perfectly. Unlike Dallas, Houston has a compact line that only serves the city's most dense neighborhoods. In my opinion, Houston got it right.
Where Dallas has failed was the idea that bringing more transit to the burbs would convert people. It doesn't work that way. People are in the burbs because they chose that life style over an urban life. It's no different than building a mall or a car dealership in an extremely urban neighborhood. Most urbanites would protest such a "wasteful development". That's the attitude that most sunbelt suburbanites have towards transit; they'd rather see more freeway lanes.
As much as I would love to see LYNX trains in Ballantyne, I know that Plaza Midwood would support transit better. Why? Because PM is more urban and it's closer to Charlotte's uptown. If Charlotte ever builds 100 miles of rail, I believe that all lines should be within 10 miles of uptown. Anything beyond that would be a waste of tax dollars. I do support suburban bus service though. That's something we can cancel or reroute if ridership is weak.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,693,648 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by urbancharlotte
Instead of comparing Charlotte to Philly, we should instead look at cities with a similar sunbelt culture like Dallas. DART in Dallas is currently the largest regional light rail system in the US. However, it has extremely low ridership on a trips-per-mile basis. The video below explains the difference between Dallas vs Houston light rail perfectly. Unlike Dallas, Houston has a compact line that only serves the city's most dense neighborhoods. In my opinion, Houston got it right.
Where Dallas has failed was the idea that bringing more transit to the burbs would convert people. It doesn't work that way. People are in the burbs because they chose that life style over an urban life. It's no different than building a mall or a car dealership in an extremely urban neighborhood. Most urbanites would protest such a "wasteful development". That's the attitude that most sunbelt suburbanites have towards transit; they'd rather see more freeway lanes.
As much as I would love to see LYNX trains in Ballantyne, I know that Plaza Midwood would support transit better. Why? Because PM is more urban and it's closer to Charlotte's uptown. If Charlotte ever builds 100 miles of rail, I believe that all lines should be within 10 miles of uptown. Anything beyond that would be a waste of tax dollars. I do support suburban bus service though. That's something we can cancel or reroute if ridership is weak.
First off, Gastonia has wanted a light rail line into Charlotte for years. There used to be train service from Kings Mountain to Gastonia to Charlotte years ago & it was used. So if they started with areas that want it & would use it, it would catch on. We voted on a transit tax this year. Our new mayor, a native, was pushing for it.
As for my suggestion of looking at SEPTA, not everyone in the city of Philadelphia, much less the suburbs chooses to use public transit. It's a regional system. That's why I suggested that you look at it. It doesn't hurt to look. It's a system that was built by private companies, & later converted to a public transit system that has bus, heavy rail (subway), trolley, & commuter rail.
The above article bears what many have been saying - namely that urban planners deliberately encourage traffic, to discourage long motor vehicle trips.
In CLT's case, such thinking promises future disaster.
The above logic works perfectly in older cities, which were developed before automobiles became popular. As a result, an automobile is not a necessity, for there are other modes of transportation; an abundance of street level retail that's readily accessible, etc.
Charlotte, on the other hand, continually follows an auto dependent suburban model, while failing to build infrastructure that new development requires.
This will ensure great dissatisfaction amognst City residents, as traffic worsens.
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