Yep, they tarped off the upper deck.
clt says gotta keep the skyline view
1 Like
1 Like
Nashville is considerably smaller than CLT. CLT closer in size to Denver. How does commuter rail do in Denver? Seems to me that multiple lines with connectivity is the key to success. Everyone does not work downtown.
Thatās a tricky comparison.
While the two cities have similar populations, Denver is way more dense than Charlotte. Itās approximately half the the area (think itās like 306 sq miles vs 153 sq miles). So train comparisons are going to be heavily affected by that.
Weāre still one of the fastest growing cities in the US, having added 40k people each year the past few years. If we donāt plan for a city of 1.5 million, in 20 years when we have that many people we will be a disaster.
Unfortunately, the rail we already have is atrociously run. The street car is an absolute joke. Light rail isnāt frequent enough and whoever decided to build stations on the honor system should be in jail.
We need experts from other cities to come in and help fix the rail we have while expanding at the same time.
I do agree that we need to take public transportation seriously or this city is going to be a nightmare to commute in. Not even work commutes, just going from one part to another on a Sunday.
I loathe the toll roads. We cannot keep making these mistakes.
It is true what you say. I study population data as a hobby. The CLT MSA will catch Denvrr in approx eight years. But the 5 core county population of CLT will take 20 years to catch up to Denverās. But I believe that connectivity is the key to success. And 20 years is a small window of time when considering the time to raise the money, plan, design, and build a transit line. And Denvrr has 12 transit lines in place so they have the connectivity.
I may not have been clear. It will take 8 years for the CLT MSA to catch Denverās present day population and 20 years the CLT 5 core county to catch Denverās present day 5 core county population.
When comparing populations, city populations are of little value due to some cities ability to annex and others cannot. Thetefore MSA or metro populations are the most common comparison. For example, Atlantaās city population is much smaller than Charlotteās city population. Atlantaās metro population is the true indicator of its size. Itās MSA population is over 6 million compared to CLTās 2.8 million.
1 Like
I thought density (or lack of) was the most important factor?
Asking. I donāt know.
I agree- I also hate the toll lanes. But I think that local officials did the toll lanes on purpose to create congestion. Transit is used more when there is congestion. The more congestion then the more use. CLTās evolution into a potential transit city is a marathon not a sprint. Practically all rail transit in the US is subsidized to the tune of approx $17 to $20 for every passenger that uses it. The exception is NYC and maybe one or two other cities. I agree that a regional transit system with 8 counties is the solution. But all counties must pay their part. Meck cannot afford this transit system alone. I also agree that the street car is a waste of money. Its only benefit us to provide transportation to the bars in plaza Midwood after it is built to Midwood.
I agree that density is the most important factir. I was assuming that CLT will build the density like they did in south end and are doing on the north end. After density then connectivity is very important.
Based on the CLT MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) population growth from 2020 to 2023, the CLT MSA could grow by approximately 500k net gain from 2020-2030. In actual population gain ( not percentage growth) the top 8 MSAs are DallasFt Worth, Houston, ATL, Phoenix, Austin, Orlando, San Antonio and CLT. If CLT grows by 500k, that will be an increase over its net growth of approx 410k from 2010-2020. And if this increased growth continues fur the entire decade then it could push CLT past Orlando and San Antonio in net growth for the decade. CLTās MSA population recently jumped over St Louis to become the 22nd most populous in the US. It will jump over Baltimore some time this year to become the 21st most populous in the US. When CLT jumps over Baltimore this year , Orlandovwill be the 20th most populous. Orlando is only slightly more populous than CLT.
MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, stated a few years back that Montreal and CLT are the two cities that MLB wants to expand to. Why CLT? NC, the 9th most populous state, is the most populous state without MLB. Orlando is the most populous metro in the US without MLB, but Orlando is too close to Tampa Bay. CLT is the most populous viable metro in the most populous state without MLB. Plus, a CLT team would fill the 650 mile void between Washington and ATL. But CLT has shown little interest in MLB. Carolina Hurricanes owner wants to bring MLB to Raleigh. Would MLB want to be in NC enough to put a team in Raleigh- an MSA of 1.4 million and CSA of 2.1 million. CLT csa is 3.3 million. Would MLB tell Hurricane owner to put the team in CLT? Would MLB by pass NC and go to Nasvillle an MSA iof 2 million or would MLB go elsewhere?
Why do you think a mono rail would be good?
Back in the day Bruton Smith pitched NASCAR museum/car museum downtown that would have been the equivalent of the air and space museum with mono rail running to the track.
The Denver metro area is built completely differently from Charlotte. The whole area is built on a grid and there is a seamless transition into Denverās largest suburbs, which are also largely built on grids.
The mindset is different in the south than it is in the west. Denver is a unique place in the us. Itās a metro for the ultra active. Anywhere you go people are out walking, hiking, paddling, climbing, skiing, etc. cars parked all along the roads.
Developers have build basically an entire new city around our rail line and still the ridership numbers are dropping.
The number of people I see riding scooters or ebikes into uptown and around the inner city neighborhoods now is very high. Iām
Not saying donāt build anymore public transit, but I think personal electric mobility is a big piece of future transit in cities. There should be a lot of focus put on protected bike lanes and bike paths that allow ebikes and electric scooters. Not just in Charlotte but in all cities.
My friend rides his ebike to southend from pineville pretty regularly. Only takes him 25 minutes or so because he lives very close to the sugar creek greenway in pineville. Faster than you can drive it when there is traffic.
Iād love to see Charlotte throw a billion at greenways and bike lanes instead of a panthers stadium. It would benefit more people and maybe even encourage more people to have an active and healthy lifestyle.
2 Likes
The problem with personal mobility is weather. Also, if you have kids and need to take them or pick them up from school as part of your daily commute. Applies to a lot of people.
1 Like