2030 Transit Plan

[Justadude]

The light rail opponents claim that they have collected over 63,000 signatures and that the petition drive is now complete. They are also now calling themselves "SCAT" - Sensible Charlotte Area Transit

http://www.charlotte.com/209/story/71557.html

[NCN8ive]

They are also now calling themselves "SCAT" - Sensible Charlotte Area Transit

[swh1972]

The Charlotte area cannot afford to have this repealed, so unfortunately, someone will have to waste money running a pro-transit tax ad campaign later this year to re-educate the voting public. The way that the petition was conducted convinces that there is not as much support for this proposal as some would lead you to believe, but there is too much at stake to brush it off as a vocal minority.

[stadtguy]

I suppose those in favor of transit (myself included) are going to have to out-grassroots the petition folks. That is, get people registered and active in the next election. This is an opportunity to end the foolishness of the John Locke mentality that has taken root in Charlotte. A trouncing in the next election will send a loud message. Too often, the "progressives" sit back convinced of their inherent logic. The lies and distortions of the anti-transit bloc needs to be aggresively countered. I wish the mayor would take a stronger stand against the saboteurs.

The good news is that the business and development community is not lock-step with the anti-tax crowd. The development and finance community realizes that light rail is good for the community across a host of variables--image, quality of life and development incubator.

[monsoon]

Ok...isn't SCAT also a term for a rather disgusting sex act? Rather ironic considering what these people are trying to do to Charlotte.

Edit: I hope this comment doesn't disturb anyone too much...just my questionable sense of humor.

[moving uptown]

Im not like most of you idealogically - I hate taxes and believe the vast majority of the money I am forced to give the government is thrown down a deep dark hole never to be seen again. Although this light rail project is vastly over the originally proposed number (or the original public estimate) given to the public the better part of a decade ago, I believe that an effective and well run transit system can and will increase density which will in turn will increase the tax base. This is one tax I dont mind paying at all. 1/2 of a penny - most people I know dont even pick up pennies on a sidewalk anymore. This transit tax is good for Charlotte. Are people ignorant enough to think that if they repeal the tax, that the spending will cease? The money will come from elsewhere - most likely from property taxes. Property taxes will cost me more each year than the 1/2 cent on my purchases. I hope this is coherant, if not I apologize. I just want to make it clear that, in my mind, being pro-transit isnt being conservative or being liberal, it is just smart.

On a follow up, if they increased the property tax by two percent (to roughly $1.02 per 100) that would give them the necessary cash in a much shorter time frame to build out the entire system

[uptownliving]

On a follow up, if they increased the property tax by two percent (to roughly $1.02 per 100) that would give them the necessary cash in a much shorter time frame to build out the entire system

[monsoon]

I guess we need to understand the context in which those city numbers were presented.

• The city collects almost $500M/year in property taxes.

• The CATS tax brings in about $60M but this comes from not only Charlotte but the entire county including the 6 towns.

• 60% of the tax is used to fund the bus system or in other words, only $36M/year is being used to build the system.

In this county I don't think finding an extra $36M/year would be that difficult to do in order to keep investing in the transit system. What a repeal of this tax means is a cutback in the bus system. This is exactly opposite of what the SCAT (lol) supporters say they support.

[atlrvr]

This group must be affiliated with For Effectively Creating Endless Sprawl

[MZT]

The sales tax also draws some money from people who work in Mecklenburg and live elsewhere, so that it functions a bit like a "commuter tax".

[e2ksj3]

The sales tax also draws some money from people who work in Mecklenburg and live elsewhere, so that it functions a bit like a "commuter tax".

[28202]

Yeah supreme court. Pollution issue vote today says EPA has to "decide" if emissions are dangerous and then decide to regulate...

Dang, can't find the link now...

Good news for how the light rail will figure into the formula, Good news that SUV's will need to be more efficient and auto transportation will need to improve...

Also implications for pollution from coal fired plants. This could go in a number of threads, If anyone has the link to this news, throw it in, I will if I have time later.

[New Name]

Anyone who hasn't at least browsed the poll on charlotte.com pertaining to the repeal of the transit tax, should head over there if you have free time ... if not to vote ... but just to read some of the ridiculous opinions on the attatched message board (most notably the poster who was mad because the tax was being used to translate signage into spanish ("if you can't read english, then you should go back to where you came from") and to announce the new MLK St (which he referrs to as M L Koon St). Tell me if you picture him with a Yoseminite Sam moustache and double blazing six shooters.

The good news, of course, is that the protransit numbers are higher than antitransit in the poll (as of right now of course).

[dubone]

The big issue isn't what most people in Charlotte think, which I think in a conversation, you'd find that most are for having city with a transit system. The issue is who will feel strongly enough to vote.

I hope right now, all of you pro-transit people are getting your voter's registrations in order and are having conversations with your coworkers and friends to do the same. My guess is just like many other times when hot button issues come up, the silent majority stays home, while the crazy people who have been wishing for something show up to make it happen.

[atlrvr]

The good thing is that it will be at the same time as the city-council elections, as opposed to county. I would assume that there are a higher percent of liberal voters within the city limits, and people from Matthews, Mint Hill, and Cornelius won't have another reason (besides transit) to show up. Also, like Dubone said, the more people that show up to vote, the more likely a positive outcome for transit.

[monsoon]

^Well actually, that is not a good thing given the large number of voters in the North who have consistently voted for Mayors who support the transit line. The "liberal" voters inside the city have a dismal record of showing up to vote in any election as demonstrated in the last election. My guess is you will find more pro transit voters in Cornelius than you would in most parts of Charlotte. If I remember correctly, there is a large contingent of people in Dilworth who don't want anything to do with light rail.

[cinco]

^Well actually, that is not a good thing given the large number of voters in the North who have consistently voted for Mayors who support the transit line. The "liberal" voters inside the city have a dismal record of showing up to vote in any election as demonstrated in the last election. My guess is you will find more pro transit voters in Cornelius than you would in most parts of Charlotte. If I remember correctly, there is a large contingent of people in Dilworth who don't want anything to do with light rail.

[atlrvr]

No anti-transit republican has ever won at-large in Charlotte, at least not since LRT talk began. I tend to think this measure won't pass, but there really needs to be a way to "educate" the on-the-fence voter who may not see the long term ramifications of repealing it. However, whatever campaigning for keeping the tax is going to be a lot tougher strategically than those campaigning for a repeal.

[atlrvr]

My guess is you will find more pro transit voters in Cornelius than you would in most parts of Charlotte. If I remember correctly, there is a large contingent of people in Dilworth who don't want anything to do with light rail.

[cinco]

No anti-transit republican has ever won at-large in Charlotte, at least not since LRT talk began. I tend to think this measure won't pass, but there really needs to be a way to "educate" the on-the-fence voter who may not see the long term ramifications of repealing it. However, whatever campaigning for keeping the tax is going to be a lot tougher strategically than those campaigning for a repeal.

[Justadude]

not to mention, now that future plans have put in perspective... i wonder if we will see apathy from corridors that have been put on the backburner. people who were gung ho about the southeast line, central trolley, etc - might not be so inclined to participate this fall. i hope this is not the case as it would be selfish and short sighted.

[uptownliving]

The Eastside did get the shaft with their projects being pushed out in time...but they are the only corridor that will get 2 lines...both the Streetcar down Central and the LRT/BRT down Independence. In the long term the East side will have more mass transit than any other part of the city.

[monsoon]

Possibly, but looking at the County Commission At-Larg election results, I doubt it. For the three Cornelius precincts, the lowest of the three republican vote getters were nearly, double the highest vote-getting democrat. In Huntersville, it was almost as lopsided. Even in Davidson, Jim Puckett (the lowest vote-receiving Republican) received 27% more than Jennifer Robers (the highest vote-receiving Democrat).

In fact, after checking the result talleys, if all Cornelius votes were excluded, Wilhelmenia Rembert would have beaten Dan Ramirez by 272 votes, and the entire At-Large seats would have been filled by democrats.

For the record, the two Dilworth precincts voted solidly democrat, with Jim Puckett (who built his campaign around anti-transit) receving the fewest votes of any candidate. Conversely, he received the most amount of votes of any candidate in Cornelius.

EDIT - All this info came from this site. http://www.meckboe.org/pages/ENR2006/CCAL.html

[atlrvr]

Likewise Puckett did not have any stated position on the transit system at the time he was running for election so it wasn't an issue with him either.

[Subway Scoundrel]

I think having a transit system and good urban landscape, will be critical in attracting people to the region, especially the so called "creative class". I won't name names, but a certain so called transportation "expert" who works for the John Locke Foundation, who was my professor argued constantly against transit saying it's not efficient and doesn't carry the amount of people a highway does, and even put down the DC Metro, saying it only carried 10% or something. Although that maybe true, imagine the DC area without the Metro, and how many extra cars would be one the road making traffic worse. They never mention the development or urban redevelopment rail lines spur, nor do they ever give a real solution to the problem... go figure