City and county leaders, please support transportation choices!

We can’t imagine a better way to close out 2018 than by formally presenting City and County leaders with the requests of over 2,100 area residents for more transportation choices!

On Monday, December 17, Kate Cavazza and Eric Zaverl presented Charlotte City Council with Sustain Charlotte’s Get There CLT statement of support for investment in walking, bicycling, transit, and greenway infrastructure.

Kate and Eric presented more than 2,100 Get There CLT signatures to Charlotte City Council!

Read our full comments to City Council here. Watch the video here (begins at 2hrs 11mins)

The following evening, our Program Director Meg Fencil presented Get There CLT to the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Read the comments here and view video (begins at 28mins).

Meg presented Get There CLT to the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners on Dec 18.Why did we share a slightly different message with City and County leaders? Creating a world-class transportation network will take the coordination of various departments including the Charlotte Department of Transportation, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), Mecklenburg County Air Quality, and more.

We therefore addressed our comments about improving pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure to City Council because they approve funding for these programs. Mecklenburg’s Commissioners (BOCC) approve parks and greenway funding. They also make decisions related to air and water quality.

Prior to addressing City Council and the BOCC, we also presented Get There CLT to the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) on November 28. As CATS’ County-wide governing body, the MTC approves transit funding requests. We asked the MTC to support funding for increased frequency of service on the bus network and completion of the projects in the 2030 Transit Plan. In early 2019, the MTC will review recommendations from a study of preferred alternatives for rail service to the north (to Mooresville), west (to the town of Belmont), and how the lines will connect in center city Charlotte. There will also be a cost estimate for building these lines, the Silver Line to the town of Matthews, and increasing bus frequency.

Thank you for your support!

Sustain Charlotte thanks the more than 2,100 of you who signed Get There CLT to publicly express your support for sustainable transportation choices. Many of you shared it with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Together we’ll do even more in 2019 to ensure that everyone in our region has access to the full benefits of their community, regardless of how they travel!

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Sustain Charlotte’s work to promote an expanded public transportation network and associated bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure is funded by TransitCenter. We’re grateful for their support of our mission!

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