City Council to soon hear from public on key transportation plans
Mark your calendar for the evening of Monday, January 23! That’s when you’ll have a chance to tell Charlotte City Council your thoughts on the updated draft Transportation Action Plan (TAP) and the first ever Charlotte WALKS pedestrian plan.
At their December 12 meeting, Council’s Transportation and Planning committee voted unanimously to recommend the TAP and Charlotte WALKS to the full Council for public comment. This means YOU will be able to let your elected officials know that you support investment in Charlotte’s future.
Missing and inadequate sidewalks abound in Charlotte. (from p.13 of Charlotte WALKS plan)
Click here to read our blog post about the October 12 meeting when the draft TAP was discussed. At this Monday’s meeting, Norm Steinman presented key points of CDOT’s draft TAP, including comments that CDOT has received so far. What have they heard?
- Interest and concern about traffic and growth
- Expectation that Charlotte will have “A Plan” to keep up with growth
- Want it to be comprehensive
- Want transportation choices
Council member Greg Phipps asked how the plan will address the traffic congestion that is accompanying our growth. “I do feel the public thinks they’re being overrun with growth, with traffic.”
Staff and Council committee members also discussed how the Transportation Action Plan supports mobility in the context of Charlotte’s massive population growth. CDOT Director Danny Pleasant noted, “This plan has walking, biking, and transit elements” and the plan aims to “calibrate transportation to our growth strategy.”
Committee chair Vi Lyles said she hopes to hear a lot of comments on the character of Charlotte’s transportation planning at the January 23 Council meeting, including the public’s enthusiasm for complete streets, sidewalks on both sides of streets, and bike infrastructure. We’re encouraged by Ms. Lyle’s request for an “ASAP” update on the Uptown Connects Study. As your local advocacy organization for safer bicycle infrastructure, Sustain Charlotte is building public support for Uptown’s first protected bike lane through our iBikeCLT campaign.
We invite you to sign up to speak during the public hearing at the January 23 meeting. Can’t attend in person? Share your thoughts on the plan through CDOT’s online surveys:
Transportation Action Plan survey
At their February meeting, the Transportation and Planning committee will review the draft Charlotte BIKES plan and vote on whether to recommend advancing it to the full Council for a public comment period. The overall process will be very similar to that for the Transportation Action Plan. We’ll keep you updated!
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