Charlotte becomes a transportation leader
New Urban News Article with images and sidebar, 1/1/2009
Road diets, a streetcar to the airport, and transit-oriented development are all being pursued by North Carolina’s largest city.
It wasn’t terribly long ago that Charlotte, North Carolina, was a typical Sunbelt city, happy with highways, office parks, and cul-de-sacs. But over the past several years, Charlotte’s Department of Transportation (CDOT), with support from elected officials, has started adopting techniques associated with smart growth and New Urbanism.
A recent visit by New Urban News to the 672,000-population city found progress on these fronts:
• Traffic-calming. CDOT has implemented several “road diets” — on streets carrying up to 21,000 vehicles per day.
• Street connections. Connectivity standards that began taking effect in 2001 have enabled firefighters to get to emergencies faster, and they’re seen as a partial answer to traffic congestion.
• Mass transit. Having inaugurated its first 10-mile light-rail line in November 2007, Charlotte is now looking toward installing a streetcar that will eventually run from downtown to the airport.
• Transit-oriented development. Approximately $1.5 billion of TOD — not counting projects in the downtown— is under way, according to Interim Transportation Director Danny Pleasant.
