Huge victory for Rail Transit at the Polls

[vicupstate]

Charlotte votes 70% to keep a sales tax in place to fund rail transit.  Also, despite major cost overruns on the initial Light Rail line, which opens this month, Mayor Pat McCrory easily won an unprecedented 7th (two year) term.

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley won a 9th four year term last night, and mentioned he wants to bring Light Rail to Charleston.

Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007

Tax supporters, foes surprised by margin of victory

STEVE HARRISON
Mecklenburg County voters overwhelmingly backed the transit sales tax Tuesday, dismissing an aggressive grass-roots effort to repeal it and endorsing CATS' ambitious plans to expand light rail and buses.
The margin of victory stunned even transit supporters. With all but one precinct counted, 70 percent voted against repeal, with 30 percent in favor of stopping the tax. The number of people voting for repeal -- roughly 37,000 -- fell short of the 48,000 signatures collected that put the tax back on the ballot.

The decision means that the Charlotte Area Transit System will continue collecting the half-cent tax, which generated $70 million last year, and will continue with its expansive 2030 transit plan.

CATS plans to build a commuter-rail line to the Lake Norman area and to extend the existing light rail northeast to University City. It also wants to build a streetcar through central Charlotte and either a busway or light rail down Independence Boulevard.

Polls in the spring showed voters supported transit in similar numbers to the 1998 vote, which was 58 percent in favor and 42 percent against. By August, that margin had slipped.

But in the two months before the election, transit tax supporters spent heavily with a television and radio blitz that helped widen their margin of victory. They also had the support of numerous public officials, including ex-mayors and leaders in the black community. They urged against repeal.

The Vote Against Repeal Committee, which raised nearly $600,000, told voters that repealing the transit tax would make traffic congestion worse, hurt the environment and force the city to make cuts in the bus system, which receives 65 percent of the tax. The committee also warned voters that repealing the transit tax would likely result in higher property taxes.

"I think we should have had this 20 years ago," said Jim Sasser, a Charlotte retiree. "I didn't approve of some of the way they handled their finances, but overall, I never had any question about it."

Nancy Gross, a south Charlotte homemaker, voted against school bonds. But she supported the transit tax because it "is hardly noticeable. But if we repealed it, they were going to raise my property taxes."

Throughout Mecklenburg, there has been anger in the past two years over the cost overruns in building the Lynx Blue Line, scheduled to open this month.

Those frustrations often surfaced on talk radio and on the opinion pages of the newspaper, but they weren't enough to swing the election.

The anti-transit tax group, Sensible Charlotte Area Transportation, was disappointed that it had only raised roughly $12,000 by late October. A successful effort six years earlier to defeat the new uptown arena raised more money.

Former City Council member Don Reid, who helped lead the repeal effort, declined to comment to the Observer.

Former county commissioner Jim Puckett, another repeal leader, couldn't be reached for comment.

When the transit tax was passed in 1998, precincts in African American communities near uptown voted for the tax, with some showing nearly 70 percent in support.

But black support was thought to be harder to come by in 2007. A petition drive that placed the transit tax on the ballot had its highest percentage of signers in black communities, and an Observer poll in August found that African Americans favored repeal.

Results Tuesday, though, showed that a number of black precincts west and northwest of uptown voted against repeal by more than 70 percent.

Annie Cox, who works for a heating and air conditioning firm, said she considered voting for repeal. She voted to keep the tax because losing bus service would hurt low-income people, she said.

In the short-term, CATS will open the Lynx Blue Line in a little more than two weeks -- an event that supporters can celebrate with the repeal effort behind them. And the city must find a replacement for CATS chief executive Ron Tober, who announced in August he is retiring Dec. 21.

"Frankly I'm surprised at the spread right now," said Tober as incomplete results came in Tuesday night. "To have a significant margin -- it's a good feeling. People in the community realize we need to have a good public transportation system."

[fsujax]

Very good news for Charlotte. Again they continue to lead the way.

[vicupstate]

Another win for Rail yesterday....

This is in the Va suburbs of D.C.

Fairfax County transportation (100%)

W â€" Yes 152,712 (82%)

No 34,029 (18%)

Will allow for $110 million in bonds for improvement of highways, parking, pedestrian development and early costs of connecting with Washington's light rail.

[thelakelander]

Nice find.  This is good ammunition for the fight against spending a billion for dedicated busways when rail is cheaper.  Mike Miller said at the last BRT meeting that Charlotte voters were going to vote this down because they wanted roads and buses instead.  At the meeting and knowing how progressive Charlotte has become, it sounded kind of strange and now I see why.  It wasn't true.

[thelakelander]

Vic, do you have a link to this article?

[thelakelander]

nevermind: http://www.charlotte.com/elections/story/351524.html

[Ocklawaha]

We could have argued that the people, once exposed to Light Rail, would NOT vote it down. We could have argued all night long. The JTA lie, vs the facts as searched out by citizens and professionals. Thrown onto a staged BRT presentation and given only 3 minutes to speak, (unless one was talking about a love affair with highways and buses, or old Uncle Joe's gimpy leg) demeans the whole democratic process. It descends into a battle of, "they said", "you said". There is an old adage that says, "Never argue with an IDIOT because to an innocent bystander, it is impossible to tell which one is which." This certainly applies to BRT and JTA'S canned meetings. As long as the press remains asleep at the wheel in Jacksonville, we are going to be taken for a ride.

CHARLOTTE has Light Rail, as a result, they are already 20 years ahead of us. Our response that we have somehow just discovered the bus and freeway is pathetic... All of the citizens that attended those meetings, went home convinced that:

#1. Thanks to an ill informed loud mouth, "Jacksonville won't use Transit" (room breaks into cheers).
#2. Thanks to Mike Miller and JTA, "The people of Charlotte hate the LRT and are revolting, it's so expensive that they ARE VOTING to replace it with buses...blah...blah..."There will be no more LRT aggression into Poland, or England, or France, or The Lowlands...PEACE IN OUR TIME!" (Well, maybe I got a little carried away Mike)

You JTA types understand, This is the war for Transit Supremacy In Jacksonville, it's 1933, or 1981 all over again, But living in 1933 or 1981 won't cut it in this digital enlightened age, we have access to your secrets, we are armed with the facts. There is a huge hole in BRT'S suit of armor that severely limits it's economy as planned.

Remember Mike, in show business, we had a saying that, "It doesn't take a good actor to spot a bad one..." JTA? Do I detect you are beginning to sweat?

Ocklawaha

[vicupstate]

Followup from yesterday's vote:

Parker to be named new chief of CATS

STEVE HARRISON AND VICTORIA CHERRIE

Charlotte city officials plan to name Assistant City Manager Keith Parker the next head of CATS as early as today, after voters widely backed the transit sales tax Tuesday.
Parker's selection to replace current Charlotte Area Transit System chief executive Ron Tober was confirmed Wednesday by sources familiar with the decision.

Parker, who worked for CATS as its chief operating officer, will come to the job with an unexpected mandate from the public. Mecklenburg County voters Tuesday decided against repealing the tax, 70 percent to 30 percent -- a margin of victory that surprised even the tax's most ardent supporters.

"I'm still in shock," said Tober, 60, who is retiring after eight years Dec. 21.

His successor will be busy in the next few months.

• The 9.6-mile Lynx Blue Line that runs along South Boulevard is scheduled to begin free service Nov. 24 and 25. Regular service -- requiring a fare -- is scheduled to begin Nov. 26.

• CATS also is preparing to hire engineering firms to begin initial work on the commuter rail line to the Lake Norman area and the 11-mile University City extension of the existing light-rail line.

Several City Council members pegged Parker as a leading candidate for Tober's job. In addition to previously working for CATS, he ran a transit system in Washington state before coming to Charlotte in 2000.

Parker could not be reached for comment.

Tober said Wednesday he spoke with the Federal Transit Administration's regional office in Atlanta, which confirmed that it had approved the northeast extension for preliminary engineering work. That is a crucial first step in getting the federal government to ultimately pay for half of the construction costs for the $750 million line.

One unknown is how Tuesday's election results will affect the commuter rail line. The mayors of Davidson, Cornelius, and Huntersville -- who lobbied for the train -- decided against running for re-election. CATS needs the support of the municipalities to make the train work.

CATS hopes to open the commuter rail line in 2012 and the northeast extension in 2013.

It also plans to build a streetcar through central Charlotte and either light rail or a busway down Independence Boulevard.

Transit supporters, meanwhile, spent Wednesday enjoying Tuesday's victory. They also wondered how and why they won with such a large margin.

City Council member Pat Mumford, who chaired the Vote Against Repeal Committee, said his group's polling showed increasing support for the transit tax as the election approached.

"The last poll was about 60 percent with likely voters," Mumford. "But it wasn't 70 percent. I guarantee you that."

Mumford said in an interview Tuesday night that he hoped transit opponents would "settle down" after the vote.

"I'm not trying to say, `Look, the people spoke, if you don't like it go away,' " Mumford said Wednesday. "We went through a rather arduous event, and it was fully vetted.

He added: "Opposing views are appropriate, but they don't deserve this kind of approach again."

The leaders of Sensible Charlotte Area Transportation couldn't be reached Wednesday. Former county commissioner Jim Puckett didn't return calls from the Observer, and former City Council member Don Reid declined to comment Tuesday.

Mumford's group raised nearly $600,000, much of it from firms that do business with CATS, along with Charlotte's major corporations, such as Wachovia and Bank of America.

Mumford said the major corporations donated because, "It's important to deal with growth. They are large employers. It makes sense for those people to care about the community."

Reid and Puckett's group raised less than $12,000. But Mumford pointed to radio and television ads by state Sen. Robert Pittenger, R-Mecklenburg, who criticized the transit plan, and exposure on talk radio, a frequent forum for transit critics.

Jeff Taylor, a blogger for the conservative John Locke Foundation who pushed for repeal, said Tuesday was a "status quo election."

"Two-thirds are happy and pacified with the direction we are headed -- and one-third of us are scared to death," said Taylor, who debated transit supporters during the campaign. "This doesn't settle everything."

[vicupstate]

Some clever ads that the Pro-Rail lobby used in Charlotte.  I like the one with the old lady and the biker best.

http://www.voteagainstrepeal.com/media.html#

[midnightblackrx]

Some clever ads that the Pro-Rail lobby used in Charlotte.  I like the one with the old lady and the biker best.

http://www.voteagainstrepeal.com/media.html#

Obviously the Rail-Lobby has not been as effective in Jacksonville as the Bus-Transit Lobby.  We all know the leverage that these groups create in politics drives action or legislation in govt.  The fact that there is a vocal local group called Metro-Jax that is tugging at the city's coat tails with all it's might for a mass rail system, it may not have the weight that the BRT Lobbyists have locally.   

[thelakelander]

Sounds like its time to put on some weight.

[vicupstate]

Charlotte's LRT continues to exceed it's projections by a third, AND other forms of mass transit are seeing a huge boost as well. 

Lynx, CATS ridership surging

Ridership on the new Lynx light rail is running about a third more than projected, the Charlotte Area Transit System said today.

Jim Zingale, CATS' chief operating officer, said about 12,000 riders were using the 9.6-mile line each day. The agency had projected that about 9,100 trips would be taken daily in its first year.

The Lynx Blue Line started service on Nov. 24.

Overall ridership on other CATS routes also surged in November, Zingale said. Regional express bus service was up 15 percent and community circulator transit was up 21. Ridership on local bus services was up 4.3 percent.

Zingale attributed the increase in transit ridership in part to high gasoline prices.

[vicupstate]

Charlotte's initial success with LRT may boost it's chances of Federal funding for two future legs of the system, the North line and the Northeast line. 

LIGHT RAIL

Lynx riders give a lift to Northeast line

Above-estimated numbers in the south could boost chance at funding, approval

KAREN CIMINO
kcimino@charlotteobserver.com
Higher than expected ridership on the Lynx light-rail line might raise ridership projections for the $750 million Northeast Corridor line and make it more financially feasible, Charlotte Area Transit System chief Ron Tober said Thursday.

Ridership numbers astounded CATS officials the first weekend, when more than 100,000 lined up to try the trains for free. Ridership dipped for the first two days of paid service, but has since remained above projections.

CATS projected an average ridership of 9,100 weekday trips for the first year of operation, but so far that number has consistently remained above 12,000, Tober said.

"The higher ridership in the south definitely raises the stock," Tober said.

Officials also are working on an $8.5 million preliminary engineering contract for the North Corridor commuter rail line, which also is expected to be completed in January. The $261 million North line is slated to run from Charlotte through north Mecklenburg with a possible stop in Mount Mourne in Iredell County. It's expected to be completed in 2011.

"We're basically using a railway right of way, so that's a simpler, less expansive project," Tober said.

If the Lynx line numbers remain steady for about a year, Tober said, then CATS will look at recalculating its estimates for the Northeast Corridor.

"We'll probably increase the projected ridership for the Northeast Corridor," he said. "That should move us up in the competition for federal funds. It probably will result in us getting speedy approval from the Federal Transit Administration."

CATS originally estimated a Lynx ridership of 18,300 by 2030, but should beat that estimate if ridership continues at its current rate. That may also mean the 17,500 ridership projected by 2030 for the Northeast Corridor could be higher.

CATS has been estimating its daily ridership by counting riders in about one-third of trains, looking at park-and-ride lots and tallying the amount of money collected in kiosks. Also, some trains have automatic passenger counters above the doors.

Making the Northeast Corridor line cost effective on a per-rider basis is key to getting funding for the project, half of which would be federal money. The state and local government would split the other half.

Planners added a stop on the UNC Charlotte campus to boost projected ridership by about 2,000 and make the plan more likely to get federal funding.

While increased ridership projections would make that stop less vital, it's still important for transportation planning.

"It just makes it a whole lot more complete transportation project if we can connect the university's main campus with the satellite campus that will be built here in downtown Charlotte," Tober said.

Since the South Corridor opened the weekend after Thanksgiving, the city has turned its attention to planning for the Northeast Corridor, which will extend 11 miles through University City.

The city allocated $500,000 on Monday to pay for an aerial survey of the proposed line, which has to be done when there are no leaves on the trees. That money is an advance on a $27 million preliminary engineering contract for the Northeast Corridor that Tober expects to be finalized in January.

[second_pancake]

I think the real question here is now that we have this information, what are we going to do with it?  Where is the organized front?

Oklawaha, what's this about only "3 minutes" to talk?  And if that's the case, why would we even bother to voice our opinions at the city council meetings?  It seems we'd do more harm than good.  We should be taking this old-school early 20th century style and pulling out our soapboxes.  Talk about putting those poorly-planned pocket parks to good use.  Hell, you guys said it yourself, the one off of Main is next to one of the busiest one-way streets in Jax.  No one could miss us, and the public would be well-informed.

[second_pancake]

Obviously the Rail-Lobby has not been as effective in Jacksonville as the Bus-Transit Lobby.  We all know the leverage that these groups create in politics drives action or legislation in govt.  The fact that there is a vocal local group called Metro-Jax that is tugging at the city's coat tails with all it's might for a mass rail system, it may not have the weight that the BRT Lobbyists have locally.   

Tugging, unfortunately, I don't believe is enough.  We all know people in film, people who have a voice and a strong opinion about rail vs. BRT.  Why hasn't there been a commercial of our own made?  It doesn't have to be high budget.  Get on the street and start interviewing residents.  Find out how many of these people even know what the hell is going on (something tells me not many of them).  Ask them what they're opinion is about utilizing our existing rails versus the added expense of building BRT routes.  Ask how many of them are willing to ride a train that wouldn't ride a bus.  While having a forum like this with like-minded people is wonderful, unless action is being taken to back-up the words, then that's all they are, words.