Parkview East

Light Rail System vs. Busways

Is it lights out for light rail on Independence Boulevard?

July 27, 2006



Charlotte Observer, The (NC)
July 26, 2006
Section: MAIN
Edition: ONE-THREE
Page: 1A
Memo:Graphic 'Southeast Corridor'; 'Proposed Transit Corridors' not in database; please see microfilm.



COSTS COULD DERAIL HOPES ON EAST SIDE
ACTIVIST: NO LIGHT RAIL MAY DETER INVESTMENT
INDEPENDENCE BOULEVARD STUDY
RICHARD RUBIN, RRUBIN@CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM

Is it lights out for light rail on Independence Boulevard?

Trains would cost almost twice as much as busways and attract fewer riders, according to a new study by the Charlotte Area Transit System.
That's potentially damaging for east Charlotte, where officials and neighborhood leaders have long hoped that rail could help revitalize the struggling corridor.

Without light rail, the east side could have trouble attracting developers and investors, neighborhood leader Kyle Woudstra said.

"It gives those people a perception that: `The local, state and federal governments aren't willing to invest in this area, so why should I?' So it makes our job a whole lot more difficult," he said.

CATS officials will present the study tonight to the Metropolitan Transit Commission, the nine-member group of Mecklenburg mayors and other officials that will make the final decision later this year.

"You can take a look at it and perhaps draw your conclusions," said CATS Chief Executive Ron Tober, who is not making a formal recommendation until next month.

The report is likely to re-ignite a four-year-old debate that touched on Charlotte's class divides.

In 2002, CATS recommended a busway along Independence and Wilkinson boulevards. Businesses along Independence have disappeared, as Charlotte's main shopping strip turned into an expressway and struggled to compete with farther-out suburbs.

Meanwhile, CATS proposed rail to fast-growing University City and Mooresville and a center-city streetcar. A light-rail line is being built along South Boulevard.

Activists from the east and west sides pressed transit officials for equal treatment for their working-class neighborhoods, and the MTC voted to study bus and rail simultaneously.

Those studies are now done, and the MTC has been reviewing the relatively uncontroversial reports about the other corridors for the past few months.

The big decisions come this fall, when the group will decide what to build in each direction and when to build.

The federal government, which often provides half the money for rapid-transit lines, is placing more emphasis on cost-benefit ratios when it evaluates proposals nationwide.

*

Bus vs. Rail

Along Independence Boulevard, the paths for light rail and bus would be very similar.

The estimated $585 million light-rail line would run 12.7 miles from the Levine campus of Central Piedmont Community College near the Union County line to the Charlotte Transportation Center in uptown. The busway would cost between $315 million and $325 million. Buses would go an extra 0.8 miles in uptown, to the proposed Charlotte Gateway Station near Trade and Graham streets.

But the costs and benefits are very different. According to the study, busways would be more cost-effective and thus more likely to attract federal funding.

So if rail is considered "cooler" and more attractive than busways, why would more people ride the bus?

Here's the explanation:

Just like on South Boulevard, light-rail trains would run every 7.5 minutes during rush hour. If ridership is high enough, CATS would just add an extra car to the back of the train, said project manager Danny Rogers.

But the busways would be different. To accommodate increased demand, CATS would add another vehicle and thus another driver. In that case, instead of two buses showing up every 7.5 minutes, one could come every three minutes.

Such reliable service would be attractive to riders, according to CATS computer models that project transit operations. Because light-rail cars cost several million dollars each, running trains every three minutes would not be cost-effective, Rogers said.

*

What's a busway?

Along a busway, or a "bus rapid transit" line, the vehicles would look and act like a train on wheels. The stations would be similar to train stations - not as easily moved as an express bus stop, for example.

"They are much nicer than the buses you see out here today," Rogers said.

Except uptown, the buses would operate in their own dedicated lanes, keeping them out of general traffic. For part of the path, they would use the existing bus lanes on Independence. The city and state are trying to coordinate the transit work with the conversion of Independence into an expressway.

Still, Charlotte City Council member Nancy Carter thinks light rail would be a much better catalyst for east Charlotte.

"The investment would be immediate," she said. "All you have to do is look at the south corridor. If that had been (a busway), you would not have had the investment we're having."

The debate about Independence might not be rail or bus. It might turn out to be rail or bust.

Carter and Matthews Mayor Lee Myers both suggested Tuesday that if Independence can't get a rail line, that one option - for now - might be no rapid transit at all.

*

Tale of the Transit Tape

MILEAGE COST DAILY RIDERSHIP

Light rail on Independence 12.7 $585 million 14,400 in 2030

Busway on Independence 13.5 $315 million-$325 million 16,000 in 2030< South Boulevard light rail 9.6 $427 million 18,300 in 2025


Illustration:GRAPHIC:2 PHOTO:2

1. JOHN D. SIMMONS - JSIMMONS@CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM. LIGHT RAIL OR BUS?The bus lane on Independence Boulevard could be converted into a light-rail line or a busway. A new report from the Charlotte Area Transit System shows that a busway would be cheaper and attract more riders. But east Charlotte advocates say rail would help spur faster redevelopment.; 2. JOHN D. SIMMONS - JSIMMONS@CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM. According to a CATS study on Independence Boulevard (show above from Hawthorne Lane), busways would be more cost-effective than a light-rail line and more likely to lure federal funding.




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