tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post3185449562383840368..comments2023-11-05T04:34:10.303-05:00Comments on The Naked City: No, DON'T make 485 top priorityUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-2597524263597568222010-01-10T11:54:03.609-05:002010-01-10T11:54:03.609-05:00I am 16 years old, & I don't drive a car y...I am 16 years old, & I don't drive a car yet. But I have seen what 485 can do for Mecklenburg County and outside places in proximity to it. I live on the Sector between Harrisburg Road NC 24 & 27. When my mother and I go out to visit relatives, shop, etc, We use I-485 and I-485 only. So Suburbanites think of I-485 as an easier way to travel to other areas around Charlotte. Urbanites wanting wider streets work good for the areas they surround. But from reading all the comments Its almost like we are in two different worlds. From my observations most people in Suburban areas general avoid the inner-city and really have no need for it. Also places like the University area or areas around a mall generate a lot of traffic. especially from people from the Suburbs. So would you rather we all go through the city to places we need to go and cause more gridlocks? or simply go around in a more freely and easier way? I think the Inner-city's cry for light rails and wider streets and more connectivity is a must if our city was more grid-shaped. But we are wheel shaped with most roads acting like spokes going from inner-city areas to suburbs. So things that worked in New York, Chicago, and Atlanta won't necessarily work for us. Sure I-485 will have development along its interchanges, that is only because more people are moving to the suburbs from other places and they need places to shop and fill up their cars and such. Of course Urbanites can walk more places and take buses and light-rails to do the same things Suburbanites do with their cars. To be honest, I like the fact I live in a more suburban area where I-485 is a must. Like how Mary appears to like her Dilworth home. So I'm like the rest of you who simply hate the gap between I-77 and I-85. Harris Blvd between the University area and Northlake Mall could use relief. Widening Harris Blvd wouldn't solve the problem because most I-485 traffic heading to North Charlotte have to use Harris and intermingle with more local traffic. Other places are like this too. Such as the segment of I-485 that bypasses Mint Hill and Matthews traffic on NC 51 going towards Pineville and I-77 south. So it seems to me that this problem matters on where you live and what you do in your activity space. If Mary chose to live in a Suburb, she wouldn't have a choice but to use I-485 in some place she went. But since she doesn't, bettering the inner-city is of course going to be her focus. But I-485 being finished is a focus for anyone who uses it. And When Bev Perdue didn't keep her promise, of course that hit home with people like us who use it. So if I-485 is finished. Charlotte can move on to thier numerous transportation issues over our one issue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-16974146635330948662009-04-26T15:17:00.000-04:002009-04-26T15:17:00.000-04:00For everyone who says that 485 should be completed...For everyone who says that 485 should be completed, fine, complete it. But do so with NO INTERCHANGES along the new section. Then the people using it will be using it for its supposed "intended purpose" which is as a BYPASS and not for local on and off traffic.Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-4567510659497728812009-04-18T20:55:00.000-04:002009-04-18T20:55:00.000-04:00Since I use the NW quadrant of 485 fairly regularl...Since I use the NW quadrant of 485 fairly regularly, I like the fact that it ends at I-77 and NC 115. There's not that much traffic on the new stretch of road right now. And how much will that "$220 million" turn out to be by the time the remaining 5 miles are built?<br /><br />Yes, in a rational system, the connector from I-85 to I-77 would have been built earlier, rather than last. But we can take the delay as an opportunity not to make the mistakes made in building the early stretches on the south side (such as too many exits in places and not enough in others, each causing more congestion). It has been an expensive lesson, so maybe we should learn it and take heed.Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-32799289617038953722009-04-14T20:16:00.000-04:002009-04-14T20:16:00.000-04:00TEA PARTY PROTEST DOWNTOWN CHARLOTTE APRIL 15TH. ...TEA PARTY PROTEST DOWNTOWN CHARLOTTE APRIL 15TH. NO MORE TAXES!!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-25486456814062138762009-04-13T09:00:00.000-04:002009-04-13T09:00:00.000-04:0008:57:00 AM, go look up your own city budget, and ...08:57:00 AM, go look up your own city budget, and county budget, and state budget. <BR/><BR/>Gas taxes pay for interstates. For local roads they barely contribute a pittance.Telemaquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09726911048021799087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-50601005749204399862009-04-13T08:59:00.000-04:002009-04-13T08:59:00.000-04:0008:56:00, without the United States Navy, Exxon an...08:56:00, without the United States Navy, Exxon and Halliburton would not be providing anyone with oil.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-53681387598788778252009-04-13T08:57:00.001-04:002009-04-13T08:57:00.001-04:008:38 - Got a cite for that? Didn't think so.The f...8:38 - Got a cite for that? Didn't think so.<BR/><BR/>The facts are exactly backwards, which is why Bumpkin Bev is stealing highway money for her slush funds.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-2435414496245234922009-04-13T08:57:00.000-04:002009-04-13T08:57:00.000-04:00Taxation is SLAVERY!!!!!!!!Taxation is SLAVERY!!!!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-60545236573538030372009-04-13T08:56:00.000-04:002009-04-13T08:56:00.000-04:006:47 - Government doesn't provide me with gas. Ex...6:47 - Government doesn't provide me with gas. Exxon and Halliburton do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-19751288119553939732009-04-13T08:38:00.000-04:002009-04-13T08:38:00.000-04:00The majority of funds for building roads come from...The majority of funds for building roads come from property taxes and non-gasoline sales taxes. It's motorists who aren't paying their fair share.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-33331156935095732572009-04-12T23:33:00.000-04:002009-04-12T23:33:00.000-04:00Anon 6:47 just another example of a holier than th...Anon 6:47 just another example of a holier than thou comment. You should thank me for subsidizing your ride to work. Look people who drive cars pay property tax on vehicles, state sales tax on gasoline which I might add is the highest in the Southeast. We also pay federal tax on gasoline. What do bus riders or light rail riders pay? Not even enough to cover the cost of the ride. At least be fair and pay your fair share buddy!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-45798027287153107032009-04-12T18:47:00.000-04:002009-04-12T18:47:00.000-04:00Hahahahahaha!"Isn't is funny how people who ride p...Hahahahahaha!<BR/><BR/>"Isn't is funny how people who ride public transportation think they are holier than thou. These leeches need to take some leasons on how to be self sufficient."<BR/><BR/>You are FUNNY. You are not even remotely self sufficient. If not for the government paving the roads for you, and the United States Navy guarding the seaways to get the oil coming to Port Fourchon, and the colonial pipeline, your fat caboose would go nowhere. <BR/><BR/>It's funny how you naysayers can use stupid cliches like that after the hurricane, when you all conducted yoruselves like overgrown children and demanded the government provide you with cheap gas. If you want to claim you are self sufficient, you better have a horse. Or a bike.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-63670859315146907502009-04-12T10:31:00.000-04:002009-04-12T10:31:00.000-04:00Isn't is funny how people who ride public transpor...Isn't is funny how people who ride public transportation think they are holier than thou. These leeches need to take some leasons on how to be self sufficient.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-4749492593056472802009-04-12T10:17:00.000-04:002009-04-12T10:17:00.000-04:00Anonymous 11:15:00:Stop talking about Mary's famil...Anonymous 11:15:00:<BR/><BR/>Stop talking about Mary's family like that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-40056734753683031152009-04-12T10:10:00.000-04:002009-04-12T10:10:00.000-04:00Gee, I didn't know that people in automobiles don'...Gee, I didn't know that people in automobiles don't smell. Maybe you've been sniffing too many of those pine-scented thingies that hang from your mirror.<BR/><BR/>As for rude and annoying, no one is more annoying or ruder than those who feel they can take the law into their own hands and drive as fast and as recklessly as they want,all under the guise of "independence". The thumb their nose at law-abiding society in general every day. It's all about them - never about the group as a whole. And they stink up the countryside with the pollutants from their smog machines ... er, autos.<BR/><BR/>When was the last time you saw two electric trains drag racing and running law-abiding drivers off the road?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-23183661596042930632009-04-11T11:15:00.000-04:002009-04-11T11:15:00.000-04:00I prefer a car anyday of the week. Trains limit y...I prefer a car anyday of the week. Trains limit your ability to be mobile. Who wants to ride in a train packed full of people that smell, are rude, and just plain annoying?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-24878032041655905342009-04-11T09:27:00.000-04:002009-04-11T09:27:00.000-04:00I don’t know if this was true for the Charlotte ar...I don’t know if this was true for the Charlotte area, but in the early twentieth century many parts of our nation had cheap, easy connectivity via inter-urban electric rail lines. These “cars” served not only major cities, but also each and every little Podunk community in between, and some lines were there just to serve the boondocks. Applying the pattern that existed then in heavily populated areas to what could have been (or hopefully will be someday) in the Charlotte Metropolitan area, a person could catch a car in Monroe and with transfers to other electric lines visit Gastonia, Rock Hill or Mooresville.<BR/><BR/>Back in the 1960s I was hunting in a large woods in northeastern Ohio, 45 miles from the nearest city of any size, and stumbled upon what appeared to be a long-abandoned railroad bed. I later asked an old-timer which train used to pass through there. He explained that it wasn’t a “train” track but a route for one of the old inter-urban electric car lines. As automobiles became more popular, demand for that type of public transportation eventually ceased, and the lines began to be abandoned in the late 1920s.<BR/><BR/>Like the song asks, “Don’t it always seem to be, that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone?”<BR/><BR/>On another note, maybe instead of snarling at one another over whether cars rule and trains drool, or vice-versa, maybe we should ask our governments just why is it that road or rail construction costs are so outlandishly high? Are we sure that the “overseers” are really making sure that our tax dollars are spent wisely, or are we vastly overpaying for those projects, and thereby delaying further construction for lack of dollars?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-25728918914732134892009-04-11T09:00:00.000-04:002009-04-11T09:00:00.000-04:00Yep, we should complete I-485. The drag racers and...Yep, we should complete I-485. The drag racers and drunken wrong-way drivers who use it now need more space. And besides, if we were to focus on rail connectivity between cities, that might curtail the freedom of the speed demons to race down routes like York Road and kill two or three people. <BR/><BR/>We can relieve the congestion on our highways simply by raising the speed limits so we can push more traffic through in the same amount of time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-33209295158756373372009-04-11T06:43:00.000-04:002009-04-11T06:43:00.000-04:00I am a college student studying in Ireland for 1 y...I am a college student studying in Ireland for 1 year. Coming from the QC, I was addicted to my car, like any true charlottean is. But I will tell you all, mostly the ones who constantly bash Mary's ideas, you can get on just fine without your vehicle.<BR/><BR/>I have been here for nearly 8 months, and have yet to miss my car. When I need to get somewhere I take the bus, BIG DEAL! I live in the City, so I can walk most places, but the students that live outside of the city, well they take the bus. Good luck convincing my friends at UNC to do the same. <BR/><BR/>I was recently in Amsterdam, and from what I gather from Mary's posts, I have a feeling this is her dream city. There are 2 or 4 lane BIKE HIGHWAYS everywhere, which run along side of a wonderful, clean light-rail system. Bikes are the number one mode of transportation in Amsterdam, there are 1.5 million bikes in a city of 800k. Being in the city was almost spooky, it was incredibly quiet due to the lack of cars. You could actually hear people chatting and birds singing, like being in downtown Charlotte at 7am on a Sunday morning. <BR/><BR/>Needles to say, I believe that 485 should be finished. There is no point in having gone this far to make a C instead of a O. But after it is finished, lets get serious about rail. For those of you who say we are not 'designed' for rail, the development will come, much like it already has along the blue line. <BR/><BR/>Instead of developers flocking to areas around new roads, they will want to build around the line. It's an investment that needs to be made, regardless if the support or need is evident now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-78274636924500429592009-04-10T13:26:00.000-04:002009-04-10T13:26:00.000-04:00Mary is nothing more than an advocate for the stat...Mary is nothing more than an advocate for the state. Basically a weak minded person.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-32825654865670189812009-04-10T10:44:00.000-04:002009-04-10T10:44:00.000-04:00STOP LYING MARY:Atlanta recently reconfigured its ...STOP LYING MARY:<BR/><BR/>Atlanta recently reconfigured its transportation funding system to prioritize congestion reduction. <BR/><BR/>http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A148154<BR/><BR/>We are SO SICK OF YOUR BULL$HIT.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-39528285818754865652009-04-09T14:19:00.000-04:002009-04-09T14:19:00.000-04:00Having been raised in Charlotte, and never experie...Having been raised in Charlotte, and never experiencing true mass transit like Chicago and Atlanta until my adult life , I think the light rail is definately a step in the right direction for Charlotte. However,what a shame at the lost potential the light rail COULD have had. The light rail would have even been more of a success if any forethought had been put into it's placement. <BR/><BR/>Being placed along South Blvd doees nothing to alleviate 485 congestion...everyone still has to clog up 485 every morning to get to S. Blvd to take the train. More tax payers would absolutely benefit from widening 485.<BR/><BR/>I guess the light rail/485 planners are the same yahoo's that have planned a "public park" with our tax money that has now become a soccer complex at a CMS elementary school via contract with SCSA that will host 10,000 people per month on a two lane road with 92 parking spaces! Oh - another road project for the city!! And how many of you tax payers will get to use that "park"? Little to none - SCSA can force you to leave a park YOU paid for! <BR/><BR/>Charlotte Roads, Charlotte Schools, Charlotte management - a trend is showing people... <BR/><BR/>Our tax money well at work fellow Charlottians...????<BR/><BR/>Is there any wonder at the mass exodus to bordering SC communities?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-35008333083314721712009-04-09T11:02:00.000-04:002009-04-09T11:02:00.000-04:00Go to the Heroes blog on the Obsever entertainment...Go to the Heroes blog on the Obsever entertainment page. Too funny.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-81472826868330245702009-04-08T08:27:00.000-04:002009-04-08T08:27:00.000-04:00Good post and comments. I don't have the education...Good post and comments. I don't have the education and data to know what would be best for most Charlotteneans for the least amount of money. I think there would be enough educated people who can make the best decisions. It seems that they can't or won't. So, I prefer they don't take any more of my money.Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05211884827943843149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19601020.post-11298517757146297412009-04-04T12:41:00.000-04:002009-04-04T12:41:00.000-04:00"The planner is a potential dictator who wants to ..."The planner is a potential dictator who wants to deprive all other people of the power to plan and act according to their plans. He aims at one thing only: the exclusive absolute preeminence of his own plan" Ludwig Von MisesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com