City of Charlotte

Charlotte Chamber

Transportation Summit 2012

Carolyn Flowers, CEO

Charlotte Area Transit System April 13, 2012

City of Charlotte

Growth of the Bus System

1998 2012

City of Charlotte

Bus System Services

One of the safest in Country

Accident rate less than 0.35 per

100,000 miles

87% of all routes are on-time

90% of customers rate quality of

service high

Countywide Transit Service Plan

complete

New routes implemented

o Gold Rush Expansion

o Matthews/Mint Hill Road Shuttle

o Grier Heights route to Walmart on

Independence Boulevard

City of Charlotte

A New Era: Light Rail Transportation

LYNX Blue Line entered service in 2007

LYNX Blue Line ridership surpassed initial

ridership projections by > 60% in less than

three years

TOD Impacts

o Pedestrian-friendly development

o Mix of residential, retail employment and

civic development, $1.4 billion Transit

Oriented Development (TOD) investment

$18.8 million in new tax revenue (prior to

revaluation)

City of Charlotte

9.6 miles from Charlotte Center City to I-485/South Boulevard

o 15 stations

o 7 park and rides

Ridership

o 14,000 – 15,000 daily

o 27,000 – 35,000 special events

o 5 million annual

$462.7 million capital investment was a funding partnership

between

o USDOT $199.0 m (43%)

o NCDOT $115.0 m (25%)

o City/CATS $148.7 m (32%)

$10 million annual operating cost is paid from the local half-cent

Sales & Use Tax revenue

LYNX Blue Line

City of Charlotte

Economic Impact on

Transit Sales & Use Tax

$70.2 $85.0

$95.0 $106.3

$125.7 $148.6

$175.8

$207.9

$260.0

$325.1

$70.4 $57.4 $59.0

$64.5 $73.6

$84.0 $95.8

$109.3 $130.4

$162.5

$0.0

$50.0

$100.0

$150.0

$200.0

$250.0

$300.0

$350.0

$400.0 2

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Sales Tax Gap FY2007-FY2035

2006 System Plan

Current Forecast

FY2007 - FY2035TotalGap = $2.3 Billion

City of Charlotte

2030 Transit Corridor System Plan

Adopted by the Metropolitan Transit

Commission in 2006

o Guide for growth of mobility options in the

region

30-year long range plan

o Build-out of a multimodal transit system

o Introduction of rapid transit modes of

transportation

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the

NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT)

are key financial and technical partners

FTA is the largest investor in projects i.e. 50%

to 80% of eligible projects

Every $ received from NCDOT is matched

≥ 100% with local half-cent sales tax funds

City of Charlotte

LYNX Blue Line Extension (BLE)

o +9.4 miles

o Implementation in 2017

o +25,000 daily riders

o Improvements to North Tryon Street

o Connects UNC Charlotte

campuses

FTA approved project

o Awarded $39.6 million

o 1 of 4 projects identified as “ready-to-

go” in President’s FY2012 budget

Financially sustainable project

o $1.10 billion (YOE)

o FTA issued Record of Decision in

December 2011

o Request to enter Final Design in

March 2012

Our Next Major Project:

LYNX Blue Line Extension

City of Charlotte

Red Line (Commuter Rail)

• Commuter rail from downtown Charlotte to

Town of Davidson (or Iredell County)

• Currently not eligible for federal funding

• Seeking NCDOT participation

o Financial partners

o Leadership with private railroads

• Proposed build-out in 2018

o P3 (Public-Private-Partnership)

• Candidate for design-build

City of Charlotte

Red Line Regional Rail

• Dual Benefit Corridor

o Integrates the efficient movement of

both goods (freight) and people

(transit)

• Economic Benefit

o Attract new residents, employment

and private business, strengthening

the North Corridor as a focal point

for the regional economy

• Unified Benefits Approach

oMaximize regional value creation,

value capture and value distribution

though a Joint Powers Authority

(JPA)

City of Charlotte

Streetcar Starter Project

Presbyterian Hospital to Charlotte Transportation Center

City of Charlotte

ULI-Rose Panel Concepts

Limited Access Express Way

BRT/Express Bus

Street Car

Local/Feeder Bus

City of Charlotte

Combine Busway and HOT

ULI Recommendations with Combined Busway and HOT*

Vehicle Lanes Buffer HOV Exclusive Busway

HOV Vehicle Lanes Buffer

Vehicle Lanes Buffer Vehicle Lanes Buffer HOV Busway

Independence Boulevard with Exclusive Busway*

City of Charlotte

Potential Development at

Park and Ride Station

City of Charlotte

Thank You