Local troublemaker Mel Morganstein makes these common sense points would Charlotte’s headlong rush into 1890 technology:

In all these discussions about the hazards of bicycling in Charlotte, there has been no mention of the serious hazard that streetcar tracks present to bicycles. The problem is so bad in Seattle , WA, for example, the city currently dealing with no less than six (6) lawsuits from bicyclists injured from accidents caused by their streetcar tracks.

And the threat is not limited to bicycles. Every time I try to traverse Elizabeth Avenue in or out of town on my motorcycle, I know I am holding up traffic by my
very cautious approach to dealing with the hazard created by Charlotte’s streetcar tracks. No wonder! When I was a teenager in Washington, DC, I, in fact, had my motorcycle come out from under me when my front wheel lost traction or snagged on the city’s streetcar tracks. I was even riding very slowly at the time, but that did not stop the hot exhaust pipe from seriously and painfully burning my leg when the bike went down. Safety problems were, in fact, a large factor in the D.C. government deciding to drop the streetcar system and depend instead on buses.

Tracks in the street are also a hazard even for three-wheeled motorized trikes. Not only that, four wheeled vehicles can and do skitter when driving on the tracks on Elizabeth Avenue. And I am told by runners that tracks in the street can create a serious issue for even two legs instead of two wheels,
And all of these problems are seriously magnified when the streets are wet from rain. How many pedestrians are going to slip or trip from wet tracks when crossing the street?

The problem is generally greatest for all those mentioned above when trying to traverse ALONG a road with tracks and not when crossing the tracks at close to right angles. But crossing tracks IS a problem for folks confined to wheelchairs according to a mom I talked to whose daughter must get around on one. Wonder how soon it will be for Charlotte to be sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for the impediment created
by our proposed streetcar system?

Simply put, Elizabeth Ave. will be rendered largely unusable for anything except the streetcar and foot-traffic. And that is by design. But by all means, lets first hear city officials dismiss and deride these concerns.