Democratic mayoral candidate Craig Madans served up more light rail fantasy by charging that local transit planners denied the West side its own rail line due to racism. Yeah, and the CIA invented crack, too.
Any other urban myths you’d like to touch on Craig? Here’s a hot one — the Swiffer WetJet will kill your dog.
Seriously, the tale that racial concerns have dictated the route transit projects take is decades old and is usually used to try and turn out voters come election time. The facts of matter rarely matter because the claim just “sounds” true.
There are still people who, for example, believe that Washington, DC’s Metro system does not have a stop in ritzy Georgetown because residents did not want black transit riders hopping off in, sniff, Georgetown. Instead, mundane reasons like the lack of retail in Georgetown back in 1959 when system planning started, blasting through bedrock below 18th century buildings, and the little matter of the angle needed to cross the Potomac River safely sealed the deal.
Similarly, a light rail line out to the Charlotte airport makes no sense as the airport already has fine road access and a stop there would only take up valuable real estate needed for cargo operations. Plus, as we noted, the development issue is primary in light rail plans, not moving people.
Mayor Pat McCrory, though, shouldn’t take Madans’ fantastic claims so personally. In the absence of any compelling reason why Charlotte is building light rail, the mayor should not be surprised that people just make up reasons that “sound” right to them.