In other transportation ideas we’ve been flogging for years and suddenly seem respectable — a toll lane to relieve congestion on I-77 in North Meck. Figures that the idea only becomes real when a consultant for Parsons Brinkerhoff spins it to the Lake Norman Transportation Commission.
But the real forward thinking would be to replace the North line heavy rail line with a cheaper, congestion reducing HOT-Bus Rapid Transit system, an approach that might actually qualify for federal transit funding. And remember, the enabling legislation for Mecklenburg’s half-cent transit tax specifically allows for “HOV facilities” to be built with tax revenue.
Expect our local geniuses to catch on to all this long about 2014.
