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What To Do About All Those Cars: Transportation's Role In Addressing Charlotte's Growth

Flickr user/Charlie Cowins
Morning traffic on I-77.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Charlotte has the worst traffic congestion in the state and with 44 people per day moving to town - traffic just keeps getting worse. Can our infrastructure keep up or is permanent gridlock in our future? We navigate that.

A new report confirms what we all suspected - the Charlotte area has the worst traffic in North Carolina. Charlotte commuters lose 40 hours a year as a result of congestion.

As the city grows, so does the number of cars, and the city's roads are struggling to keep up with the influx of vehicles. When the first light rail line opened 10 years ago, it brought with it the promise of alleviating at least some congestion and reducing the number of cars on the road.

But has the dream of mass transit come to fruition? Along with all those apartment buildings, more parking decks are going up right along the light rail.

The cars just keep on coming - can our infrastructure keep up? Or are we destined to spend even more time in traffic? Mike Collins and his guests discuss transportation's role in addressing Charlotte's growth.

Guests

Dan Gallagher - Planning Manager, Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT)

Ed McKinney - Interim Planning Director, City of Charlotte

John Muth - Deputy Director, Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS)

Shannon Binns - Founder and Executive Director, Sustain Charlotte

Stay Connected
Erin Keever is Senior Producer of WFAE's Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins. She has been with the show since joining the station in 2006. She's a native Charlottean.