With continued exponential growth in the Charlotte metropolitan area, including York County, planners are working to design transportation options for the I-77 corridor. The “Beyond 77” survey seeks public input on how to prioritize solutions in areas like mode choice, travel efficiency and land use (through May 15).
The Bike/Ped Coalition of York County welcomed the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) to our May meeting. This municipal planning organization (MPO) shared that Charlotte has ranked in top 5-10 fastest-growing cities in the U.S. And the 2 million people in the metro area could double to 4 million by 2050! With so many more cars, we need to plan transportation beyond the interstate.
The Beyond 77 project is now in Phase III. In Phase I, residents shared travel patterns, transportation needs and commuting preferences. In the 8,000 responses, people expressed that congestion mainly was due to disconnect between land-use coordination and transportation planning. In Phase II, residents weighed in on 12 priority areas. Now in Phase III, residents are asked to opine on potential solutions – projects, programs, and concepts. Options cover safety, mode choice, land use, regional scalability, equity and more.
What Is Next?
In the next phase, the MPO will share an implementation plan which notes responsible parties, and funding. They will share their findings with the 21 agencies the CRPTO is working with, the public, and groups like the Bike/Ped Coalition who can champion these offerings that will be good for our region. We at the Bike/Ped Coalition are particularly interested in active transportation, and also quote transportation consultant in our group, Steve Yaffe, who frequently says, “You can’t float to a busstop.”
How can you help?
Take the Beyond 77 Phase III Survey by May 15; if you want to get into details, you can also give feedback directly on the dashboard. Learn more by registering for Beyond 77’s public meeting on May 13 (12-1pm) and participate in an on-demand expo at this link.
