{"id":99674,"date":"2025-10-23T09:14:57","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T09:14:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/?p=99674"},"modified":"2025-10-23T09:39:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T09:39:57","slug":"charlottes-east-side-opposes-the-transportation-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/es\/charlottes-east-side-opposes-the-transportation-tax\/","title":{"rendered":"East Charlotte&#8217;s History of Failed Promises"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>\r\n\t\t\tBroken Promises, Bus Lanes &#038; Budget Cuts: Why East Charlotte Should Think Twice About the Transportation Tax\t<\/h2>\r\n\tIn Mecklenburg County, voters are once again being asked to &#8220;trust the process.&#8221; But if you live in East Charlotte, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canva.com\/design\/DAG1sBpJBCE\/jBXWZqzIDpdLL64ZhK2F5w\/view?utm_content=DAG1sBpJBCE&amp;utm_campaign=designshare&amp;utm_medium=link2&amp;utm_source=uniquelinks&amp;utlId=h14b2abc880\">history tells a different story<\/a>, one filled with delays, cuts, and costly promises that rarely deliver for our communities. Before you vote on the proposed transportation sales tax, let&#8217;s revisit what&#8217;s already happened when the City of Charlotte made big infrastructure promises.\r\n\t<style>\r\n  .video-container {\r\n    position: relative;\r\n    width: 100%;\r\n    padding-bottom: 56.25%; \/* for a 16:9 aspect ratio; adjust if needed *\/\r\n    height: 0;\r\n    overflow: hidden;\r\n  }\r\n  .video-container iframe {\r\n    position: absolute;\r\n    top: 0;\r\n    left: 0;\r\n    width: 100%;\r\n    height: 100%;\r\n    border: 0;\r\n  }\r\n<\/style>\r\n  <iframe src=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1nhfX3hd2EadadIvHhKiZTEOcsNrHAbTz\/preview\"\r\n          allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\"\r\n          allowfullscreen>\r\n  <\/iframe>\r\n\t<style>\r\n  .video-container {\r\n    position: relative;\r\n    width: 100%;\r\n    padding-bottom: 56.25%; \/* for a 16:9 aspect ratio; adjust if needed *\/\r\n    height: 0;\r\n    overflow: hidden;\r\n  }\r\n  .video-container iframe {\r\n    position: absolute;\r\n    top: 0;\r\n    left: 0;\r\n    width: 100%;\r\n    height: 100%;\r\n    border: 0;\r\n  }\r\n<\/style>\r\n  <iframe src=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1EjKRyQ4vESPJYgdRtAOo2UVXFYw1QRka\/preview\"\r\n          allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\"\r\n          allowfullscreen>\r\n  <\/iframe>\r\n<h2>\r\n\t\t\t2014: The Bond That Never Delivered\t<\/h2>\r\n\t<p>It started over a decade ago, when voters approved a <b>$20 million bond<\/b> under the <b>Comprehensive Neighborhood Improvement Program (CNIP)<\/b>. Residents near Central Avenue, Kilborne Drive, and Norland Road were promised pedestrian improvements, bike lanes, and revitalized green spaces like <b>Potter Place<\/b>. After <b>robust community engagement in 2017<\/b>, construction was supposed to follow.<\/p>\r\n<p>But in 2025?<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Protected bike lanes were scrapped.<\/b><b><br \/>\r\n<\/b><\/li>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Potter Place still isn&#8217;t built.<\/b><b><br \/>\r\n<\/b><\/li>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>The City now claims it&#8217;s &#8220;over budget.&#8221;<\/b><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>We were sold a vision. What we got was a trimmed-down path and a draft plan collecting dust.<\/p>\r\n<h2>\r\n\t\t\tCentral Avenue Bus Lane Pilot: A Balanced Approach Scrapped by The City\t<\/h2>\r\n\t<p>From 2020 to 2021, CATS ran a pilot program turning one lane of Central Avenue into a dedicated bus\/bike lane. The result?<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\">A <b>30-second increase<\/b> in car travel time during rush hour.<br \/>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\">A <b>2-minute gain<\/b> for bus riders.<br \/>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\">And so much pushback from drivers that the pilot ended after just <b>six months<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>This was supposed to be a data-driven experiment to &#8220;balance needs.&#8221; Instead, it polarized the community and left us with more questions than answers.<\/p>\r\n<h2>\r\n\t\t\tThe Silver Line Sellout\t<\/h2>\r\n\t<p>In 2016, city leaders promised East Charlotte would be a cornerstone of the Silver Line light rail extension. Planning documents, studies, and millions in contracts backed this claim. But in <b>2025<\/b>, the plan was cut, again.<\/p>\r\n<p>Now the Silver Line skips key parts of East Charlotte. The same leaders pushing the transit tax today <b>voted to gut our portion of the rail line<\/b>.<\/p>\r\n<p>And as if salt needed rubbing in the wound: <b>former councilwoman Marjorie Molina<\/b>, who lost during the primary election in her district, is now angling for a seat on the <b>Transit Authority Board of Trustees<\/b>, the very body that will control the purse strings of this sales tax if it passes.<\/p>\r\n<h2>\r\n\t\t\tSo What&#8217;s Different This Time?\t<\/h2>\r\n\t<p>The 2025 transit referendum promises everything from faster buses to less congestion to rail expansions. But let&#8217;s be honest:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Gold Line is unfinished.<\/b><b><br \/>\r\n<\/b><\/li>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Silver Line got chopped.<\/b><b><br \/>\r\n<\/b><\/li>\r\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Bike and pedestrian upgrades are scaled back.<\/b><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>This isn&#8217;t about being anti-transit. It&#8217;s about being <b>pro-accountability<\/b>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Until East Charlotte sees follow-through on past promises, why should we sign off on <b>a 14% sales tax rate hike<\/b>, especially one that hits working families hardest?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Broken Promises, Bus Lanes &#038; Budget Cuts: Why East Charlotte Should Think Twice About the Transportation Tax In Mecklenburg County, voters are once again being asked to &#8220;trust the process.&#8221;&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99674"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99674"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99678,"href":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99674\/revisions\/99678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionnc.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}