What an amazing weekend for Sustain Charlotte, jammed-packed with events that promoted sustainable and equitable transportation!

First on the weekend agenda was Sustain Charlotte's Art for All | Bikes for All on Saturday, May 6.  This was a wonderfully collaborative effort that brought together almost 60 people for an immersive guided cycling tour of West Charlotte’s Inside|Out art installations.   

Despite some light drizzle in the morning, the clouds cleared for a wonderful day that showcased the newest Inside|Out art installations along the Stewart and Irwin Creek Greenways.  

We were in good company last night at the City Council public hearing for the draft bike plan, Charlotte BIKES. Sixteen speakers, including Sustain Charlotte’s Bike Program Manager Kate Cavazza, shared their views on the plan.  Read her comments here and follow this link to watch the video.  

Some of our City’s youngest riders from the Park Road Montessori School spoke in support of bicycle safety, greenways, and protected bike lanes!  We even saw a familiar sticker on this cyclist’s helmet -- #ibikeclt!  

Watch a clip of our Walk2Transit volunteers sharing their thoughts after our walkability tour. 

44 new residents per day are joining Charlotte's rapidly growing population. But in spite of that growth, CATS bus ridership is declining. Why aren't more people choosing transit? A major reason identified by CATS CEO John Lewis is that the timing, frequency, and coverage of the current bus network isn't meeting the needs of riders. CATS' Envision My Ride initiative will address that problem through a major bus network redesign process, which we're keeping you updated on. Check out the first round of changes proposed for June. 

Where are all the bus riders?

But what about the experience of bus riders as they walk to and from stops? Sustain Charlotte's Walk2Transit project is an 18-month effort to identify, evaluate, and advocate for improvements to bus stops that are tough to walk to. 

629,931 calories burned.

$13,155 saved.

12.6 tons of carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) kept out of our atmosphere.

This is the impact we've made together in just the first month of the Way2Go CLT sustainable transportation challenge! And because a picture is worth a thousand words, we'd like to introduce our new friend, Way2Go Willie:

He's also in it for the shameless bragging rights.

Way2Go Willie loves to save money, reduce his contribution to pollution, and burn calories by making better transportation choices. He'll be helping us track the very real difference that your participation in Way2Go CLT is making each month.

If this rad little cardboard dude isn't enough for get you excited about Way2Go CLT, then check out the top performing teams and individual prize winners for March!

The March 2017 Way2Go winners are...

Visible. Big. Iconic. If you were asked to describe current bike facilities in Charlotte, these probably aren’t the first words that would come to mind. But thanks to the thousands of you who have signed our #iBikeCLT petition and made your voices heard at public workshops, Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) has recommended a protected bike lane that will provide much needed connectivity through Uptown!  The future for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders on Parkwood Ave and The Plaza also looks much brighter thanks to new CDOT recommendations resulting from more than a year of advocacy by residents and Sustain Charlotte.

In fact, bike and pedestrian issues dominated the conversation at City Council’s Transportation and Planning (TAP) Committee meeting on Monday.  Here’s a run-down and our take.

Draft Charlotte Bike Plan Advances to Public Hearing

Residents from the West Boulevard Corridor neighborhoods steadily streamed into the very well-attended Kickoff Meeting on Tuesday evening to learn about the upcoming corridor study of the street that runs through the heart of their community. Staff from the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) guided meeting participants through a series of stations. The public was invited to share information about where people currently cross the street, where they want to be able to cross the street, and other mobility needs. 

CDOT staff and residents discussed safety needs of pedestrians and bicyclists.

You're invited to a public workshop on March 21 hosted by the Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) to learn more and share your input on the upcoming corridor study of West Boulevard. The study will evaluate existing conditions, identify deficiencies, and make recommendations to improve the safety and ease of walking and biking on West Boulevard between Camden Road and Billy Graham Parkway.

Since last summer, Sustain Charlotte has been working in partnership with the Equitable Transportation team comprised of West Boulevard neighborhood resident advocates for safer streets. 

We met with transportation agency staff from CDOT and CRTPO at our February meeting.

On Monday night, residents from the neighborhoods surrounding the Plaza Midwood business district presented a petition to City Council calling for bicycle and pedestrian improvements on The Plaza and Central Avenue.  Two residents explained to Mayor Roberts and Council Members the daily challenges facing residents as they attempt to walk, cycle or even use transit on this corridor.  

Do you remember the petition we launched calling for a protected bike lane connecting the greenways through Uptown?  The one that more than 4,000 of you signed?  

Well, your voices have made a difference!  On February 23, the 7th Street Public Market was the place to be to learn more about the future of Charlotte’s cycling infrastructure as Center City Partners and CDOT hosted the second public Uptown Connects workshop.  Cyclists of all ages and abilities, Uptown business owners, and interested community members alike came to get a glimpse at CDOT’s plans for an Uptown pilot protected bike lane. 

Bikes parked outside 7th Street Public Market during the Feb 23rd Uptown Connects workshop.

CATS CEO John Lewis presented at Wednesday's monthly Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) meeting on ridership and fare trends. He acknowledged that bus ridership has declined and stated at both the beginning and end of his presentation that he believes it's largely due to CATS not fully meeting the mobility needs of its current and potential riders.

"Many people spend an inordinate amount of time getting to and from work each day...We will bring back to the MTC a series of proposals that will get us to a targeted level of average trips [trip duration]. So if we accept that if an average trip is 90 minutes, what will it take to get it to 60? What will it take, from an investment standpoint, to get it to 45 or 30? And that will be a decision for the MTC to make. As ridership on our buses continues to drop, I think that is a result of us not meeting the needs of the community and mobility needs of our customers, and I believe that Envision My Ride will go a long way towards solving that," said Lewis.