A NC DOT/Metrolina Council of Governments study on transportation governance reveals that a majority of a citizens committee comprised of 101 asssembled from the region thinks the ‘quinfurcated’ manner in which the Charlotte Region plans for transportation infrastructure needs an overhall.

Bill Duston from the Metrolina COG presented the findings of the study to the Lake Norman Transportation Committee this week, and responded to numerous questions from the group.  While no vote was taken, LNTC Chair Brian Jenest said it was clears that his group favors change as well.  “If we were designing the way the region plans it’s transportation future, we certainly would not replicate what exists today,” Jenest said. 

Currently, we have three MPOs and two RPOs which work independently of each other in planning for the Charlotte Metro.  Any coordination is purely accidental, as there is no requirement to plan jointly, often resulting in failure to deal with regional issues, such as congestion, safety and environmental issues.  Duston said he and other members of the COG staff are on the ‘speaker circuit’ airing the results of the study.  A consensus on a plan of action will be formulated later this spring, he said.