CHARLOTTE, NC – Two people are recovering from minor injuries after the first accident involving the CityLynx Gold Line. It happened Saturday morning near the intersection of Elizabeth Avenue and Kings Drive. You can see the damage in a picture and video from Liz Barrett of Charlotte Agenda.
There’s still no word from CATS on what caused the crash to happen.
“Well, anytime you’ve got a 10-ton train sharing the same road as cars, it’s a recipe for disaster,” says Republican Mayoral Candidate Scott Stone.
Stone was quick to call for an investigation into the testing of the trolley’s breaking system.
“I’ve, for four years, been citing the concerns, not just with the spending, and the other issues, but certainly safety’s always been a concern of mine,” Stone says.
We reached out to all the other Mayoral candidates for their input. Democrat David Howard sent us a statement that reads in part, “I have no doubts as we grow our mass transit system that both CATS operators and motorist will learn to coexist…”
Republican candidate Edwin Peacock called Saturday’s crash a “trolley folly.” Peacock says he supports public transportation, but doesn’t see the benefit of the streetcar.
“I just think that the drivers here have to get used to it,” says Statesville resident Silas Harris. In Uptown tonight, Harris told us he used to live in Philadelphia and saw no issues with the streetcar there. “Once they get the hang of it, I don’t think there will be any problem. Unfortunately, you had the incident today,” Harris says.
But Stone says he understands how drivers could have problems. “Knowing where to go, what to do. The rails are right there with you and then when you see a train coming, bearing down on you, what do you do? How do you get out of the way? he asks.”
