New board to oversee transportation in Charlotte region will meet Thursday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Metropolitan Public Transit Authority will have its inaugural meeting Thursday evening. The 27 member board is now responsible for overseeing safety solutions and improvements for all public transit in the region.

“I think it’s important that we’re not reactionary, that we take time to really be thoughtful and think this thing through,” Corine Mack, MPTA Member said.

The board will manage a portion of a $19.4 billion pot of money over the next 30 years that can be used on roads, rails and buses. The board will oversee the rail expansion into the Red Line which will connect Uptown Charlotte all the way up to Mooresville.

Former Federal Transportation official Tariq Bokhari says making the light rail safer means focusing on fare evasion. He says barriers could help, but there should be a mix of security presence and technology.

“If you can’t handle fare evasion, you have a really big problem,” Bokhari said. “The standard way of approaching that is barriers all around you know, guards managing and monitoring entry points, all those different kind of receptacles in and out that still doesn’t completely solve it.”

Right now, CATS is spending more than $18 million dollars contracting with Professional Security Services for guards on the light rail and buses. There were no security guards on the train during the deadly stabbing in August or the stabbing earlier this month.

“There should be nothing off the table. Everything should be reevaluated,” Bokhari said. “It may be that the one or two contracts they currently have still make sense in their current capacity. They may need to be reconfigured.”

The board is made up of representatives from Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and surrounding towns. They will serve four year terms.

“This is going to take a lot of work. We’re going to have to look at different ideas and concepts for each station, because each station may be built differently and need different safety measures,” Corine Mack MPTA member said.

At the meeting Thursday, the board will select a chair and other executive positions. 26 of the board’s 27 members have been named, as of Wednesday evening the governor’s pick was still unknown.

The MPTA meeting will start at 6pm at the Valerie C. Woodard Conference Center. It is open to the public and will broadcast on the county’s channel and Youtube.