Community leaders, activists hope grant can help better connect Charlotte neighborhoods

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Community leaders and activists hope a grant can help better connect some of Charlotte’s neighborhoods.

Sustain Charlotte got the $30,000 grant from the EPA and plans to focus on the North End community.

It can be tough to get around that part of town if people don’t have a car. Traffic lights are spaced pretty far apart, and the roads are busy, especially during rush hour.

Sustain Charlotte wants to educate people in the neighborhood on the best ways to get around and work with city planners on possible changes.

“This is a really wonderful opportunity, as there’s currently less traffic out there due to the pandemic, for Charlotte to be really creative about testing new ways to use our streets,” said Meg Fencil, with Sustain Charlotte.

Some things the North End Community Coalition wants to see is a focus on repairing sidewalks so that they’re more friendly to wheelchairs and adding bike lanes.

“We need to determine, along with Sustain Charlotte’s help, how we can coexist as pedestrians with motor vehicles and with cyclists,” said Darryl Reginald Gaston, with the North End Community Coalition.

Gaston said the North, South, East and West corridors are trying to form a coalition to work on transportation issues citywide.

Pedestrian safety addressed with plan in place to widen busy road Pedestrian safety addressed with plan in place to widen busy road

Cox Media Group