IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jean Leier (704) 432-0496         

CATS SEEKS COMMUNITY INPUT ON PROPOSED CHANGES
TO ARROWOOD AND SHARON ROAD ROUTES

Charlotte, N.C., July 20, 2007 -  The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will hold two public meetings next week to discuss proposed adjustments to the Arrowood Shuttle and routes 41X Arrowood Express and 66X Sharon Road Express.  The changes on these routes could be implemented when the LYNX Blue Line opens this fall.      
 
On Wednesday, July 25, CATS will hold a public meeting to discuss proposed service changes to the Arrowood Shuttle.  The meeting will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Bank of American Conference Room inside of the Charlotte Transportation Center, located at 310 East Trade Street in Charlotte.  If the proposed changes are adopted, the service would be discontinued and replaced by several fixed routes that would connect customers to the LYNX Blue Line light rail system.
 
The proposed new routes that would replace the Arrowood Shuttle are 55 Westinghouse, 56 CPCC-Arrowood and 41X South Tryon Express.  The new routes would provide service to the Westlake Corporate Campus, Central Piedmont Community College’s (CPCC) Harper Campus, Whitehall Technology Park, Griers Fork, Cedarbrooke, Steel Creek Circle Business Park and Silverlake Business Park.
 
CATS will hold a second public meeting on Thursday, July 26, to discuss proposed adjustments to the 41X Arrowood Express and to the 66X Sharon Road Express. 

The meeting will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Francis Auditorium inside the Charlotte Mecklenburg Main Library, located at 310 North Tryon Street in Charlotte.
 
Under the proposal, the 41X Arrowood Express would begin at South Tryon and Steel Creek, and operate via South Tryon to Tyvola.  The route would enter I-77 at Woodlawn and continue to Center City.  Existing customers who currently board the route along Arrowood Road would be able to use proposed route 56 CPCC-Arrowood to connect to the LYNX Blue Line for continued travel to Center City.
 
Route 66X Sharon Road Express would be discontinued upon implementation of the LYNX Blue Line and customers traveling to Center City from Sharon Road would utilize Route 20 Queens Road or the modified Route 19 Park Road.  Riders may also connect to the LYNX Blue Line Sharon Road West Station via Route 19 Park Road and Route 43 Ballantyne.  The new Route 58 Carolina Place would connect Carolina Place Mall to the I-485 Station.
 
For more information about CATS and its services visit www.ridetransit.org or call (704) 336-RIDE.

 
With 63,000 daily commuters, expanded services, improved bus shelters, new transit centers and services for the disabled, transit is attracting more and more people to get out of their cars and ride CATS. These are just a few of the ways CATS keeps the whole Charlotte region moving forward.  For more information on commuting choices, visit ridetransit.org.