Charlotte Fights Its Anti-Transit Foes ... With Infographics

Charlotte, North Carolina, hasn't forgotten its last big fight over light rail. In 2007, before the LYNX blue line opened, a small but strong anti-transit group (rallying cry: "Stop the Train") tried to repeal the half-cent sales tax that helped pay for the line. That effort was crushed in a referendum vote, but with construction on the blue line's extension beginning this summer, the city's transit agency has prepared for another assault just in case.

"We anticipate that as we start constructing our next line … we could again have some anti-transit or people who like to put out misinformation," says Olaf Kinard, a spokesman for the Charlotte Area Transit System.