Every other year, the Town of Chapel Hill conducts a survey about what people think of the quality of services the town delivers. In every survey conducted so far, traffic has emerged as the category with the largest amount of negative comment.
Recently, town staff made a presentation to the Council that suggested that the traffic problem is 4% less serious than it was in 2003. See the pdf presentation Traffic Analysis and Tools. At the Council meeting several council members raised questions about these conclusions. Later local media ran headlines announcing that Chapel Hill does not have a traffic problem to worry about!
It goes without saying that congested roadways cause ground level smog and poor air quality days. Collectively, cars and trucks account for nearly one-fifth of all US emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global–warming gases for every gallon of gas.
We sent this Petition requesting that the town provide the underlying DOT raw data that supports the staff conclusions. It’s essential for the Council and the public know that good data backs up our understanding of the problem. Certainly the staff conclusions in this presentation are at odds with the “perceptions” of residents that have personal experience with Town traffic. The DOT data is also at odds with the data presented later in the Council presentation — that consultants’ traffic counts at major intersections in Town have increased by up to 25% over just the last two years and that travel time along major corridors has also increased by similar amounts during this time.
Here are some additional observations about the Town’s traffic presentation. {click on link}
Since its inception, Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town (CHALT) has made it a priority to advocate for better transit planning and traffic mitigation. It is critical that the town staff have in hand accurate information, and that the Council make plans based on sound data in order to mitigate traffic congestion on major roadways.