Old roads can’t handle traffic growth
The following is a Counterpoint:
By James E. Nagel
Regarding the article, “City’s stuck in a jam” (News & Record, April 27), reporting clogged roads with no future funds to provide widening to accommodate large-scale developments that are approved by the planning board, zoning board and City Council:
It seems apparent that none of these boards has considered the present road system feeding these developments and there is no plan, budget or commitment on the part of the city or state to widen streets to accommodate approved developments.
Horse Pen Creek Road is a prime example of city boards allowing large-scale developments with no commitment to road widening or improvement.
Horse Pen Creek Road is an old, twisting, two-lane country road that has schools and the Carolyn Allen Recreation Park feeding into it from a side road, several recently built apartment complexes and two more in the process. One, Plantation, is a huge multi-building complex at the corner of Battleground and Horse Pen Creek Road.
In addition, there is traffic from the YMCA and a children’s day school, and Carlson Dairy Road brings Summerfield residents into the city. If this isn’t enough, Kotis Properties has appealed to the Zoning Commission to develop a complex with apartments, stores and office building opposite the 10-acre Proehl sports complex under construction. It is insane.
As your article reports, long-time residents have difficulty getting out of driveways or feeder streets into Horse Pen Creek Road, not to mention safety concerns of an overloaded country road.
Certainly with the huge increase in tax revenue generated from these new developments, there should be funding to the Transportation Department for road widening to facilitate growth in these areas.
Zoning and planning boards and City Council shouldn’t approve large-scale developments unless they make commitments for road widening and improvements.
The writer lives in Greensboro.
Comments (3)
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I've mentioned this idea before:
Since the zoning board seems to never disapprove of anything suggested by a developer, let's eliminate the zoning board altogether (save money) and simply issue rubber stamps to the developers so they can approve their own projects. This would make official what is already happening anyway.
I imagine all the city cares about is getting more property taxes from those developments. It doesn't matter to them what happens to any of us after we've purchased a home and are trying to live and work every day. All I can say to newcomers is try to move into an older, established neighborhood with no vacant properties nearby--reduces the chance that you will wake up one day next to a nightmare.
I also think we should enact an ordinance that requires developers to live in the messes they create. In fact, let's move all the zoning board members to Horsepen Creek Road or Wendover Avenue.
Posted on May 23, 2008 7:55 AM
I'll bet you just loooooovvvvvveeee Zack Matheney!
Posted on May 23, 2008 4:15 PM
My compliments to Mr. Nagel's analysis. I agree with all of his points.
Around ten years ago, I traveled Horse Pen Creek almost daily, and even then there were warnings that traffic patterns needed attention. Recently, however, I experienced an unpleasant learning experience about what poor traffic planning and unchecked development can do to a country road.
I am in the process of downsizing and went to check out some townhomes on Horse Pen Creek. I intentionally went during rush hour to see what the traffic would be like. As I tried to turn into the development, I waited long enough for around 10-12 cars to line up behind me. When I tried to exit, it took me nearly 5 minutes to turn right onto Horse Pen and another 5 minutes to go the one mile back to Battleground. Who ever thought that someone would be relieved to get into Battleground traffic?
Posted on May 24, 2008 9:27 AM