Carrie Crespo
Staff Writer

Taking an extra minute to get to work isn’t such a bad thing — at least not to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen.
When presented the 2005 Carrboro Mobility Report Card, Board members felt that the slight increase in traffic since the previous study in 2003 was positive for the town because it might convince more people to walk, bike or use public transportation to get to their destinations.

The report, presented by LSA Associates, Inc., is a compilation of data about the town’s transportation system. It includes whether people chose to take a bus or drive car or walk — as well as travel time and traffic volumes during peak hours on key roads. It also documents the number of new roads and sidewalks that the town has installed.
The report was done to help the town to monitor problem areas and to make travel more efficient. It also gives the board members an idea about citizens’ preferences relative to local travel.
LSA, an environmental, transportation and community planning firm, graded the criteria with a “thumbs-up” for a good outcome, “thumbs-sideways” if no change occurred and a “thumbs-down” if there was a negative effect.
The study, which cost the town $6,000, gave the only “thumbs-down” to the increase in travel time on the nine major corridors.
In making the presentation, LSA’s Michael Hallock-Solomon explained, “We did see a 14 percent increase in travel time, but to put that in perspective, instead of a trip taking seven minutes, it now takes eight,” adding, “It might not be that big of a deal.”
In addition to the time element, LSA studied the average travel speed on the nine corridors during peak hours of the morning and evening. Eleven of the 18 observed routes remained steady while the remaining seven showed a decrease in speed.
Hallock-Solomon said that while the slower driving time may be objectionable for some motorists in a hurry, it may have positive effects on other drivers because it makes bicyclists and pedestrians more comfortable on those same roadways.
Alderman Jacquelyn Gist agreed.
“I always consider an increase in travel time to be a good thing because the easier we make it for people to get someplace in their car, the more likely they are to take the car,” Gist said.
“I’d like to see the traffic time actually increase even more because that would encourage people to get on their feet or get on the bus or get on the bike, particularly since there are very few reasons why anyone should be driving to the University.
“I would turn the travel time to a thumbs-up rather than a thumbs-down,” she said.
The study showed that overall patronage of the Chapel Hill Transit increased by 95 percent since it went to free fares in 2002. The growth is outpacing operating service hours. The construction of both the Francis Shetley bike path and the Libba Cotten bike path in Carrboro has increased the amount of pedestrians and cyclists.
“It’s good to see that things are changing,” Alderman John Herrera said. “Ridership and pedestrian activities are increasing. We don’t know if it is because the gas prices went up or because we are building sidewalks.”
On the other hand, Herrera mentioned to the board that Jones Ferry Road across from Abbey Court is only three accidents away from prompting the state Department of Transportation to put in at least a blinking light or a stoplight. Drivers can’t see other vehicles coming down the hill.
Alderman Randee Haven-O’Donnell was a little skeptical about why there wasn’t a more significant change in traffic on Smith Level Road, old Highway 86 or the Homestead Road corridors.
“Those are the areas where we are expecting significant changes because of schools that will be coming in, and so I’m surprised they don’t reflect the neighborhoods and developments that have sprung up over those there,” Haven-O’Donnell said.
Hallock-Solomon responded that the overall road capacities are high and there aren’t a lot of driveway accesses or intersections that would increase congestion levels.
Although the board still must prepare for the future, the results of the study seemed positive.
“Overall, we would have to give you two thumbs up,” Hallock-Solomon said. “You’re doing very well. The only negative was the increase in travel time, but that wasn’t a huge increase when you look at the typical person’s drive time, and it may have pluses for other modes.”