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NCCBI
joins effort to improve awareness of transportation issues
NCCBI announced
its participation this week in NC Go!, a broadbased statewide
coalition that will focus on educating North Carolina citizens
and legislators on the serious transportation needs that are
facing the state.
NCCBI President Phil Kirk kicked off the initiative during a
press conference on Wednesday, along with representatives of
other organizations involved in the coalition. Also speaking
at the press conference were Christie Barbee, Executive
Director of Carolina Asphalt Pavement Association and Co-Chair
of NCCBI’s Transportation Committee; Jim Ritchie, General
Manager of the Triangle Transit Authority; and Fayetteville
Mayor Milo McBryde.
“NC Go! begins with its focus on traffic congestion across
the state,” Kirk said. “Congestion slows down our economy,
just as it slows down daily commuters trying to get from their
homes to their jobs. Everyone understands congestion because
congestion is exactly what results when we neglect our
transportation problems.”
North Carolina is a state of motorists. According to the NC
Department of Motor Vehicles, as of December 2000, there were
6 million licensed drivers and nearly 7.2 million registered
vehicles in the state. Transportation
supply, however, has not kept up with demand.
“The answer to solving our congestion problems lies in
bringing together smart choices from not just one area, but
from many – from roads, planning and public
transportation,” Barbee said. “Each of us here today
represents a different organization, but together, we intend
to advocate for the best solutions to the problem.”
The state’s current transportation system lacks enough
“alternative” modes of transportation. NC Go! believes
that the right solution will include a multi-pronged approach,
including roads, rail and bus transit. In addition, the right
solutions will look for ways to fix all the state’s
transportation needs and not force a tug-of-war over what are
already limited resources.
In a poll conducted by NC Go!, it was revealed that:
 Eighty-three percent of motorists drive in a city or suburban
area on a regular basis.
Sixty-five percent of North Carolinians surveyed said traffic
in their area is worse than it was three and five years ago.
Only 10 percent of North Carolinians believe we spend too much
on transportation. And, 59 percent believe more needs to be
done to fix the state’s transportation problems.
An overwhelming majority of North Carolinians – 85 percent
– believes we should widen our existing roads. And seven
out of 10 North Carolinians believe we should build more
roads.
More than six out of 10 city and suburban residents say they
would ride a rail transit system if available.
Ninety-six percent of North Carolinians are willing to spend
more money to fix and repair roads.
Traffic congestion brings more motorists to a standstill, it
also halts economic opportunity and the problems facing the
state are getting worse.
Just this week, The News and Observer reported that Highway 54
– two lanes in some sections, five in others – carries
about 20 percent as much traffic as adjacent I-40.The
Charlotte Observer reported that the average daily traffic
count in 1995 on I-85 (at US 20/NC49) was 62,000, compared to
83,000 in 1999.In addition, it was noted that Charlotte’s
congestion is growing at a rate that places it fourth worst
among the country’s 50 largest cities.
Congestion is not only an urban problem. It also affects
North Carolina’s rural areas. Rural residents acknowledge
that wide-open rural areas just do not exist anymore. Formerly
tranquil, small towns are now often bumper-to-bumper with
traffic and country back roads are major commuter routes.
“Often we think of congestion as affecting only those who
live in urban areas. But that’s not true,” Kirk said
during the press conference. “People often commute from
rural counties to work in urban areas. They waste valuable
resources – time, gas – and may even add to air pollution
in the state. We
also need better roads in our rural areas to encourage
economic development in those areas of the state.”
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