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Frustrating, but better than the alternative

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Staff

By Tom High

The politics of misplaced frustration subsequent to last week’s Carrboro Board of Aldermen vote to reject the N.C. Department of Transportation’s latest “improvement” project for Smith Level Road led a frustrated Mayor Mark Chilton, who cast the lone vote in favor of the project, to vent thusly:

“I’m frustrated because there was an awful lot of rhetoric here tonight that suggests that this current situation is somehow safe, that the current situation is somehow acceptable, that it would be OK to wait another 20 years to have pedestrian improvements on Smith Level Road and Culbreth Road.”

The “rhetoric” referred to during the packed meeting, from a public unanimously opposed to the project, indicated no such thing. No one who spoke said the current situation is safe, acceptable, nor did anyone jump for joy at the thought of another 20-year wait for sidewalks and bike lanes.

What was expressed, in firm comments from an active citizenry, was that the price paid to acquire sidewalks and bike lanes in exchange for an inappropriate multi-lane monstrosity which was antithetical to the culture and character of Carrboro would be, simply put, unacceptable.

One could argue that Mayor Chilton’s frustration was, to a large degree, self-inflicted. He was the deal maker who gave NCDOT the idea, in a behind-closed-doors meeting with NCDOT back in 2007, that a multi-lane agreement in exchange for a roundabout, sidewalks and bike lanes was acceptable.

And so, as speaker after speaker rose to denounce the project, the mayor was caught in the all-too-often political paradox of trying to defend a position rather than supporting what was in the best interest of the town.

Part of his defense consisted of reading emails from citizens upset at the lack of sidewalks on Smith Level, a position shared by virtually everyone who negotiates that corridor with any regularity. What he failed to take into account before striking this deal was the level of upset a multi-lane proposal would engender.

For the mayor and any of the board members frustrated by the emails concerning the lack of sidewalks on Smith Level, a suggested response to same:

“Thank you for your email. NCDOT has so far refused to consider sidewalks in any improvement project for Smith Level unless the Town of Carrboro accepts a multi-lane cross section or the town agrees to pay for the cost of the sidewalks. We cannot accept a multi-lane cross section, as it is economically unsound, would destroy multi-modal interconnectivity and would compromise the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers due to the resulting high-speed vehicular traffic. The town currently is looking into ways to acquire funding without having to raise taxes. Any ideas/suggestions you might have would be welcome. Thank you for your interest in this matter.”

Another frustration: School board member Lisa Stuckey spoke at the meeting and reiterated yet again the concern the school board has for the safety of the proposed roundabout at the intersection of Smith Level and Rock Haven Road. Is this the same school board so concerned about the safety of roundabouts that they put not one, but two roundabouts on the Carrboro High School site?

Or perhaps like Mayor Chilton, the school board is trying to defend a position, a position that led them to reject the idea of a roundabout at this intersection when Carrboro High was under construction, even though it would have been cheaper to build and research indicates that roundabouts are safer than signalized intersections: for vehicles, bicyclists and, yes, pedestrians, even when they happen to be students.

Kudos to the board of aldermen for voting the Smith Level proposal down, especially when many of them had to reverse a vote made two years earlier. Believe me, the citizens who live and work and travel along Smith Level share their frustration at the lack of sidewalks and bike lanes.

We must endeavor to persevere, and overcome. Given the intransigence of NCDOT, that probably means coming up with the funding ourselves, hopefully via a federal or state grant. With good fortune, that will happen before another 20 years passes. If it does, great. If not, the status quo would still be better, and safer, than a multi-lane Smith Level Road.
Frustrating, but still better.

Tom High is a Chapel Hill resident.

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