Beth Mechum
Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL — The Chapel Hill Town Council opened a public hearing on cell phone and road safety Monday night, and with it came a flood of anecdotes about what is seen as a growing problem.
Council member Penny Rich, who requested the hearing, spoke of an email from a parent of a UNC student who expressed concern after her daughter was rear-ended two separate times by two separate cell phone-wielding drivers.
Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt spoke of the recent accident in Efland involving a woman who was seen talking on her cell phone before being struck by an Amtrak train, killing both her and her 5-year-old son.
Coolidge St. resident and former council member Joe Capowski recalled the time a UNC student talking on her cell phone almost knocked him off his bike.
“This is way past an accident waiting to happen,†Capowski said.
The council is considering possible regulation of handheld cell phone use by drivers. North Carolina already outlawed texting while driving, but some council members feel that taking it even further would be beneficial.
Rich said that to set a good example for her teenage children, she doesn’t use her cell phone while driving. Council member Sally Greene said that while she does occasionally use her cell phone while driving, she’d like to think she would stop if it became illegal.
Other council members questioned the enforcement issue. To date, the number of people stopped for texting while driving is at most five, according to Assistant Police Chief Bob Overton, due to how difficult the law is to enforce.
Overton said it would presumably be easier to see someone talking on a phone than spot someone texting, but that there would be exemptions, such as calling 911. He said a police officer would have to do a search and seizure on the phone if the driver claimed exemption, and that that’s getting into an area in which many officers are uncomfortable.
The council will further consider the issue after reviewing an informational report scheduled to be released in April by the General Assembly.
A public forum was also held on proposed changes to the tree-protection ordinance. According to the town, “The draft ordinance would establish minimum tree canopy coverage requirements for individual lots and tracts. It also would establish standards related to significant tree-removal activities on residential properties, excluding many routine maintenance activities.â€
Many residents were on hand to speak on this issue, with the majority against the ordinance.
Ralph Mason, a Chapel Hill resident, showed a picture of his house and said that if the ordinance were passed he’d have to plant trees in his yard, where his grandchildren love to play croquet and volleyball in the sun.
“While I love trees, I also love well-manicured lawns,†Mason said.
Resident Scott Radway also voiced concern about the ordinance, saying, “I think the way this is written is an administrative and functional nightmare.â€
Council member Jim Ward said that though he loves trees, the ordinance does seem overreaching. “I try to be the Lorax and speak for the trees, but this ordinance needs some work,†he said.
Those in support of the ordinance expressed their desire to keep Chapel Hill a beautiful place to live, free of an excess of parking lots and buildings with no trees.
The ordinance proposal is scheduled to return for council consideration on May 24, with possible revisions based on public feedback and concerns expressed by council.
In other action, the council approved an agreement with the N.C. Department of Transportation on the use of federal and bond funds for new sidewalks on Weaver Dairy Road between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Erwin Road, and authorized the town manager to enter into an agreement with UNC to proceed with upgrades to traffic-signal measures.