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Letter: Smith Level plan can work

Posted on May 20, 2010May 20, 2010 by Staff

Smith Level Road is a primary artery for Carrboro, but the lack of sidewalks or even wide shoulders makes it a menace for pedestrians and cyclists. The N.C. Department of Transportation has a new plan that would change the road considerably.

What’s in the new plan? Aside from a turning lane, the roadway would remain two lanes, but DOT would acquire land for four future lanes (which will not be built without the town’s approval). This would provide plenty of room for bike lanes and a sidewalk far removed from the busy roadway. Berryhill residents would no longer be able to take a left onto Smith Level Road (SLR), but could take a U-turn at BPW when traveling north. A roundabout would be built near Carrboro High School. Well-designed roundabouts are much safer than traditional stoplights, and the roundabout at Rock Haven would slow traffic down and provide a beautiful entrance into Carrboro.

Do the benefits of the new plan outweigh the liabilities for the town? As an advisory board member, I voted to reject two other SLR proposals in the past because I believed they were antithetical to Carrboro’s vision of “complete streets” that improve pedestrian, bicyclist and motorist safety. SLR would have gone from two to four lanes, increasing vehicle capacity but doing very little for alternative transportation. The aldermen sent the plan back to DOT, requesting something less expensive that fits our vision.

Perhaps unknown to most Carrborites, something changed recently at DOT. After we rejected the last proposal, Mayor Chilton caught the attention of the COO of DOT, Jim Trogdon, and pressed DOT to come up with a plan that matched their Complete Street Policy. And after 20 years of banging heads over SLR, DOT pleasantly surprised us with a new plan, with two lanes, a roundabout, wide bike lanes and sidewalks removed from traffic.

We have a choice of working with DOT and trying to modify small parts of the plan or reject the plan again and live without sidewalks and bike lanes for many more years to come. It would be great to skip the land acquisition, but such a project would not be funded any time soon. I think that DOT has come a long way to support our vision. Although there are some minor elements to improve, I strongly support the new plan.

CHARLIE HILEMAN
Chair, Transportation Advisory Board

5 thoughts on “Letter: Smith Level plan can work”

  1. Wayne Pein says:
    May 21, 2010 at 12:37 pm

    Mr. Hileman is yet another bike lane proponent who conveniently ignores the fact that the nearly 8% grade of Smith Level Road is about double the 4% maximum allowable for bike lane installation according to NCDOT Guidelines. His statement that “SLR would have gone from two to four lanes, increasing vehicle capacity but doing very little for alternative transportation.” is completely bogus. In fact, 4 narrow lanes is the appropriate facility. Signs saying BICYCLES AND BUSES USE THIS ROADWAY. CHANGE LANES TO PASS would essentially create 10′ “bike lanes.” That would be far better than 5′ debris filled bike lanes that are guaranteed to create a liability problem.

  2. Charlie Hileman says:
    May 23, 2010 at 3:38 pm

    Had you not guessed, Dear Reader, I should point out that Mr. Pein is an ardent and vocal opponent of bicycle lanes. Although his public disposition might not be… charming… he bikes all the time, and I believe his thoughts on motorists and bicyclists are worth reading. In the case of SLR, we were most concerned that four lanes would not work for pedestrians, crossing a huge roadway and walking beside many lanes of traffic. There is elementary school at the bottom of the hill, and a high school at the top, so we were focused on parents and students walking to school (as well as cyclists). Given Mr. Pein’s tireless crusade against the evils of all bike lanes, we should forgive his apparent disregard for the lowly pedestrian.

  3. Linda Levitch says:
    May 25, 2010 at 5:37 am

    All of us who have spent many years monitoring (and opposing) the proposals being put forth by the DOT with regard to Smith Level Road, are encouraged that the DOT is finally taking into consideration the real transportation needs of Carrboro and offering sidewalks and bike lanes with only two traffic lanes- BUT the implementation of this latest plan will have effects on the surrounding community that are just as, or even more, detrimental. Clearcutting a roadway 99 feet wide to allow for an unneeded median and extensive grassy buffers will turn this 1/2 mile stretch of roadway into as much of a speedway as the 4-lane proposal (that was only 95 feet wide). Forcing a U-turn through a busy intersection with significant pedestrian traffic is an accident waiting to happen. After decades of fighting off the DOT’s plans I urge the Board of Aldermen to hold out for a plan that will allow the tree buffer to remain and not deny direct north-bound access onto Smith Level for traffic coming out of the Berryhill neighborhood.

  4. Terri Buckner says:
    May 27, 2010 at 3:32 pm

    Dan Coleman suggested at the last public hearing that DOT be asked if they would be willing to proceed with the land purchase (for 4 lanes) but stick with the current footprint for the vehicular portion of the road. Have we received a response?

  5. Wayne Pein says:
    May 30, 2010 at 5:51 pm

    When sidewalks are present, it is irrelevant how many lanes exist. Pedestrians obviously walk along other local 4-lane roads with sidewalks. As far as crossing four lanes, a center median makes that a relatively safe maneuver. Further, since four lanes disperse motor traffic, there will be bigger gaps for crossing.

    Yes bike lanes are evil, but some are more evil than others. A bike lane on an 8% is nasty. Why is everyone ignoring engineering guidelines?

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