RALEIGH — When you drive over uneven pavement or hit a pothole on a North Carolina road, you might wonder whether drivers in other states face better or worse driving conditions. Dr. David Hartgen of The Hartgen Group, emeritus professor of transportation studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, addresses that topic in a recent report. It’s titled “Are Highways Crumbling?” Hartgen prepared it in cooperation with the Reason Foundation, a California-based libertarian think tank. Hartgen discussed his findings with Mitch Kokai for Carolina Journal Radio.
As much as possible, one ought to pay according to how much one derives benefits from the existence of the highway.
There’s a good reason to question the wisdom of placing a $1 billion+ transportation bond on the November ballot. But you won’t find it voiced in most of the debate on the issue.
A proposal to ban cell phone use by North Carolina drivers failed Tuesday to get a favorable report from a House panel. There may be some good reasons for caution here.
Virtually every local official in North Carolina asserts that the highway-funding system is unfair. The debate here shouldn‘t be about how to slice up the pizza, but how to bake a bigger pie and serve it more carefully.
RALEIGH — All three of the North Carolina counties with the worst crash statistics on state roads in 2002 remained the most dangerous for traffic deaths, traffic injuries, and property damage crashes in 2003, according to AAA Carolinas. New Hanover County, for the fifth straight year, was the county with the greatest chance, per mile driven, for total collisions and injury collisions. For the second consecutive year, the greatest chance for dying in a traffic crash was in rural Graham County, which was also the most dangerous for motorcycle collisions. Statewide, highway fatalities dropped 1.3 percent, to 1,552 deaths for 2003.
RALEIGH — An average of 93 miles a year of North Carolina highways have slipped into the “poor pavement” category since 1998, according to a new study of regional road conditions, with hurricanes and state policies contributing to the problem. “Clearly, North Carolina is losing the battle on road conditions,” said study author David Hartgen. Road conditions varied widely. In 2004, the percentage of poor pavement varied from a low of 0 percent in Yancey County to a high of 27 percent in Ashe County. “Inequalities this large are unacceptable,” Hartgen said. “We would act immediately if we found these differences in school or health programs.”
The NC Board of Transportation simultaneously did the right thing and the wrong thing in devoting a larger share of taxes to road maintenance. We also need more investment in new roads.
HILLSBOROUGH — Road building is rarely a simple process. The reality is that aside from traffic considerations, environmental concerns, historical preservation issues, the existence of minority communities, land-use planning, and local politics are all factors that influence where, when, and if a road is built. A long-simmering case in Hillsborough demonstrates the complex interplay involved. While the town enjoys excellent connections to both the Triangle and Triad, getting through town can be difficult. If a local historical conservation-environmental group has its way though, the proposed road expansion will never be built. By broadly defining its interests, the group is hoping to stop the road.
The issue of licensing drivers in NC hit the headlines again this week. To sort out the pros and cons requires coming to terms with what licenses really represent.
RALEIGH — David Hartgen, a University of North Carolina at Charlotte professor of transportation studies, recently completed a study for the John Locke Foundation on highways and sprawl in the state. He found that contrary to the belief of many city planners and public officials in North Carolina, highway projects do not play a large role in determining the amount and nature of growth in local communities. He discussed his findings with Carolina Journal's Paul Chesser in this interview.
