Warren McCord: Traffic is here, so we must manage it

There is little in Auburn to complain about except the weather and traffic. In the case of both, the severity often depends on one’s perspective.

Most towns with a viable economy and major U.S. highways experience some traffic issues. However, to many of us who remember Auburn as a sleepy college town, current traffic conditions at certain times of day are bothersome. Auburn is still a college town, but it and the university are no longer sleepy.

Granted, there are some places in town with less than optimum traffic conditions. Steps should, and are, being taken to improve those situations.

Several of our corridors are state or federal highways. Improvements on these highways must be made by the Alabama DOT based on federal standards, funds available, and sometimes, politics. To gain more control over the traffic, the City of Auburn is negotiating to take over the roadways for Alabama Highway 147 between its intersections at North and South College/Shug Jordan and Alabama Highway 14 from the Shug Jordan over-pass eastward through Auburn.

Improving I-85 interchanges are also the responsibility of the state. One of the biggest traffic bottlenecks in Auburn is the Moores Mill Road over-pass between 7:30 and 8:15 a.m. on weekdays. The city upgraded Moores Mill Road, but the state must widen the over-pass for the improvements to have their maximum intended effect.

The Public Works Department continually evaluates the levels of service on major roadways by counting traffic at peak hours and timing delays at intersections. These numbers are compared to standards developed by the Transportation Research Board.

When private developments are proposed, the planning commission and city staff look carefully at the on-and off-site impacts. A professionally prepared traffic impact report is required when the development has the potential to cause a decrease in the levels of service on the surrounding streets, accesses a collector or arterial roadway, involves 30 or more dwelling units, or may generate more than 100 trips per acre per day or 250 trips per day.

The traffic impact report identifies measures needed to mitigate traffic generated by the proposed development. The developer and the city negotiate a development agreement specifying the measures to be implemented. Financial participation by the city is justified when the measures not only mitigate traffic impacts of the proposed development, but also help resolve an existing off-site traffic problem. To encourage walking and cycling, sidewalks are required in new subdivisions and each year the city adds to the existing 62 miles of sidewalks and 32 miles of bike-ways in the city by building additional sidewalks along major connectors and corridors.

As long as there are cars, fuel and places to go, there will be traffic. Realistic planning and reasonable measures can keep it manageable.

Warren McCord is Chair of the Auburn Commercial Development Authority and member and past Chair of the Auburn Planning Commission. He can be reached at blmccord@bellsouth.net