The Sylva Herald
February 28, 2008
Jackson County, the Southwestern Rural Transportation Planning
Organization and the N.C. Department of Transportation's Planning
Branch are seeking public input as part of Jackson County's
Comprehensive Transportation Plan.
County residents are asked to complete a short survey to identify
transportation issues and needs, with answers being used to prepare a
county CTP.
During the CTP process, the county's future transportation needs will
be determined, and solutions will be recommended, according to
Southwestern Commission transportation planner Ryan Sherby. Alternative
modes of transportation will also be studied, and the process will
involve local government officials and the public. Public workshops
will also be held in the future to receive additional input on local
transportation issues.
Paper copies of the survey are available at the Jackson County Public
Library, the Jackson County Planning Department, Sylva's town hall, and
the offices of the Southwestern Commission. The survey can also be
downloaded or completed online at
http://www.regiona.org/econdev/transportation-planning.htm.
Those who are unable to access the survey online or pick up a copy may
call Sherby at 586-1962, ext. 214, or e-mail him at ryan@regiona.org.
Surveys should be completed by March 31 and returned to Ryan Sherby,
Southwestern Commission RPO, 125 Bonnie Lane, Sylva, NC 28779.
On behalf of Smart Roads we wish to make the following observations re: the current course of the task force. We assume the recent transportation survey has been developed by NCDOT and the RPO, and there exists a genuine interest in reaching the public for "input."
ReplyDeleteWe find the deadline [March 31, 2008] for completed surveys to be somewhat arbitrary. Smart Roads
is planning a transportation "display" at the Public Library in April; we are also planning to table at the "Greening of the Mountains" Festival in Sylva [in April], an event that draws thousands of people.
Thus we feel the survey could reach significantly more people if the deadline were extended until April 31, 2008. Perhaps this could be discussed and voted on via emails among task force members.
A more pressing problem exists: the task force [and the community survey] are proceeding as if there is no controversy over the southern loop. Is the task force going to proceed until June[?], 2009 with a comprehensive transportation plan that totally ignores the "elephant in the room?"
We have been told by DOT officials for the past year there is clear public support for the southern loop; this was later "qualified" by DOT as "indirect public support." However no official DOT documentation supports this.
The survey should at least make some attempt to determine public support or non-support for constructing a "multi-lane freeway." This could be done in the spirit of a somewhat feckless and general survey question, something comparable to question # 10-e.g. such as: "Are there any specific transportation issues that you are particularly concerned with that are NOT addressed by this survey?" Such a question might actually give the public an opportunity to deal with real issues [without mentioning the southern loop].
The current survey is professional, predictable, and serves the purpose of confirming we have traffic problems.
We feel the addition of such a question is important enough to merit discussion at the next task force meeting on March 12. If the surveys have been printed and circulated, then we propose the deadline be extended until April 31 to allow for a 1/8-1/4 page insert be added for such a question [in hard copy]. This would be no problem with electronic surveys. Additional questions should be approved by the task force.
It is time the DOT/RPO proceed in "partnership" with the county task force. Please don't tell us it is too early in the "process" to address this issue.
Respectfully,
Susan Leveille
Roger Turner
Smart Roads Alliance
The Sylva Herald
ReplyDeleteLetters to the Editor: 02/28/08
Task force meeting was ‘puzzling’
To the Editor:
Observing the Feb. 13 Jackson County Transportation Task Force meeting was a puzzling experience for this taxpayer. While grateful that it was open to the public, I left wondering what exactly the Department of Transportation means when they assure us they are responsive to the community.
The bulk of the meeting focused on developing data for a comprehensive transportation plan and included the circulation of a proposed community survey. One might have never guessed that there was a highly controversial road lurking in the background.
Finally, at the end of the agenda, Walter Kulash, an independent traffic consultant representing the Smart Roads Alliance, brought up the subject of the Southern Loop – the “elephant in the room.” From his questions I learned that DOT has already started an environmental study for the proposed four-lane highway, despite considerable public opposition as far back as when the Southern Loop was first proposed. I later learned that this particular project/environmental study comes with a $2 million price tag.
When Kulash pointed out that such a study could expand its scope of work to include a consideration of alternatives, DOT (District Engineer) Joel Setzer answered with something that struck me as equivalent to “trust me.” Setzer suggested that the comprehensive plan might deal with alternatives “perhaps in 2009.” Why in the world should the public or the task force wait that long for serious consideration of alternatives? Shouldn’t such a study include alternatives now? Common sense says “yes.”
One of the items on the agenda was a draft for a community survey. The gist of the survey questions aim at whether there is a traffic problem, where the congestion is and whether we want more efficient roads. No questions about the public’s preference for solutions – do we want a multi-lane freeway or do we think traffic problems can be solved by other solutions?
I hope the task force will revise the survey to include such questions. But even if they do, it remains to be seen whether the DOT will pay attention to the answers. If the DOT is responsive to community concerns, that should be reflected in their actions. It isn’t enough to say “trust us.”
Pat Montee
Sylva