Planned projects are risky to Carrboro community

TO THE EDITOR:

There are two planned projects for Carrboro that endanger the residents of The Highlands a local residential neighborhood — Colleton Crossing and Carolina Commons. These two projects would add one thousand car trips per day to the area.

The Highlands has 100 homes and more than 100 school-aged children. Our roads have no sidewalks curbs gutters or lights and are meant to carry traffic from 38 to 100 homes.

UNC owns the woods adjacent to where the road and Carolina Commons are to be constructed. UNC is a national leader in pedestrian safety through the UNC Highway Safety Research Center and the Injury Prevention Center. Their own studies show that more pedestrian injuries occur with increased traffic volume and no sidewalks.

Statistics show that there are many preventable child pedestrian fatalities on the same type of roads as ours. How will UNC continue to serve as a role model for pedestrian safety?

We have six school bus stops. Our high school students walk home in the street which is a designated school walk zone.

And yet I have not heard of one penny being set aside by UNC to improve the roads of The Highlands.

We fear for the safety of our children.



Mari Weiss
Chapel Hill