Green is the best way: Town, University should work to connect Carolina North and main UNC campus with greenways

The University will expand greatly in the coming years with the addition of Carolina North. And successful growth requires efficient transportation.

Connecting the two campuses by a greenway is an important part of efficient transportation. The University, the town and the community must collaborate to link the campuses in the best way possible.

A community meeting tonight will explore the location for a greenway and bike path between the proposed research campus and the main campus, which will be about two-and-a-half miles apart.

When Carolina North was initially being discussed, community members proposed a connecting pathway to UNC’s main campus. The resulting agreement includes an initiative for a greenway that is not located within the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard roadway and that avoids steep inclines where possible.

The community should advocate including existing or planned greenways for at least some, if not all, of the route. Greenways provide an important alternative to automotive traffic and offer commuters a way to be outdoors and away from busier parts of town.

Biking along the road can be dangerous, even with designated bike lanes. Greenways are safer and can be fully paved and handicap-accessible.

A greenway would decrease automobile traffic, energy inefficiency and parking problems.

Although some neighborhoods and countless hills will be obstacles in this endeavor, the town should make it a priority as Carolina North grows.