Hillsborough finds high-tech solution to traffic congestion problem

The Hillsborough Town Board is trying to alleviate an old traffic congestion problem with a new, technology-driven approach.

On Monday, the town began a weeklong survey of traffic on Churton Street, the main downtown roadway, using Bluetooth technology.

Two sensors set two miles apart record the Bluetooth IDs of any device set to “discover” mode. The goal is to find how long it takes for the cars they are inside to travel from one point to the next.

Town Commissioner Eric Hallman said data collected from the survey will be used for small traffic alleviation projects and a possible future roadway project.

Smaller projects could include changing on-street parking and managing intersections, he said.

Hallman said updated data is needed because the town’s traffic patterns have changed drastically.

“Even studies from six years ago are inadequate for today.”

Though traffic flow has changed, it isn’t a new problem — Hallman said town officials have looked to improve Churton Street traffic for decades.

The street is part of N.C.-86 and the only main route running north to south through the town.

She said the amount of traffic the plan would redirect did not justify those issues.

In researching prior plans, traffic patterns were determined by stopping and polling drivers; so, the Bluetooth technology will be an improvement, she said.

“We thought it was worthwhile to go with the option that seemed less intrusive to the public,” she said. “You could only stop a few cars before you had a mess; so, you could only capture a small portion of the population.”

According to Traffax Inc., the company that designed the technology, device IDs will be kept a secret.

Kim Wheaton, co-owner of Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, said the tracking makes her uncomfortable but would be more convenient.

“I like this a lot better than being stopped and asked where I’m going,” she said.

Dallas Pridgen, a resident, said the devices should be regulated.

“I think that’s one step down a path that we ought to look at a bit more closely,” he said.

The public can voice concerns about the project at a November meeting, Hauth said.

Contact the City Editor at city@dailytarheel.com.