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Los Angeles and Atlanta are models of what not to do. I have some friends in NYC and they all stated that rush hour traffic in RDU is as bad as in NY, if not worse. The part that doesn't make sense is our metro has like 1/20th the population; so, it really shouldn't be this bad.
The main issue, in my opinion, is sprawl. That's what we have in common with LA and ATL. Raleigh and Durham aren't right next to each other to begin with, like say Minneapolis and St Paul, for instance. On top of that, you have more than half the population in suburbs like Cary, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, etc.
When everything is spread out and everyone relies on a car, you can build lanes all you want, but if things continue to grow like this, spreading out, and being more reliant on cars, things will only get worse.
I'm not anti-car, and I'm not anti-growth. But it's pretty much a fact that this type of growth causes major traffic issues.
Slightly related, but, for those wondering why Chapel Hill isn't growing, that's on purpose. I talked to some people in Chapel Hill planning and they have strict laws regarding growth zones, building heights, etc. Chapel Hill wants to remain more of a town vibe. I don't live in Chapel Hill, and I almost never go there, but I respect this more than the way Cary goes about things.
Same here. I grew up in Cary/Apex and now live in Chapel Hill and like the vibe here much better (for now at least).
By no means is Chapel Hill perfect and the traffic here is disproportionately rough for a town it's size. They do need to widen some roads. On the same hand I'm glad that they are forward-thinking enough to be planning a light-rail line through here. We just need to get some state-elected officials out of office so it can get properly funded.
I don't like what the unchecked growth has turned Western Wake County into. I'm all for free-market and I get that's how supply and demand works and that's fine. Folks there now obviously love it so good for them.
So, does anyone else find it crazy that suburbs Apex and Wake Forest have the same amount of people as stand alone cities like Goldsboro, Wilson, and New Bern?
And those are just the actual incorporated places.
N&O put the population of Cleveland, in western Johnston, around 40k. Another Apex, but without the local government.
No way the Cleveland area of Johnston county is as densely populated as Apex? How many square miles approximately does the unincorporated area of Cleveland cover?
According to this site, these are the numbers for the Triangle's largest municipalities (over 30K) and their population increase since 2010:
Raleigh: 451,066 (+47,174)
Durham: 257,636 (+29,306)
Cary: 159,769 (+24,535)
Chapel Hill: 59,568 (+2335)
Apex: 45,585 (+8109)
Wake Forest: 38,199 (+8082)
Holly Springs: 31,377 (+6716)
I guess the most surprising thing to me is how many people Cary has added relative to its population.
The whole state needs to slow down in growth. I hate this type of suburban growth. Before you know it the states pristine land will be eaten up completely by suburban development, we will end up looking like New Jersey.
The whole state needs to slow down in growth. I hate this type of suburban growth. Before you know it the states pristine land will be eaten up completely by suburban development, we will end up looking like New Jersey.
I know New jersey isnt a suburban wasteland completely, especially the southern portion.
Then why the comparison of NC to Jersey? If they can manage to still have plenty of farmland, with much higher pressure from expanding urban areas during a time in which zoning was not nearly as controlled as now, surely, NC can manage it now, being 7 or so times bigger and all.
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