Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
GOAL 3: Create Environmentally Sustainable <br />Transportation Systems that Meet <br />People's Needs <br />Background /Rationale <br />Transportation issues in Orange County revolve around a two - pronged axis: air quality and <br />traffic. Auto pollution accounts for approximately 75% of the county's nitrogen oxide <br />emissions according to the NC Division of Air Quality. The county may be designated non- <br />compliant with new EPA rules in 2000, largely due to these emissions. The vast majority of <br />vehicle trips in the county are in Single Occupancy Vehicles. <br />A second problem with this auto - dependency is <br />the amount of traffic we are experiencing in <br />Orange County and the Triangle. Dependence on <br />the private auto, along with new national air <br />quality standards, and air quality and traffic <br />problems in the Triangle area, necessitate that we <br />rethink how we travel from place to place and the <br />number of daily trips and miles we drive. It is <br />clear that we need more environmentally sound <br />transportation systems, along with land use <br />patterns that decrease the need for vehicles as <br />previously discussed. <br />Another important transportation need is the provision of adequate transit for those unable to <br />own and drive an automobile. <br />50 <br />