Orange County NC Website
TO BE DELETED AND REPLACED WITH PROPOSED <br /> SECTION 2.6 TRANSPORTATION <br /> 2.6 TRANSPORTATION *Amended 8-1-89 / 8-21-90 <br /> GENERAL FRAMEWORK <br /> While providing a vital service function, the means and manner by <br /> which people and goods are transported influences the physical Y <br /> development pattern throughout Orange County. Areas which are servedl . <br /> by the most convenient transportation access are the most appropriatej'' <br /> locations for centers of employment, .leisure activities, schools, ;Y <br /> services, and commercial and industrial activity. Residents of the <br /> County require an adequate transportation network to insure <br /> convenient and safe access to such activities and, generally, the ir . `x <br /> locational decisions are influenced by such transportation related <br /> factors. ..1 <br /> The interrelatedness of land use and transportation are key factors '."r <br /> in the County's overall Comprehensive Plan. The separate <br /> considerations of the transportation system and process will be =y;: <br /> further detailed in the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive <br /> Plan. This element is undergoing formulation at this time, and should;:" <br /> be completed in late 1989 . <br /> The primary means of transportation in the County is the road system.- <br /> The system serves two main functions : traffic movement and land r <br /> service. Given the potential incompatibility of these two functions, ' -q <br /> efforts should be directed at balancing the two functions through an <br /> integrated system. This requires consideration of the location and <br /> distribution of the population; the intensity and spatial <br /> distribution of land uses and their potential for traffic generation; ,;; <br /> and the economic character of the County. <br /> The relationship between residential and commercial uses and the <br /> adequacy of the road system is particularly important as the system <br /> integrates and links such uses, providing access between homes and <br /> the goods and services needed and demanded by County residents. <br /> However, the adequacy of the road system can be determined from two <br /> perspectives . The individual county resident evaluates the system on <br /> the basis of user objectives such as speed, convenience, safety and <br /> cost. In broader terms, the system is evaluated on the basis of its <br /> impact on the economic growth potential and the general ambiance or <br /> environmental character of the County. it is clearly important that <br /> neither of these factors can be excluded in the provision of <br /> transportation services for Orange County as they are interrelated <br /> and interconnected elements. <br /> DESCRIPTION OF THE ROAD NETWORK IN THE COUNTY <br /> Orange County contains a relatively adequate road network. Major <br /> population and employment centers are linked throughout most areas of <br /> the County - primarily by Interstates 85 and 40. The presence of a <br /> widespread state-maintained rural highway system has significantly <br /> "opened up" the rural areas of the County for residential <br /> development. Subsequently, residential pressures in these rural <br /> 2.6-1 <br />