Orange County NC Website
L1FT <br /> 2.6 TRANSPORTAT/ON <br /> GENERAL FRAMEWORK <br /> While providing a vital service function, the means and <br /> manner by which people and goods are transported influences <br /> the physical development pattern throughout Orange County. <br /> Areas which are served by the most convenient transportation <br /> access are the most appropriate locations for centers of <br /> employment, leisure activities, schools, services, and <br /> commercial and industrial activity. Residents of the County <br /> require an adequate transportation network to insure <br /> convenient and safe access to such activities and, generally., <br /> their locational decisions are influenced by such <br /> transportation related factors. <br /> The primary means of transportation in the County is the road <br /> system. The system serves two main functions: traffic <br /> movement and land service. Given the potential <br /> incompatibility of these two functions efforts should be <br /> directed at balancing the two functions through an <br /> integrated system. This requires consideration of the <br /> location and distribution of the population; the intensity <br /> and spatial distribution of land uses and their potential for <br /> traffic generation; and the economic character of the County. <br /> The relationship between residential and commercial uses and <br /> the adequacy of the road system is particularly Important as <br /> the system integrates and links such uses, providing access <br /> between homes and the goods and services needed and demanded <br /> by County residents. However, the adequacy of the road system <br /> can be determined from two perspectives. The individual <br /> county resident evaluates the system on the basis of user <br /> objectives such as speed, convenience, safety and cost. In <br /> broader terms, the system is evaluated on the basis of its <br /> impact on the economic growth potential and the general <br /> ambiance or environmental character of the County. It is <br /> clearly important that neither of these factors can be <br /> excluded in the provision of transportation services <br /> for Orange County as they are interrelated and interconnected <br /> elements. <br /> In that light, the interrelatedness of land use and <br /> transportation are key factors in the County's overall <br /> Comprehensive Plan. The separate considerations of the <br /> transportation system and process are further detailed in the <br /> Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan. This <br /> element is undergoing formulation at this time, and should be <br /> completed in late 1989. <br />