Monday, March 10, 2014
ROGERS — Traffic congestion has worsened over the past few years, city officials acknowledge, although millions of dollars have been spent building and improving streets.
Tracy Chase, who works for the U.S. Postal Service, said traffic has gotten a lot worse in the past five years.
By The Numbers
Traffic
Traffic volume is increasing as the city continues to grow.
Based on numbers complied in the American Community Survey, which contains data from 2008 to 2012, the population of Rogers was 56,208 in 2012. There were 19,879 housing units in Rogers, and each household had an average of 1.74 vehicles. According to the survey:
• 5.4 percent of households, or 1,077 housing units, had no vehicles.
• 34.1 percent of households, or 6,786 housing units, had one vehicle.
• 41.7 percent of households, or 8,298 housing units, had two vehicles.
• 18.7 percent of households, or 3,718 housing units, had three or more vehicles.
Source: Staff Report
AT A GLANCE
Traffic Counts
• The busiest intersection in Rogers is Walnut Street at the intersection with Interstate 540 with an average of 30,000 vehicles per day. That count was taken in 2012* by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
• The average daily vehicle count on New Hope Road near Interstate 540 in 2008 was 24,000 vehicles. The average increased in 2012 to 26,000 vehicles.
• Hudson Road had an average daily count of 2,400 vehicles per day in 2000, according to Google Earth. The average daily count in 2012 on Hudson Road, near the intersection with Dixieland Road, was 4,500 vehicles.
*2012 traffic counts are the most recent numbers available
Source: Staff Report
"I really don't know what the city can do about the traffic besides build more roads," Chase said.
Steve Glass, director of planning and transportation, said he is aware of the traffic situation, but he said city officials are doing everything they can to ease congestion.
"We are close to having as much traffic as we can handle, but we aren't maxed out yet," Glass said. "We try to stay just ahead of the curve by building and improving roads we know we need."
The city is spending $100 million on street improvement projects during the next three to four years, Glass said.
First Street is scheduled to be widened between Olrich and Arkansas streets, as is Monte Ne Road between New Hope Road and Arkansas Street. Other projects include Perry Road improvements, and the extension of Gum Street through Veterans Park to connect with Olrich Street.
Building streets is not the only way to reduce traffic, Glass said.
"Better signalization and synchronization of traffic signals help keep traffic moving," Glass said.
Sallyann Brown said her biggest complaint about traffic in Rogers is traffic signals, aside from the volume.
"I don't think the signals are synchronized correctly. It doesn't matter what speed you are going, you are going to have to stop at a light. You could be driving through town at 2 a.m. with no other traffic on the road and get stopped at a traffic signal," Brown said.
Glass said traffic congestion is also addressed by the city's trail system.
The system "gives area residents another way to get to work or shopping without having to drive," Glass said.
Planned roundabouts will also keep traffic moving, he said.
Another solution to traffic congestion is public transportation, Glass said.
"I know we all love our cars, but if we had a well-established, reliable public transportation system there are people who would use the system which takes vehicles off our streets," Glass said.
John McLarty, assistant director of Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, agreed public transportation removes the number of vehicles on the road.
"In places like Portland, Ore., which has an excellent public transportation system, city officials said public transportation removes about 10 percent of the vehicles that would be on the road if there was no public transportation. Ten percent is a lot of vehicles," McLarty said.
Ozark Regional Transit is doing what it can to develop a reliable system, McLarty said.
"They just don't have the money they need to develop a regional system. We need to begin to educate the public on the importance of public transportation. I think we will develop a regional system in the future out of necessity, but it will take some convincing to get people out of their cars," McLarty said.
About 23 people move into the Northwest Arkansas Municipal Statistical Area a day, according to the Northwest Arkansas Council.
The average housing unit has 1.74 cars based on the latest figures available, said Paul Justus, a planner with Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission.
"We have 19,879 housing units in Rogers with each household having 1.74 vehicles for a total of 34,589 vehicles," Justus said.
Glass said he estimates 10 families move into the area every day and have two vehicles, which adds 20 new vehicles a day to the traffic pattern.
"That means we have 7,300 more vehicles every year on our streets," Glass said.
Not everyone complains about traffic in Rogers.
Chris Lankford, who lives in Fayetteville and works in Rogers, said traffic is bad in Rogers, but not nearly as bad as it is in Fayetteville.
"Rogers has better road connectivity, more east and west and north and south roads, than Fayetteville," Lankford said.
NW News on 03/10/2014