Traffic woes often dominate objections to new development, leading some residents to question how traffic studies are conducted and approved by county planners.
“It?s a serious problem, because the ultimate constraint on development is traffic,” said Bridget Mugane, head of the Howard County Citizens Association.
Concerns over traffic studies were raised during a recent Planning Board hearing for the proposed Wegmans food market in Columbia in Howard. Several neighbors lamented the traffic the store would bring, but Wegmans officials said the traffic studies were approved.
Pennsylvania-based traffic engineer Frank Tavani, who prepared his own traffic review on behalf of Wegmans opponents, said the traffic study failed to take into account the size of the store and prepared his own traffic review on behalf of opponents.
But the credibility of traffic studies is a perennial community issue. Last year, Carroll officials made it an option for the planning commission to select the contractor.
Developers hire traffic consultants to conduct impact studies to determine what, if any, road improvements would be necessary for a proposed project.
The plans must meet adequate public facilities requirements, which sets traffic limits, and engineers take into account current conditions and growth.
County planners then review the study and may comment or request changes before approving it, said Mark DeLuca, deputy director in the county?s Department of Public Works.
Mugane said she wasn?t convinced traffic consultants hired by the developer can be impartial, as they may misrepresent the numbers to reach a particular conclusion, Mugane said.
Traffic studies aren?t an exact science, but engineers rely on a “strict set of guidelines,” such as when to do the studies and which road to study, said Wes Guckert, president of the Traffic Group, which conducted the study for Wegmans.
Traffic engineers wouldn?t stay in business if they used false assumptions or data, Guckert said.
“It?s easy for someone who is against someone to say, ?You do what you are paid to do,?” he said, adding the results wouldn?t pass the government review.
The criteria traffic consultants follow are part of the county code, DeLuca said.
“We can?t really take exception with that,” he said.
