Residents demand urgent traffic solutions amid development crisis

During a recent government meeting, significant concerns were raised regarding the infrastructure inadequacies along the Moccasin Wallow corridor in light of proposed developments. A local resident highlighted the urgent need for improvements to the roadways, specifically referencing the planned expansion of Moccasin Wallow to accommodate an influx of traffic from 1,112 new residential units and 250,000 square feet of commercial space.

The resident pointed out that while there are plans to extend Moccasin Wallow to four lanes, the rezoning proposal inaccurately claims it will be a six-lane arterial roadway. They emphasized that there is currently no funding allocated for this expansion in the upcoming 2025-2029 capital improvement plan, contradicting the assertions made in the development documents.

Concerns were also raised about the reliability of traffic studies referenced in the proposal. The resident noted that the traffic impact statement was based on modeling rather than actual traffic counts, and called for a comprehensive review of all traffic studies to accurately assess the potential congestion and safety issues that could arise from the proposed developments.

The discussion underscored the potential dangers posed by increased traffic, particularly regarding emergency medical services (EMS) response times. The resident, a retired nurse, expressed alarm over the possibility that the new developments could exacerbate delays in emergency situations, especially given the current average response time of over 11 minutes, which exceeds national standards.

The meeting concluded with a call for a thorough evaluation of the traffic implications of the proposed developments before any further action is taken, stressing that the existing two-lane roadway is already insufficient to handle current traffic volumes, let alone the anticipated increase.