Is northern Harnett County ready for transit? Study aims to find out
Northern Harnett County is growing rapidly, but is it ready for a bus or other kind of transit system?
Answering that question is one goal of a study being done by regional transportation planners at the request of the county.
A key part of the study is a public survey that’s open through May 27. It asks people whether they would use transit and if so what kind and how. Options could include scheduled bus service or some sort of public on-demand rideshare.
The idea of public transit in Harnett County might seem far-fetched, but the part of the county closest to Raleigh, Cary and Research Triangle Park is changing, said Lew Weatherspoon, former mayor of Angier and now a county commissioner.
“Harnett County has always been a very rural county. And people, myself included, we like to have our car,” Weatherspoon said in an interview. “But the growth in Northwest Harnett, Angier, Lillington, it’s starting down in Coats now — the growth is just exploding.”
The influx of people from other parts of the country that have bus or other transit services might translate into support for it in Harnett, Weatherspoon said. Another factor might be the state of the county’s road system, which was built for a much smaller population and won’t be significantly expanded anytime soon.
“I don’t know if you’ve driven in this area recently or not, but I’ll tell you that the traffic is just horrendous down here,” Weatherspoon said. “I’m trying to think of ways that we can eliminate some of the traffic on the roads, some of the congestion that we currently have on our streets and highways.”
The study is being done by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, which does transportation planning for Wake and parts of four adjoining counties including Harnett. In addition to the public survey, CAMPO is meeting with elected officials, local government staff and key interest groups such as the business community, said spokeswoman Bonnie Parker.
“The analysis and engagement completed so far has all been positive and indicative that transit would be not only viable, but greatly beneficial for the county and its residents,” Parker wrote in an email. “Ultimately, there will be a set of recommendations for initial and long-term steps toward determining a path toward providing transit services in Harnett County.”
Weatherspoon said it’s possible the study will suggest that Harnett County isn’t ready for transit now or in the near future.
“If that’s the case, then so be it. We’ll move on,” he said. “But I think we’re going to find out that what Harnett County is interested in is shifting.”
For more information about the North Harnett Transit Study, including a link to the survey, go to www.northharnetttransitstudy.com/.
