The Charleston Metro Area has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years in both commercial and residential development. While a tremendous boast for the region in terms of tax revenue and services, traffic has become a problem. Commercial areas have traffic problems due to the fact that they are clustered around each other with separate curb cuts. Residential traffic is a problem primarily during the morning and afternoon hours for those dropping kids off at school and going to work. We all leave for and drive home from work at the same time.

In most high growth areas, traffic congestion is the number one reason why many support anti-growth measures. If residence can move freely, the support for growth is very good. Many of these regions have looked at many different approaches to traffic reduction from mass transit to road construction. The Charleston Trident Home Builders Association supports a wide variety of transportation vehicles to maintain the economic vitality of the region and that allow its citizens to move freely. While not all encompassing, the following are recommendations for improving and enhancing our current transportation system:

• Lobby the SC State Legislature to allocate more roads funding for the Charleston Region.
• Create regional transportation committee (not political, only traffic experts) to develop a regional plan that looks at creating an integrated network of roads. Conservation and land use should be taken into consideration when developing this plan.
• Support full funding of major road projects within the states main economic region. For example, I-526, Berlin G. Myers and Glenn McConnell Parkway extensions should be extended into already high growth areas. All of these should be limited access roads to limit on/off ramps. The main focus of these roads should be to get from point A to B, not to provide access to shopping and commercial centers.
• Support funding of synchronization of traffic lights. At little cost, this approach can reduce traffic congestion.
• Create a series of frontage road system along major commercial areas reducing the number of curb cuts and bringing cars to strategically placed stop lights.
• Encourage developers when feasible to incorporate commercial and school sites into projects when feasible.
• Encourage employers to adopt flex time and work from home which will reduce morning and afternoon traffic. If government, which is the major employer in the region, started a work schedule from 9:00 to 6:00 than those going to non-government jobs which traditionally open at 8:00 would be traveling to work at different times.