COLUMBIA, S.C. — Traffic Changes on the Horizon for Irmo

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Traffic Changes on the Horizon for Irmo

Hey there, Irmo residents! Big news is rolling in from the Town Council that could really shake things up on our roads. The town has officially adopted a new traffic ordinance that’s aiming to keep our streets safe and manageable as Irmo continues to grow.

More Traffic Studies Ahead

So, what’s this all about? Well, during a meeting on August 20, the Town Council voted unanimously to pass a new law that calls for more frequent traffic studies in the area. Assistant Town Administrator Doug Polen shared that this is a golden opportunity for the town to play a more active role in the traffic impact analysis that comes with new developments.

Here’s the scoop: the threshold for when a traffic study is needed has been lowered significantly. Previously, if a development was expected to generate 100 trips per hour on town-owned roads, a study was required. With the new ordinance in place, that number has dropped to 50 trips. This means smaller developments will now also trigger the need for comprehensive traffic reviews.

Why This Matters

This change is particularly exciting because it gives Irmo more say in the traffic discussions that once only happened between private developers and the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). According to Polen, this shift means the town can step in and guide potential traffic issues before they become a real headache.

“This new ordinance puts the town in the middle of that conversation and helps us guide the mitigation from the newly created traffic,” Polen explained. Sounds pretty promising, right?

Some Mixed Feelings

However, not everyone is fully on board. Frequent council meeting attendee Henry Martin raised some eyebrows at the council’s expertise in traffic management. He pointed out that while the town wants a say in the development process, the SCDOT is still going to review all the studies. “They want to implement studies rather than waiting for the DOT to do it,” Martin argued. “But the DOT reviews it and charges the developer for it, so I don’t really have any big problem with that.”

Martin raised a solid point—let’s be honest, traffic isn’t an easy topic to navigate. But, he also acknowledged that the new ordinance is a step in the right direction, although he believes it should have been implemented sooner. “We have got to do something, and it’s something that needs to happen differently. You know, I’ve been told to work with the process. Well, the process is too slow,” he stated, echoing concerns many have about traffic issues in Irmo.

Looking Ahead

But hold up—this ordinance isn’t just some pie-in-the-sky talk. According to Polen, they’ve been gearing up for this for a while now, long enough to include this new law in discussions about a big, multi-million dollar mixed-use development that could bring thousands of new residents to Irmo.

While negotiating with Water Walk, the town made it clear that even if the traffic impact analysis ordinance wasn’t officially in place by the time their development moves forward, they still wanted to hold them to that standard in the development agreement. “They also recognize that traffic is a major issue on Highway 6 in Irmo,” Polen noted, highlighting the importance of the matter.

Final Thoughts

All things considered, the new traffic ordinance in Irmo seems to promise a lot of good. With more studies and active participation from town officials in traffic matters, hopefully, we can ease up some of the congestion and make life a little smoother for everyone in the community. Here’s to hoping Irmo keeps moving in the right direction!