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6 TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2005 New ideas ease transit woes BY STACEY CARLESS STAFF WRITER Instead of fighting for park ing spaces, students at Stanford University left their cars at home. In an attempt to reduce traffic congestion, they were offered $lB5 per semester not to drive their cars to campus. Spenser Havlick, a national expert in transportation and sus tainable campus communities, discussed the importance of find ing such alternative transporta tion methods to a group of 35 University community members Monday evening. Havlick acknowledged the diffi culties in asking individuals not to commute to campus and pointed to Stanford as an example. “You can’t just ask people to not drive you have to provide incen Project’s size spurs traffic worries BY BRANDON REED STAFF WRITER The logjam that is U.S. 15-501 is only going to get worse during the next decade, officials say. On Monday, the Chatham County Commissioners final ized their approval of a Newland Communities development that will add 2,389 new homes just five miles south of Chapel Hill. The Briar Chapel development, a compact community that will bring in more people than the pop ulations of Siler City and Pittsboro combined, is expected to create 31,200 new vehicle trips outside FOR THE I’t OI 1 L E Summer School registration begins: March 2 1 : Graduate Students, Juniors, Seniors,Visitors March 23: All Others ' t - , , „ . Midnight Registration Open to All Students Tuesday, March 29 • 11 pm-2am First Session: May 17-June 21 Second Session: June 23-July 29 For complete class listings and course descriptions visit: www.unc.edu/summer Willie Leavens Moore Prize in Creative nonfiction The UNC-Chapel Hill Creative Program invites submissions from Carolina undergraduates for the 6th annual Willie Lavonsa Moore competition in Creative nonfiction which carries a cash prize. One entry per student, up to 5,000 words, one (1) copy double-spaced typescript (12 pt.) Essays should exemplify he highest literary standards in such forms as memoir, travel and nature writing, and belles-lettres generally, as practiced by such authors as James Baldwin, Cynthia Ozick, Annie Dillard, Phillip Lopate, John McFee, V.S. Naipaul, and Tobias Wolff. Submit all manuscripts, complete with contact information to Greenlaw 203. DEADLINE: 12 PM NOON, THURSDAY, MARCH 31st, 2005 fives,” he said. Havlick said the top six chal lenges facing campus communi ties include more space for student parking, parking overflow into neighborhoods, alternative modes of transportation, land-locked campuses, student initiatives and bicycle and pedestrian safety. “I have the theory that the campus is kind of a pilot project,” he said. Havlick’s visit was sponsored by Students United for a Responsible Global Environment and the UNC Sustainability Coalition. Dennis Markatos-Soriano, a work er for the SURGE network based in Carrboro and Chapel Hill, said the group co-sponsored Havlick’s lecture because transportation issues need to be acknowledged at UNC. “We really find transportation issues to be core on our campus and of the development per day during the next 10 years. Mitch Barron, vice president of operations for the Raleigh divi sion of Newland Communities, said developers will be adding turn lanes and signals, as well as through lanes, to portions of U.S. 15-501 to try to lessen the potential impact of the new drivers. “Those cars would be there with out Briar Chapel,” Barron said, adding that development in the area is inevitable. But the project's sheer size has area officials concerned about the amount of traffic coming into in our sustainability,” Markatos- Soriano said. “What we hope to do is help campuses become those models of sustainability.” Havlick said there are only two college campuses throughout the United States and Canada that do not have parking problems. “I realized that this is because they have a curriculum based around environmental issues,” he said. Havlick used the University of Colorado-Boulder as an example of a college campus that is making great strides to reduce congestion. He said CU-Boulder has pur chased 55,000 acres of land that cannot be developed. Rather, it is used to conserve wildlife, to use for recreational space and to contrib ute to Boulder’s water source. “The purchase of open space is an important tool to transform southern Orange County and the impact on the environment. “15-501 is going to be a mess,” said Chatham County Commissioner Patrick Barnes, the sole dissenter to the project's approval. “You have to remem ber that the (N.C. Department of Transportation) has the whole state to worry about.” Barnes said the state department might not have the funds to expand the highway. As of Monday, Chatham County officials had not contacted Triangle TVansit Authority about extending transportation services. “If they decide to join the fund ing counties, I’m sure we’d be happy to help them,” said Patrick McDonough, TTA transit service planner. Currently, TTA collects $5 from every vehicle registration in Orange, Durham and Wake coun ties to fund its services. McDonough said that a relative ly inexpensive option for Chatham County officials would be to pro mote ride-sharing programs. TTA offers van pool services Popeye had spinach. You Have us. LSAT' GRE’ GMAT MCAT Prep Satisfaction Guaranteed 800-2 Review | Princetonßeview.com ydie ( Princeton v —'Review , "Test names the trademarks ot the* respective owners, who are not attßiated witri The Pnncmon Review The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Pnnceton University "WSSu* Inside Carolina invites Tar Heel fans and faculty staff to an OPEN HOUSE VIEWING PARTY forF all ACC Tournament games Friday, March 11. FREE viewing in Alumni n Hall on a larger than fife screen and in O’Herron Grille on a 50” Plasma TV (courtesy of Sam’s Club )H|| An Hors D oeuvres Buffet for $5.95 + tax, beverage service, plus Special Viewing Chairs from ECKO will be available in Alumni Hall making this THE place to be. Doors open at i I:3Oam. Grille seating reservations are required and members have priority. For details or Grille reservations tall 962-1 lOrilfl News vehicle habits,” Havlick said. Havlick said he does not see one easy solution to the traffic conges tion problems of every university but believes that each campus can find its own solution to help reduce the problem. Susannah Lach, a sustainability research associate at UNC, said Havlick’s ideas could be applied to the University as buildings are added and people need ways to access to them. “As we continue to grow in size and add millions of square footage to campus, we are simultaneously reducing access to buildings,” she said. “Spenser highlights some opportunities that, as a campus, we can look at.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu. to people who live outside of the Triangle but commute for work. Commuters can find people to share rides with at http://www. sharetheridenc.com. “If you’re looking to bike in a herd instead of alone, you can find a bike buddy,” McDonough said. Chatham officials also have yet to contact Chapel Hill TVansit. David Bonk, Chapel Hill’s prin cipal transportation planner, said Chatham County would have to contract with Chapel Hill TVansit, much like Carrboro and the University do. “(In the past) they have not been particularly interested on a contract level,” Bonk said. Barnes and fellow Chatham County Commissioner Mike Cross will meet Wednesday with the Sierra Club to discuss soil erosion, habitat destruction and other envi ronmental issues concerning the county’s growth. The meeting will take place at the Chapel Hill Town Hall at 7:30 p.m. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu. Gas prices won’t dissuade travelers BY ERIN FRANCE STAFF WRITER Although gas prices are on the rise, UNC students probably will be paying more instead of traveling less as Spring Break approaches. Gas prices typically increase during the spring and summer months, said Jason Toews, co founder of Gasßuddy.com, a col lection of Web sites that compare the cost of gasoline throughout the United States and Canada. “People start driving more, and demand picks up,” he said, adding that he expects the price to climb higher than usual this year. “I wouldn’t be surprised to break the all-time high.” In addition to the seasonal spike, fuel costs have been rising steadily during recent years. The average price for a gallon of regular gaso line in North Carolina was SI.BB last week, up from an average of $1.64 a year ago. Noting the increase in crude oil costs, Rayola Dougher, manager for energy market issues for the American Petroleum Institute, said she is not sure where gas prices will top out this year. A barrel of crude has risen from $37 this time last year to about $54 this week, translating into increased expenses for consumers, Dougher said. Tom Crosby, vice president of communications at AAA Carolinas, said an increase is imminent. “I think we’re going to see some catch-up,” he said. Pulitzer-Prize winner takes on media, coverage of wars BY MIKE SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER The details of war’s reality gets masked in the images produced by mainstream media, war correspon dent and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Chris Hedges said before a hushed crowd in Carroll Hall on Monday. Delivering a speech on his atti tudes and experiences with war and the media, Hedges said he believes the truth about war comes out too late. “Today’s coverage lacks sweep and depth and doesn’t expose the pathology of war,” he said. Citing examples of the brutal ity he has witnessed firsthand, Hedges said graphic images and other important details are always left out of mainstream television reports. Hedges, who has written for The New York Times, said haunt ing images fail to appear on televi sion because the reaction wouldn’t boost ratings. “Neatly packaged video clips are fed to the press clean, neat and tidy and wildly out of context,” Hedges said. This way, he said, the “press masks the essence of war.” Another topic Hedge discussed was the difference between friends and comrades. He said they are opposites friends are predetermined, where as comrades can only be found in the midst of war. Labeling war “the most potent narcotic invented by mankind,” wiiat a cm ueuse! yp| I 4 Bedrooms- 2 Baths Up W" Clean & modern cueck cut tue hhf nan | 1 WTCHiM U * ,# MMHtJMMa bkJLmLmbmi mbiwmw tqgjgjmmmmmm NR) SR4 nAiM I * g- 1 u,u ■■■■nun J M,tt tUNtAQC ! AND THERE'S MORE... Washer & Dryer • Yard care provided • Front porch Great closet space • Plenty of parking Available June Ist ALSO AVAIL ACT NOW! Clean & updated itLy Quality & service STO9O- all the time. Avww.ceHEiucßentais.coM, Hatty ®or Rpri Crosby attributed the increase to U.S. speculation in the market, demand for gasoline in the coming summer and growing competition from Asian economies. He thinks travelers might respond by choos ing closer destinations, as opposed to cross-country journeys. Dougher said there is evidence that sustained increases in gas prices can change the amount of traveling and the type of transpor tation people choose. “We had evidence of that last summer,” she said. “The price went up and the demand went down.” Long periods of higher prices might lead consumers to seek out more fuel-efficient cars, she added. Some students driving long dis tances for Spring Break are plan ning to carpool and share the price of gas. “There will be 11 of us going in three cars to save money,” said Eric Blue, a senior biology major from Pembroke who is planning a road trip to Miami and Key West. Rachel Osborn and Angela Harper, both freshmen from Charlotte, are going next week to Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga. They were concerned about the price of gas —but not enough to change their spring break plans. “If Charleston and Savannah were farther, we’d probably still be going,” Harper said. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu. Hedges touched on the spiritual, emotional and physical effects experienced by those involved with conflict. Hedges said soldiers and report ers alike become unable to reinte grate in society after returning from war. “Spend enough time at war, and you cannot fit in anywhere else,” he said. “Then it kills you.” Amid all the hatred and false unity brought about by war, Hedges said, “love is the last human char acteristic and the only anecdote.” Many spectators shared similar views with Hedges. Sophomore Jack Carley said he saw both sides of the issue. The speech, he said, was chill ing and thought-provoking. “On one hand, (war) is bloody, dangerous and destructive, yet at the same time, it’s somehow eroti cized by society,” Carley said. Other local citizens commend ed the writer’s efforts in bring ing mainstream criticism to the University. “Hard-boiled analysis is unheard of these days,” said Joe Moshier, 43. “(Hedges) calls out propaganda. You never get that anymore.” Ayse Erginer, 35, voiced a simi lar opinion. “Mainstream media doesn’t pro vide room for this criticism. I wish he had a megaphone or there were 1,000 more of him out there.” Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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