9 Investigates

9 Investigates traffic apps pushing drivers into neighborhood streets

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than one million people live in Mecklenburg County.  And, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, residents in the Charlotte area drive an average of 37 million miles per day. That’s an 1 percent increase from 2010.

This growth in population and increase in travel has contributed to congestion on area highways and roads. Traffic backed up for miles on interstates during morning and evening rush hour is a familiar sight and experience for thousands of drivers.

Some drivers are relying on apps such as Waze to avoid the traffic nightmare. Waze is owned by Google and according to its website, is the world’s largest community based traffic and navigation app.  It tracks traffic in real time, then provides the quickest route. Drivers hail it, saying it saves time and money.

But the app has also faced scrutiny. Mostly from homeowners, who claim the app is pushing traffic into their neighborhoods. That’s been the case in states such as California and Maryland.

Residents in Mecklenburg County wonder if it’s contributing to the increase in traffic in their once-quiet neighborhoods.

“You don't want that much traffic when you're walking around with a baby and a dog,” said Lana Gibson, who lives in South Charlotte.

Each day, Gibson takes her three month old daughter, Mila, and the family’s dog for a walk through a neighborhood known as Madison Park.

Madison Park, specifically Seneca Place, is lined with trees, homes, and often, cars.

“We do see a lot of traffic here,” Gibson said.  “People try to avoid traffic off of Park Road.  They try to cut through here.”

Further south, near the Mecklenburg and Union County line Peggy Hall has also noticed an increase in traffic on her neighborhood street.

“They fly, speed through here like crazy,” Hall said.

She adds that during rush hour, a time when children are often waiting for the school bus, there is a continuous flow of traffic on Morningwood Drive. The community is called Eastwood Forest.

Channel 9 counted the number of vehicles that passed through the half mile stretch of road during morning rush hour.

In just one hour, 178 cars passed by on Morningwood Drive.  More than a dozen vehicles were backed up waiting to make a left turn towards 485 by 7:30 a.m..

By 8 a.m. the number of vehicles reached 300. And by, 8:30 a.m., after two hours of counting, a total of 400 cars were counted.

Some of those vehicles were high-end cars.  A clue, neighbors say, that the driver doesn’t live in this community of mostly mobile homes.

“Oh, Lord no,” Hall said.  “No.”

Channel 9 put the app to the test to see if it would direct our vehicle through Eastwood Forest.  It was morning rush hour and our crew positioned themselves in Stallings.  The destination entered was Channel 9’s studios at 1901 N. Tryon in Charlotte.

Thee primary route offered directed the crew onto a road known as Pleasant Plains and then Morningwood Drive. This was most likely to avoid the large back up on Old Monroe Road towards 485.

Channel 9 reached out to Waze to ask if programmers plan to make any changes to the app.  More than a week passed without a response.

Neighbors said they would welcome anything to cut the number of cars on their residential street, which has become a permanent route for some drivers.

“Especially with little kids running around,” Gibson said. “Summer is here.”