(A) The safety and efficiency of public streets is dependent upon the magnitude and type of interference encountered by vehicles moving along the street. This interference may come from vehicles moving in the same direction or from those approaching in an opposite direction, but most interference is normally that of vehicles entering, leaving, or crossing the street.
(B) As traffic generators, commercial, industrial, institutional, and multi-family developments can significantly affect the safety and efficiency of roadways.
(1) In order to safeguard the traveling public and fully utilize the potential capacity of existing and future streets, it is necessary to regulate vehicle movements entering and leaving roadside development so as to reduce interference with the traffic flow.
(2) At the same time, it is necessary to recognize the right of the property owner or developer to have reasonable ingress and egress to their property.
(C) Working in concert with NCDOT, the village has the responsibility to make the movement of traffic safe and efficient, within reasonable and prudent expectations. As part of that responsibility, balancing the conflicting rights and interests of property owners and the needs of the traveling public for safe and efficient roadways in the critical area of driveway location and operation must be resolved. Therefore, the regulations in this subchapter have been established to meet the following objectives:
(1) To enhance public safety and the functional efficiency of the highway transportation network through the orderly control of traffic entering and exiting public streets;
(2) To provide uniform criteria for the design and construction of new driveways, and an administrative means for consistent application and enforcement of the established regulations; and
(3) To provide regulations that address and satisfy, to the greatest extent possible, the needs, rights and expectations of both property owners and the traveling public.
(D) This subchapter is therefore applicable for all non-residential driveways within the village, and should be applied to all access points to the public street system (except for single-family residential driveways, which are covered under §§ 94.14 et seq.).
(Ord. 2012-02, passed 2-27-12)