Thu, May 15 2008
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Published March 27, 2008 10:03 pm - Joplin is a commuter town. A new study of traffic origination and destination, undertaken in October 2007, suggests a 26 percent increase in external traffic since the last traffic study was conducted in 1999. Chamber official: Study suggests increase in traffic entering Joplin By Wally Kennedy
wkennedy@joplinglobe.com Joplin is a commuter town. A new study of traffic origination and destination, undertaken in October 2007, suggests a 26 percent increase in external traffic since the last traffic study was conducted in 1999. The estimated total number of trips entering and exiting the Joplin area has increased from 152,738 daily in 1999 to 191,842 daily in 2007, according to the ETC Institute, which conducted both the 1999 and 2007 studies for the Joplin Metropolitan Planning Organization. Joplin, Carl Junction and Webb City are members of that organization. Based on the study, representatives of the organization estimate that the metropolitan area’s population swells to 220,000 on a daily basis, up from 200,000 in 1999. Chris Tatham, representing ETC, said Joplin is an unusual place when compared with other metropolitan areas. “We have done 20 or so of these traffic studies, including places like Kansas City, Buffalo (N.Y.), Raleigh-Durham (N.C.) and Fayetteville (N.C.), and we have never seen anything quite like Joplin,” he said. “Joplin is not a large city, but it provides employment for an area that is much larger than itself. Joplin is a significant employment center. More people are coming here than actually live here.” The results of the new study were released Thursday during a committee meeting at Joplin City Hall. Gary Shaw, a member of the Joplin City Council, was among those attending. “I think it looks positive for Joplin,” Shaw said. “We’ve got more people coming to Joplin than ever before.” Rob O’Brian, president of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, said the traffic increase reflects the population growth that has occurred in the area, and the growth in the retail sector that includes restaurants, new storefronts and the medical community. “Joplin is reaching out and drawing people in,” O’Brian said. “When we get calls from real-estate brokers and consultants who are looking for new retail locations and small-business sites, we can use this study to show them we are not a small, Midwestern city of 47,000 to 48,000 people. “This study shows them the traffic count in the immediate Joplin area on a daily basis. It really speaks to what the real market is. When we say Joplin serves a market that is as far away as an hour, a market that is 400,000-plus people, we can back it up with this traffic study. Joplin serves a bigger market than just itself.” Officials say the study suggests that on any given day, an estimated 115,000 to 118,000 people who live outside the immediate area enter the Joplin area. Nearly 40 percent of them come here to work or to do something that is work-related. About 17 percent of the trips were for shopping. 
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