Agenda - 04-06-1999 - 8j - Laserfiche WebLink

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QUESTIONS AND /OR COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS: 12 Mark Schulz, a member of the Orange County Bicycle Task Force as well as a commuter cyclist who bicycles to work, spoke in support of the Bicycle Transportation Plan Component of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment. He strongly supports this plan. He regularly commutes from his home in Hillsborough to his work at UNC- Chapel Hill. He has bicycled over 2500 miles for the last two years and most of those miles were commuting miles. He asked the Board of County Commissioners to give this proposed Plan their endorsement. He gave several recent examples of times he was run off of the road by motorists passing him illegally. In both of those instances a combination of lack of courtesy and a lack of shoulders on the road caused him to be forced into the embankment. He asked that the Board approve the plan tonight rather than refer it to the Planning Board. The Bicycle Task Force completed this Plan in August, 1998 and he strongly requested that it be adopted tonight and be referred for regional planning. County Attorney Gledhill indicated that this plan needs to be referred to the Planning Board because this is a Comprehensive Plan Amendment and the law requires that the Planning Board review the proposal after this Public Hearing. Chris van Hasselt, Chair of the Bicycle Plan Component Task Force, spoke in support of this proposed plan. He stated that many of these improvements are needed immediately. Unfortunately, it will be years before some of these bike lanes and routes are completed. The demand will only continue to increase. He mentioned that many of the concerns expressed on items heard earlier at this meeting were about the negative effects of increased traffic. Bicycles are not "the" answer to that problem, but they are one component to an answer. Putting some of these proposals in place as soon as possible is the first step to seeing a reduction in traffic by offering a safe alternative means of transportation. After being approved by the Board of County Commissioners, the proposal must then be considered for inclusion in the Regional Transportation Plan. Many of the improvements would not be implemented for some time even if they were approved immediately. The demand will only increase with time. Planner McCalip indicated that the first draft of the Regional Transportation Plan is scheduled for initial review in May of 1999. It would give this plan greater standing if it were presented as an adopted plan. Commissioner Jacobs questioned the notion that the best north/south routes should be based solely on the best commuter routes. He observed more bicycling on Old Hwy 86 which seems to be the main recreational route; however it is a secondary priority in this plan. He asked that verbal descriptions of the routes be included along with the maps and that a designation other than numbers be used for the secondary routes. Planner McCalip commented that if new Hwy 86 were a safer route more of the cyclists would use that route rather that Old Hwy 86. He also mentioned that many of the long -term commuters are now driving because it has become so dangerous. Commissioner Gordon mentioned that one of the items which was discussed earlier in this meeting was a transportation initiative to be introduced at the Legislature on a statewide basis. This initiative includes planning for rail stations in Orange County and funding more bike lanes. Commissioner Brown mentioned that the process may seem slow and frustrating to those citizens who worked on this plan, however, it is a visionary plan they have produced. She congratulated them on their work. A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Brown, to refer the proposed Amendment to the Planning Board for a recommendation to be returned to the Board of Commissioners no later than May 4, 1999. VOTE: UNANIMOUS C:ViWoo.doe Lag prints" 0201M 4:07 PM