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0 <br />=> Lack of debris removal from edge of pavement. <br />=> Lack of "pave- backs" (of at least 15 feet, see Section I. of the Bicycle Transportation Plan Supplement <br />for diagram) to keep the gravel from driveways and other unpaved accesses from washing out onto <br />paved roads. <br />=> Insufficient lane widths. <br />=> Lack of paved shoulders exacerbating the insufficient lane widths. <br />C. Orange County Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and Subdivision <br />Regulations. <br />Each of these documents should be amended to include cycling provisions like those in the Orange County <br />Economic Development District Design (EDD) Manual (see Section J. of the Bicycle Transportation Plan <br />Supplement). The EDD Manual has provisions that recognize bicycle routes and end -of -trip facilities (bike <br />parking racks and storage lockers). Further provisions need to be developed to: a) encourage employers of <br />a certain magnitude and location proximate to a town provide lockers, showers, and changing rooms, and <br />b) provide that residential subdivisions of a certain magnitude and in a proximate location to a town <br />provide suitable street width and off -road connections to adjacent subdivisions and/or recreation trails or <br />parks. These documents should also be amended to insure the integration of this the Bicycle <br />Transportation Component to the Transportation Element of the Orange County Comprehensive Plan with <br />the Bicycle Recreation Component of Orange County Master Recreation and Parks Plan (currently under <br />development). <br />D. State & Regional Laws, Plans, Programs, and Policies <br />North Carolina State Law: Ultimate Control of County Road Maintenance and Construction <br />Jurisdiction over the construction and maintenance of public roads in counties, "the exclusive control and <br />management and responsibility for all public roads in the several counties shall be vested in the Department <br />of Transportation' (see NCGS, Chapter 136, Roads and Highways, Article 3- State Highway System, <br />Section 136 -51, page 112). Therefore, most on -road facilities within county jurisdictions are built as <br />incidental projects during new road construction and then maintained by the North Carolina Department of <br />Transportation. Although some on -road facilities are constructed as independent projects, these instances <br />are rare. It appears that law does not expressly prohibit counties from constructing and maintaining off - <br />road facilities such as bicycle paths in parks or in public right -of -ways. <br />NCDOT Transportation Improvement Program <br />The State of North Carolina provides funding for the construction of sidewalks, bicycle facilities, and <br />multi-use paths through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The ultimate control over the <br />programming of the State TIP is vested in the North Carolina Board of Transportation. Bicycle facilities <br />can be included in the TIP as incidental design features of a highway project or as independent projects. <br />Independent projects constructed outside of municipalities are rare and usually have strong political <br />support at the state level. Incidental (or ad hoc) bicycle improvements are being constructed although in a <br />piecemeal fashion as road capacity is increased. Therefore, for a road to be improved for cycling it must <br />first have to be improved for motor vehicle traffic. <br />NC DOT Bicycle Policy <br />The North Carolina Department of Transportation acknowledges bicycle transportation as "an integral part <br />of the comprehensive transportation system in North Carolina" and formally includes provisions for <br />bicycle travel in highway construction projects (NC DOT Transportation Plan, 1996, page 14). NC DOT <br />also participates in the construction of independent bicycle facility projects through the TIP process. (NC <br />DOT Transportation Plan, 1996, page 19). For a list of criteria for bicycle facilities project selection and <br />the complete NC DOT Bicycle Policy, see Section K. of the Bicycle Transportation Plan Supplement. <br />10 <br />