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24 <br />1 ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA <br />2 RESOLUTION REGARDING LEGISLATIVE MATTERS <br />3 (Second Resolution presented by Commissioner Jacobs) <br />4 WHEREAS, reexamination of the role and structure of the North Carolina Department of Transportation has <br />5 been a major thrust of recent reform efforts led by the Governor, the North Carolina legislature, and the <br />6 North Carolina Secretary of Transportation; and <br />7 <br />8 WHEREAS, while Orange County respects and accepts the traditional control of funds by the North <br />9 Carolina Department of Transportation, it is mindful that the current structure was established during the <br />10 Depression of the early 1930s, when counties went bankrupt and the state was primarily agrarian; and <br />11 <br />12 WHEREAS, the pressures of increasing urbanization in some counties have outstripped North Carolina's <br />13 capacity to provide adequate roads and effective transportation alternatives in a timely fashion; and <br />14 <br />15 WHEREAS, highway congestion is a major factor in air pollution, difficulty of travel, road rage, and <br />16 degradation of quality of life; and <br />17 <br />18 WHEREAS, preservation of community character and environmental health are central to local government <br />19 efforts in Orange County; and <br />20 <br />21 WHEREAS, it is necessary for both counties and the North Carolina Department of Transportation to <br />22 address transportation demands in a prompt, creative, flexible, democratic, and cost-effective manner in <br />23 order to maintain the quality of life enjoyed by our citizens. <br />24 <br />25 NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved by the Board of Commissioners of Orange County that the Board <br />26 hereby requests the Senators and Representatives representing Orange County to support a study <br />27 commission on the relationship between county interests and the North Carolina Department of <br />28 Transportation with regard to: <br />29 <br />30 1. promoting smooth and safe flow of traffic through setting speed limits, altering the <br />31 synchronization of traffic signals, permitting driveway access, and recommending the placement of traffic <br />32 signals and signage; <br />33 2. establishing means of promoting pedestrian travel, such as the installation of crosswalks; <br />34 3. encouraging a more flexible approach to highway design, particularly in subdivisions, and to <br />35 permit a variation from the "one size fits all" approach as contained in A Policy on Geometric Design of <br />36 Highways and Green Streets; <br />37 4. maintaining the highest possible safety standards but giving consideration in designing <br />38 facilities to factors such as the setting and character of an area, the needs of the users, the environment, <br />39 and the land-use planning goals of the community; <br />40 5. providing increased county participation in the design of transportation facilities, and with <br />41 respect to road projects, input on the type of road, its width, its design speed and whether bicycle and <br />42 pedestrian facilities are to be included; <br />43 6. identifying other transportation functions in which county govemment has a legitimate <br />44 interest that require a minimal additional expenditure of funds and do not compromise public safety. <br />45 <br />