Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA <br />RESOLUTION REGARDING LEGISLATIVE MATTERS <br />(First Resolution by Chair Gordon) <br />WHEREAS, Orange County supports a multimodal approach to transportation which is sensitive to <br />community and environmental concerns; and <br />WHEREAS, in the past the State's transportation funding priority has primarily been roads rather than public <br />transportation systems and both need to be adequately funded to achieve a balanced transportation system <br />for this area: and <br />WHEREAS, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has adopted a multimodal approach to <br />transportation in our State; and <br />WHEREAS, Orange County is a member of and participates in the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro <br />Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) and supports its multimodal approach and its emphasis <br />on more local and regional control of transportation. <br />NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved by the Board of Commissioners of Orange County that the Board <br />hereby urges the North Carolina Department of Transportation and requests the Senators and <br />Representatives representing Orange County to urge the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC <br />DOT) to: <br />1. Place more emphasis on public transit, bikeways, sidewalks and other alternatives to roads <br />and relatively less emphasis on local and regional transportation systems, which rely on the single <br />passenger automobile so as to foster a more balanced approach to transportation needs; <br />a. take a broader approach to transportation and incorporate enhancement features <br />such as bike lanes and sidewalks in NC DOT road projects as a matter of course; <br />b. spend more money Statewide for bicycle and pedestrian enhancement features of <br />highway projects as part of highway projects and increase the money Statewide for these enhancements <br />beyond that made available through the Surface Transportation Project Direct Apportionment funds of the <br />DCHC MPO; <br />C. program additional funds to be made available by the North Carolina Department of <br />Transportation for enhancements to Surface Transportation Projects to improve pedestrian safety; <br />d. eliminate the funding cap of $300,000 for individual bicycle projects to enable the <br />completion of larger bicycle projects in a timely manner. <br />2. Allow more local control for Orange County on transportation projects within Orange County, <br />including more participation in project selection and design, and similarly, more control by the DCHC MPO <br />for regional transportation projects; <br />a. encourage a more individualized approach to highway design and to permit a <br />variation from the "one size fits all" approach used by the North Carolina Department of Transportation as <br />contained in A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (sometimes called the "Green Book"); <br />b. maintain the highest possible safety standards but, in designing roads and other <br />transportation facilities, give consideration to other factors such as the setting and character of the area, the <br />needs of the users, the environment and the goals of the community; <br />C. provide for local government participation in the design of transportation facilities, <br />and, in particular, with respect to road projects, allow local input on the type of road, its width, its design <br />speed and whether bicycle and pedestrian facilities are to be included. <br />3. Provide more funding in Orange County for maintenance of roads, safety projects, and for <br />secondary road projects.