Minutes 11-05-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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almost turn over a fire truck. He said bicycles rarely stop at intersections, and many times bicyclists do not move out of the way when they are running trucks out of their station. He said they are asking cyclists to give EMS the right of way and to follow the laws. Norma White said she lives in Little River Township and is speaking tonight on behalf of Schley Grange 710. She said the members are strong advocates for rural road safety. She said, at the request of Schley Grange, the North Carolina Grange included a bicycle resolution on their legislative agenda. She asked if Orange County could adopt a similar resolution. She read the resolution and provided it to the Clerk to the Board. Heidi Perry said she rides in Orange County and has done so for 30 years while obeying the laws. She said she would like to assist the fire department in finding cyclists that do not move out of the way for EMS. She is a bicycle advocate appointed to the OUTBoard, is a founding member of the Carrboro Bicycle Coalition, and a cycling advocate for over 30 years. She is here just representing herself tonight. She said a year ago the Board of County Commissioners tasked the OUTBoard to review this issue and the Board responded with a report outlining how much time it would take to implement their recommendations. She said she is pleased to see this resolution could be easily passed and then put on a shelf. She requested to add the following amendments to the resolution: f. To have a specific action plan that could address 10 goals to address cycle safety and pedestrian safety. g. Budget line item for bicycle safety for education. Heidi Perry said she has rules of the road translated into several languages, which she is happy to share with the Highway Patrol. She said there is a lot of room to work on safety through education. John Rees said he is an Orange County resident and today he represents the Carolina Tar Heel Bicycle Club, which promotes the use of cycling and recreational cycling. He said funding is important, and he reiterated that the road rules are for bicyclists too. He said the club would like to work with Orange County on education. He said he is a cyclist himself and he and the club follow the rules of the road. He said they are law-abiding residents and they like to frequent local businesses in the County as they ride in Orange County. Bonnie Hauser is speaking on behalf of Orange County Voice which has been working on bike safety for years. She said Orange County Voice does not see education as the issue but rather a small number of cyclists and motorists that are causing the problems, in addition to roads that are not built for sharing. She said there are no consequences for cyclists that break the rules of the roads. She said Orange County Voice supports the resolution from the Grange. She asked the Board to consider a similar resolution on Orange County's legislative agenda. Bonnie Hauser said off road cycling options are needed, such as the American Tobacco Trail in Durham, and the Greenway in Wake County. She recommended the convening of a task force to plan off road bikeways in Orange County in partnership with the Towns. She said the task force must include residents from the rural communities. Bryant Dodson said education does not seem to help a lot. He said he lives out near Maple View Farms, which is a destination place. He said he has been working on this issue for a long time and finds many cyclists do follow the rules. He said the ones that do not follow the rules cause the real problems. He said he has been advocating for bicycle licenses and suggested the County do this instead of the State. He said the only way to penalize cyclists is to give them consequences. Kim Dodson said there is a huge need on this issue in their community. She said when a vehicular law is broken people call 911 but if a bike law is broken there is no one to call. She said there is no form of identification. She said tickets are given out to bike riders on campus,