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11 <br />increased safety at a dangerous intersection, as well as providing an additional <br />safe crossing point of Smith Level for bicyclists and pedestrians. <br />6. Enforce speed limits. <br />Improve Access for Non-Vehicular Traffic <br />The best strategy for reducing the volume of traffic along any road is to provide safe, <br />attractive, and easily accessible alternatives to single occupancy motorized vehicles. <br />Every one of the citizens who attended the public meeting on May 20 expressed their <br />desire for children to be able to walk or bicycle to school. An equally strong desire was <br />expressed for maintaining the rural character of Smith Level Road and its surrounding <br />neighborhoods. <br />1. Adopt the section of Smith Level Road from Culbreth to I5-501 and from 15-501 <br />to Old Lystra Road as part of Carrboro and Chapel Hill's bicycle plan. The <br />Mountains to the Sea Bicycle route currently runs from Bowden Road (Orange <br />County) to Jones Ferry to South Greensboro St to Culbreth Road to Mt Carmel <br />Church Road. While maintaining the Mountains to the Sea Bicycle route in its <br />current location, an additional local bike route could be added to follow Smith <br />Level Road to 15-501 and over to Old Lystra connecting back to the Mountains to <br />the Sea route at Mt Carmel. The Performance Bicycles headquarters lies along <br />this route and many of their employees commute back and forth along Smith <br />Level Road. <br />2. Extend and line the shoulders along Smith Level Road from Rock Haven to 15- <br />501. Extended shoulders are a viable short-term approach to improving bicycle <br />access since DOT does not have any formal right-of--ways along the southern <br />portion of Smith Level Road. However, DOT can pave an additional two (2) feet <br />in easement areas that they have historically maintained. The additional benefit of <br />adding Smith Level and Old Lystra (see # 1 above) to the local bicycle plan is that <br />extended shoulders could be added during DOT's next scheduled repaving, at no <br />or lower cost to local governments through DOT's policy of supporting road <br />enhancements that facilitate multi-modal transportation. Other possible funding <br />resources for implementing this recommendation are the Transportation <br />Improvement Plan (TIP) a Secondary Road Construction Funds, as well as spot <br />safety funds. <br />3. Add amulti-use path along one side of Smith Level from Ray Road to 15-501. <br />OWASA has stated that such an addition would not have a negative impact on the <br />watershed. This is a long-term proposal and would require time and funds for <br />acquiring right-of--way. <br />4. Explore landowner compacts (secured easements) to provide aright-of-way or <br />public trail/greenway access for pedestrians and bicyclists from 1 S-SOl to the <br />high school. An informal, but much used, trail through university property runs <br />