Agenda - 09-17-1991 - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 ORANGE COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT 306F REVERE ROAD HILLSBOROUGH, NORTH CAROLINA 27278 a' „ lI_ M E M O R A N D U M TO: Orange County Commissioners FROM: Gene Bell, Planner III (x-43 RE: REPORT ON REGIONAL BICYCLE PLAN DATE: September 11, 1991 A Regional Bicycle Plan has been proposed by the Durham - Chapel Hill - Carrboro (DCHC) Urban Area Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). The plan would cover Durham and Orange County and would focus on increasing public education and awareness of bicycling, developing appropriate enforcement guidelines, and establishing a framework for planning and constructing new bicycle corridors. A consultant would be employed to conduct the study at an estimated cost of $30,000. Participating local governments would be the municipalities of Durham and Chapel Hill and the counties of Durham and Orange. Orange County's funding share, if it elects to participate, would be $5,025. Following are brief sections on background, project scope, expected benefits, costs, and the actions of other local governments to -date. Attachments pertinent to the project are also included. Background In its deliberations on the proposed DCHC Thoroughfare Plan several years ago, the TAC identified the need for regional coordination on bicycle planning as a necessary adjunct to the coordination on thoroughfare planning already in progress. The TAC discussed this with representatives from the N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) Bicycle Program. A problem arose in that DOT bicycle funds are very limited and cannot be used for planning purposes. This prompted the TAC to ask what could be done locally besides continuing to request funding for identified bicycle projects in the annual TIP process. The TAC recommended a program of public education and awareness of bicycling, enforcement, and bicycle route planning to develop a regional system as its preferred course of action. il