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Orange United Transportation Board Report to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners on Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety in Orange County Charge 1. Review County Authority and State Law. In view of NC House Bill 232 (“An act to direct the Department of Transportation to study the bicycle safety laws in this state and make recommendations as to how the laws may be revised to better ensure the safety of bicyclists and motorists on the roadways.”), which was passed by the House and is currently going through the state Senate, the OUTBoard recommends waiting to hear the outcome of that bill before putting a lot of time into reviewing the State laws. (NOTE: Because much of our report pertains to rural parts of the county, the focus is mainly on cycling, though through education efforts, the importance of walking on the correct side of the road and visibility at night can be done through posters and more.) However, regardless of the outcome of HB 232, people who drive or cycle in Orange County could be better educated on the current laws, and methods of doing that should be put into place now. (See Charge 5, no 1) Charge 2. Provide copy of County-endorsed bicycle routes (map). Many if not most rural recreational cyclists find riding routes via online services such as Map My Ride,1 or through cue sheets provided by clubs such as the Carolina Tarwheels. Even NC DOT is currently in the process of making the statewide bicycling maps available electronically at WalkBikeNC.2 The website is currently under development, but will be an interactive site where cyclists will be able to find, create, or comment on routes around our state. 1. It would be useful to have an online map available for Orange County that pointed out potentially hazardous spots or areas of high traffic to cyclists. This information could be included in the print version of the Orange County cycling map when it is updated. The state laws for cyclists should be included both on an online map website and on the updated print map. 2. We recommend the county also look into providing an app version of the map (in addition to an online version of the map) for the use of cyclists who do not have easy access to a printed map and who are accessing routes through small mobile devices. Charge 3. Give update on topic and recent activities. The most recent and possibly most affecting recent activity is state House Bill 232 which was passed by the House in early April and described above. The Senate has referred the bill to the committee on rules and regulations. The OUTBoard would recommend waiting until the outcome of this bill is known before creating too many printed materials with the state laws on them. If the bill is passed by the Senate as currently proposed, the committee that will be formed will be asked to provide recommended legislation to the Senate and House by the end of 2015. 13