AGENDA #7
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Report on Ideas Compiled by the Town/State Technical Committee for the Study of Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement Opportunities on State Roads in Chapel Hill
DATE: November 22, 1999
The attached resolution would receive the above referenced list of improvement opportunities, and would refer the ideas to the Town Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board for review and recommendations.
On March 1, 1999, the Council adopted a resolution which provided process guidance and a work outline for a joint Town/State technical committee to study pedestrian and bicycle improvement opportunities on State roads in Chapel Hill. (Please refer to Attachment #3.)
The first task was to develop a committee mission statement and set of objectives. The Committee met on March 15 and March 29, 1999, and agreed upon the following mission statement and objectives to guide its work:
MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of this committee is to identify opportunities for improvements on State roadways and rights-of-way that would encourage and accommodate safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle traffic within the jurisdiction of the Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
OBJECTIVES:
· Identify general opportunities for pedestrian and bicycle improvements on State roads in Chapel Hill.
· Identify specific opportunities for pedestrian and bicycle improvements on existing and programmed State roads in Chapel Hill.
· Prepare a report discussing both general and specific opportunities for encouraging and accommodating safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle traffic on State roads and rights-of-way within the jurisdiction of the Town of Chapel Hill.
The Committee mission statement and objectives were reviewed and found to be acceptable by the Town Council and by State representatives in April, 1999.
Subsequently, the committee started “brainstorming” discussions to identify both general and specific opportunities for pedestrian and bicycle improvements on State roads in Chapel Hill. A list of improvement opportunities was complied during a series of Committee meetings in April and May of 1999.
The list of opportunities was discussed at a public forum preceding the Town Council’s July 7, 1999 regular meeting. Attachment #2 lists comments and staff responses from the public forum.
A Public Hearing was held on October 18, 1999, to receive comments on the list of opportunities. No citizens spoke at the hearing.
Attachment #1 consists of the list of potential improvement opportunities which range from simple to complex and inexpensive to expensive. The common theme is that all ideas are focused on improvements to State-owned roads in Chapel Hill, as directed by the Council. We have not attempted to prioritize the ideas in any way.
The Committee has listed the opportunities in groups under the following categories to assist reviewers:
· Policies and Guidelines (P&G)
· Education and Training (E&T)
· Study and Evaluation (S&E)
· Construction and Maintenance (C&M)
· Enforcement (E)
· Funding (F)
During the Public Hearing, the Council requested that the Committee further differentiate the list of opportunities by noting those that we suggest forwarding to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board for further study and those that we think could be handled directly by Town and/or State staff.
We have revised the list format, and included the letter “B” by those opportunities that we think could be referred to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board for follow-up; and the letter “S” by those opportunities suggested for Town and State staff follow-up. This format is also set up to facilitate tracking progress on implementation of the ideas and providing quick status reports. (Please refer to Attachment #1.)
We would appreciate guidance from the Council regarding priorities for opportunities it wishes the Board and/or staff to work on first.
We suggest that the Council refer the list of opportunities to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board for review and recommendations. The Board could recommend priority projects for the Council’s consideration and may wish to revise our assignment of responsibility between the Board and staff for further follow-up activities.
That the Council adopt the attached resolution thanking the joint Town/State Technical Committee for its work and referring the Committee’s list of improvement opportunities to the Town Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board for review and recommendations on further follow-up activities.