Bicycling & Walking in North Carolina, a Critical Part of the Transportation System
(adopted by the Board of Transportation on September 8, 2000)
The N.C. Board of Transportation has strongly demonstrated its commitment to improving conditions for bicycling and walking in North Carolina by passing a resolution to make bicycling and walking a critical part of the state's transportation system. Although the department already incorporates bicycle and pedestrian elements — including bike lanes and sidewalks — into many of its highway projects, this resolution demonstrates the department's strong commitment to integrating these elements into its long-range transportation system. It also acknowledges the benefits that bicycling and walking offer: cleaner air, reduced congestion, more livable communities, more efficient use of road space and resources and healthier people.
During the next two years, a team of NCDOT personnel will review and implement guidelines to successfully integrate bicycle and pedestrian planning into the daily operations of the department. The resolution also encourages cities and towns across the state to make bicycling and pedestrian improvements an integral part of their transportation planning and programming.
Text of the Resolution
The North Carolina Board of Transportation strongly reaffirms its commitment to improving conditions for bicycling and walking, and recognizes nonmotorized modes of transportation as critical elements of the local, regional, and national transportation system.
WHEREAS, increasing bicycling and walking offers the potential for cleaner air, healthier people, reduced congestion, more liveable communities, and more efficient use of road space and resources; and
WHEREAS, crashes involving bicyclists and pedestrians represent more than 14 percent of the nation's traffic fatalities; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in its policy statement "Guidance on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Provisions of the Federal-Aid Program" urges states to include bicycle and pedestrian accommodations in its programmed highway projects; and
WHEREAS, bicycle and pedestrian projects and programs are eligible for funding from almost all of the major Federal-aid funding programs; and
WHEREAS, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) calls for the mainstreaming of bicycle and pedestrian projects into the planning, design and operation of our Nation's transportation system;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the North Carolina Board of Transportation concurs that bicycling and walking accommodations shall be a routine part of the North Carolina Department of Transportation's planning, design, construction, and operations activities and supports the Department's study and consideration of methods of improving the inclusion of these modes into the everyday operations of North Carolina's transportation system; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, North Carolina cities and towns are encouraged to make bicycling and pedestrian improvements an integral part of their transportation planning and programming.
06/01/05
