The Durham Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission is calling on you to support a very important issue.
In November, the Durham County Board of Commissioners & the Durham City Council will consider adopting the Durham Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan (the “Bike Plan“).
If you want to see more interconnected bike facilities and bike-oriented development in Durham, please contact the City and County and urge them to adopt the Bike Plan.
There are two things you can do:
First, please send a brief email to City Council and the Board of County Commissioners expressing your support.
Second, please also attend a Commissioners or Council meeting and speak in favor of its adoption.
These are the meeting dates:
County- Work Session- Nov. 6- starts at 9AM (this Monday)
County- Regular Session- Nov.13- starts at 7PM
City- Work Session- Nov. 9- starts at 1PM
City- Regular Session- Nov. 20- starts at 7PM
More information will follow about when/how the Bike Plan will be considered at each meeting, but please start sending emails now.
To learn more about the plan, visit: download it here. (Note: this online version of the document contains 72 DPI low-res pdfs for screen viewing)
Reasons to support this plan can be found in the sample email below. Feel free to cut and paste that email if you don’t have time to write one of your own.
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SEND THIS EMAIL
TO: City Council
TO: County Commissioners
SUBJECT: SUPPORT the Durham Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan (Bike Plan)
BODY:
Mayor Bell and Members of Durham City Council:
or
Chair Reckhow and Members of the Board of County Commissioners:
I am writing to respectfully urge you to adopt the Durham Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan (the “Bike Plan”). This plan is a welcome step toward encouraging more biking in the City and County of Durham and creating a comprehensive network of bikeways and trails.
Unpredictable gas prices, increasing traffic congestion and lack of outlets for physical activity are challenges for residents of the Triangle. Approval and implementation of the Bike Plan will give Durham residents an edge in tackling these issues.
Please keep the following points in mind:
1) This is a long-term plan, not a mandate to spend tax dollars today.
We regularly adopt a Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) for the next 25 years that covers roads and other infrastructure – without having the current revenue to cover all the projects. Long term planning is necessary to develop a coherent framework for the bikeway system we want to eventually have in place across the entire City and County.
2) An adopted Bike Plan will help us leverage state and federal grants, as well as other sources of money for bike facilities.
By adopting this plan, we demonstrate a commitment and vision for bicycle projects in Durham, rather than approaching funding sources haphazardly. This document will be of great assistance in applying for sources of money beyond our local property tax revenues.
3) The Bike Plan includes a recommended short-term bike route network.
This network identifies key roads that require simply paint stripes or signage. This network could quickly add up to 60 miles to our existing bikeway system.
I hope you will vote to adopt this plan, as it is a critical first step in making Durham stand apart as a bike-friendly city.
Sincerely,
YOU
