Appendix A: Public Engagement
This appendix provides detail on all of the outreach efforts that helped shape the recommendations of the Plan.
Steering Committee
The Committee was formed to help manage the development of this plan. Representatives are listed in the Acknowledgements section of this Plan.
Stakeholder Interviews
Interviews were conducted with the individuals listed below, representing their departments. Additional focused meetings were held with representatives of the UNC Healthcare, the Athletics Department and members of the steering committee to discuss draft facility recommendations.
- Sergeant Megan Howard, UNC-Chapel Hill Campus Police, DPS
- Ray Magyar (retired), Transportation Planner, DPS
- Lauren Mangili, Campus Recreation
- Eleanor Saunders, Graduate and Professional Student Forum
- Amanda Simmons, Commuter Alternative Program, DPS
Public Open House
One public open house was held for this Plan to gather input on draft physical network, policy and program recommendations. The open house was held from 12-2 p.m. on October 23, 2013 at the Student Union. Approximately 80 students, faculty and staff attended to learn about the bicycle plan and to vote on the recommendations. The results of the open house are included in this Appendix.
Four key network streets were presented with a range of facility treatment options. Attendees voted on a preferred treatment based on pros and cons presented.
| Street | Facility Recommendation Option | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Road | Sharrow: 2 | Wide sidewalks: 0 | Cycle track or raised bike lanes: 37 | Wide shared-use path: 10 |
| Ridge Road | Sharrow: 3 | Climbing lane: 11 | Bike lanes: 23 | Wide shared-use path: 3 |
| South Columbia Street | Sharrow: 4 | Wide sidewalk: 0 | Two-way cycle track: 41 | |
| Country Club Road | Sharrow: 5 | Climbing lane: 29 | Wide shared-use path: 11 | |
Attendees gave input on maps about the location of bike parking and other amenities.
They were also asked about a possible new policy that would restrict parking locations to the edge of North Campus and require bicyclists to walk their bikes within that area of campus.
- Yes
- 5
- No
- 24
Attendees were asked to prioritize a list of possible program and policy recommendations through sticker voting, where attendees indicate their preferences by placing small stickers in boxes denoting different options.
| Program or Policy | Votes |
|---|---|
| Integrate bikes into all routine campus planning efforts | 38 |
| Produce a campus bicycle map with suggested routes, parking + shower locations | 35 |
| Include bicycle safety info in new student orientations | 27 |
| Support on-campus bike shop/hub | 19 |
| Educate cyclists about their rights and responsibilities | 15 |
| Designate a campus bicycle coordinator | 15 |
| Develop webpage for UNC-Chapel Hill bike resources | 13 |
| Study bike share feasibility | 11 |
| Ensure inclusion of bike routes and destinations in campus wayfinding project | 11 |
| Hold an annual fall bike ride | 10 |
| Consistently enforce traffic laws for all modes | 9 |
| Create “respect” marketing campaign | 8 |
| Offer bicycle education classes on regular basis | 8 |
| Include bicycle safety info in new employee packets | 8 |
| Create enforceable policies with associated fines that restrict unsafe riding | 4 |
| Build bicycle ambassadors program | 3 |
| Continue and grow Cyclicious; pair with spring event | 3 |
| Develop educational videos about biking topics in UNC-Chapel Hill context | 1 |
The attendees were asked to vote on funding options for new bicycle infrastructure and programs.
| Method | Votes |
|---|---|
| Allocate percentage of existing transportation fee | 24 |
| Expand renewable energy fee to be sustainability fee | 6 |
| Allocate portion of student recreation fee to bike classes and/or campus bike shop | 1 |
| New student fee for bike infrastructure and programming | 1 |
Website
A project website was maintained for the duration of the planning process on the DPS website. It was linked from the CAP site and provided information about the project purpose, schedule and public input opportunities. Visitors were able to leave comments or questions about the Plan through this website. The online survey and online map, discussed below, were linked from this site.
| Date | Comment/Question |
|---|---|
| 10/15/2013 | In North Carolina, bicycles are expected to obey traffic laws. Bicycle safety on this campus and in Chapel Hill could be greatly enhanced if only the police would start to enforce these state regulations. I can’t begin to recall how many times I’ve watched bikes run stop lights and traffic signs, go the wrong way on one way streets, ride on sidewalks, again including the wrong way on one way streets, zoom through crosswalks, and weave in and out of traffic with no thought to signalling. I have seen all of these actions and more, some right in front of manned University and Chapel Hill police cruisers, in the over 30 years I have lived here and I have never, ever once seen an officer even try to correct this kind of behavior. If you want a bicycle-safe town start expecting safe bicyclist behavior. |
| 10/15/2013 | I manage the building infrastructure for Computer Science in Sitterson and Brooks. We created an internal bikeroom and it is a great feature. There’s a strong need for covered bike storage. I used to commute by bicycle, and having to deal with a wet bike is painful. There’s a patio space of sorts off the north west corner of Sitterson, where the bus stop used to be. That area would be an ideal location for covered bike racks. Likewise, there are some nice open space just south of Chapman. |
| 10/15/2013 | Hi – I don’t ride a bike on campus personally, but I do work here and thus walk along the sidewalks every work day. I think it’s great that people are riding bikes, but there is a problem that I fear greatly. The coasting speeds reached on sidewalks by cyclists are often very fast as they come down slopes. For instance, I park my car in the Undergraduate parking lot each day. I walk up/down the hill via the brick walkway between the Undergrad and Wilson libraries. MANY times I have not heard a bike speeding down the walkway and whizzing past me till it has come and gone – I only hear a whoosh in my ear. There is no way for a cyclist to predict what the pedestrians in front of him will do. I fear that one day I will step to the left or right and get slammed to the ground by one of these bikes. I’m 63 years old, and I would definitely end up in the hospital. The speed on other (of the many) sloping sidewalks is similar. If there could be some sort of regulation or plan to prevent such an accident it would be much appreciated. Thank you! |
| 9/20/2013 | please add me to email update list |
| 7/29/2013 |
|
| 7/1/2013 | I would like a parking lot in Carrboro (?Carrboro Plaza?) devoted to commuting by bicycle to campus. I live in Saxapahaw, so I’d like to drive to Carrboro, leave my car, then fetch my bike from a secure & covered space, and wheel into campus. Ideally, this car/bike parking area would also be accessible via bus in case of bad weather. |
| 6/27/2013 | Just took the survey–didn’t see an opportunity for feedback, so doing it here. I’m an avid cyclist and have used my bike as my sole form of transportation for many years. But I think bikes need to be restricted from riding all over campus. I’ve had many near misses–mostly as a pedestrian. It would also be useful for me, as a cyclist, to have a dedicated route where I can reasonably expect not to find a ton of pedestrians. University of Minnesota did a good job–just painted dedicated routes, no other investment. |
| 6/27/2013 | I have observed that the vast majority of bicyclists follow absolutely no rules. They run red lights, speed through pedestrian crossings, and weave in and out of pedestrians on sidewalks. I’ve been grazed by passing bicyclists while I was walking on sidewalks. I think that biking rules need to be enforced and riders educated about the rules. They are presently a nuisance. However, biking decreases automobile traffic so it is necessary to encourage this type of transportation. Education about riding etticate and providing safe bike lanes is imperative for the master plan. |
| 6/27/2013 | I think what you are trying to do is a good thing but every day I see students and others weaving in and out of traffic. I see them pass you on the right as you have to stop for something and get in front of you, then creep along. I see them blow through red lights and completely ignore traffic laws. They do this in plain sight of officers and I have never seen a biker stopped. Never. It is my opinion that this is no more than a game to the bikers and many of them could care less about the traffic laws they are supposed to obey. Until UNC-Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill police crack down on some of these people how can anyone expect the problem to get better? I do everything I can everyday to be a safe and responsible driver on this campus. I hope whatever plans you come up with helps keep everyone safe. The biggest and most productive thing that can be done IMO is enforce the existing traffic laws and make the bikers follow them too. |
| 6/27/2013 | What’s the deal with bikes ridden on the sidewalk? If it’s not against the law it ought to be… just sayin’…. |
| 6/27/2013 | I think it’s great that you’re encouraging more bike riding on campus and trying to determine possible alternatives for them when riding. However, I’m writing to you from a different angle i.e. as a pedestrian, walking on sidewalks, concerned for my safety. If you’re going to make the campus more biker friendly, you need to educate the bikers to becoming more pedestrian friendly as well. Please, please, please consider providing information/training to the bike riders about the care they need to take while riding and the consideration they need to give to pedestrians, especially when using the sidewalks that are intended for walking. Rules of the road/sidewalk, so-to-speak. I’ve literally almost been run over by bikers on a sidewalk more times than I can count. Bikers ride on sidewalks and walkers cannot hear them coming from behind. What if the walker stumbled to or started walking on the other side of the sidewalk and there was a bike coming from behind? The walker would be hit. It’s a sidewalk, the walker is not thinking that a bike might be coming from behind. It would be so easy if the bikers gave a proper warning with a yell-out of “passing on the left” as they pass a pedestrian on the same sidewalk. The majority of bikers do not know to do this and have never heard of doing it. Many times there’s even a bike lane on the road and the bikers still choose to use the sidewalk. The “call-out” is not only common courtesy since the bikers are infringing on the walkers’ sidewalk, but it’s a bigger matter of safety. There should be signs posted to reflect riding rules, information should be given to the bikers on their responsibility to ride safely, just as there are rules and safety standards for drivers of cars. Thank you! |
| 6/27/2013 | A comment: I think a huge integral part of this master bike plan is to have markings on sidewalks for bikes within campus (such as the quad or what not). It would prevent a lot of potential accidents of a 20 mph bike vs pedestrian. |
Online Interactive Map (WikiMap)
An online interactive map tool, the WikiMap, was available for UNC-CH feedback from May through August 2013. Users added points, lines and comments to the map providing invaluable feedback to the project team about locations of high-stress streets and problem intersections that were high priorities for being addressed in the Plan. Users identified themselves in the following categories.
They added points, lines and comments in the following categories:
| Routes | Total Added |
|---|---|
| Route I ride (high-stress) | 160 |
| Route I ride (low-stress) | 178 |
| Route I’d like to ride | 135 |
| Shortcut I use, not trail/road | 54 |
| Points | Total Added |
|---|---|
| Problem intersection | 223 |
| Place I go | 178 |
| Need bike parking | 22 |
| Need more bike parking | 35 |
Full results of the WikiMap geographic data and its surveys are available in the GIS and Excel files that accompany this plan. These files will be housed by DPS.
Online Survey
Feedback from the campus community was gathered through an online survey completed by 818 respondents over an eight-week period beginning June 27, 2013. This feedback will be housed by DPS.