Chapter 5: Education, Encouragement and Enforcement Recommendations

Commuter Alternative Program

Most bicycle programming is housed in DPS’s Commuter Alternative Program (CAP). This program focuses on helping employees and commuter students decrease the number of single-occupancy automobile trips to campus. Annual benefits of the program available to bicyclists include:

• Access to twelve 1-day parking permits for permanent employees, two 1-day parking permits for students
• Access to Emergency Ride Back (shuttle service within Chapel Hill and Carrboro)
• Discounted annual fee ($10) for Zipcar, the University’s carsharing program
• Entry in drawings for prizes donated by local merchants
• Annual GoPass for fare-free transit on Triangle Transit routes for employees and students living outside the Chapel Hill Transit service area
• Discounts at local restaurants and shops

The program has also offered bicycle skills classes in the past and sponsors Bike to Work Week on campus every May. CAP staff attend various events throughout the year to distribute bike safety information, bike maps, lights, tire levers, patch kits and other useful items.

Cyclicious

This annual event for students, staff and faculty began as an initiative by epidemiology students in partnership with UNC-CH Student Wellness, DPS, The Bicycle Chain (a local bike shop) and the ReCYCLEry (a local bike nonprofit). These partners sponsor the promotional event each year, offering free bike checks and repairs, bicycle registration and safety information.

Tar Heel Bikes

This a student-led two-year bike share pilot program launched in 2012. The funding is from multiple sources: the Residence Hall Association, New Student and Carolina Parent Programs, the ReCYCLEry NC, Housing and Residential Education, the Strowd Roses Foundation and the Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee. The program consists of a 30-bike fleet available for free rentals to approximately 3,000 residents of Craige, Ehringhaus, Hinton James and Morrison Residence Halls. Bikes are checked out from the front office of each residence hall and must be returned there before the office closes. The bikes are maintained by volunteer mechanics from The ReCYCLEry who perform repairs and bi-weekly maintenance.

At the conclusion of the pilot phase, the student organizers hope to expand the bike sharing program to more campus residences within three years. Considerations for potential expansion are detailed in Appendix G.

When asked about the bike share system on this plan’s online survey, 36.4% of undergraduates were aware of the bike share program, and 8.3% have used the bikes. Awareness of the program was lower among non-residential members of the University community who are not the target audience.

The Carolina Bicycle Coalition and Carolina Cycling

UNC-CH currently has two other bicycle student organizations, the Carolina Bicycle Coalition and Carolina Cycling. Formed in 2012, the Carolina Bicycle Coalition’s primary goal is to advocate for improved bicycle infrastructure on campus. They also promote bicycle safety and education. Founded in 1996, Carolina Cycling is a bicycle racing club that competes in all types of bicycling events and organizes training rides for students.

There are other student groups whose work relates to bicycling, though they do not provide specific programs. These groups, such as the Sierra Student Coalition, could advocate for implementing bicycle infrastructure and programs on campus.

The current Traffic and Parking Ordinance incorporates all of the 2005 Bicycle Policy governing bicycle registration and parking. All employees and students are required to display a bicycle permit when bringing a bicycle to campus. Permits are available free of charge and are not transferrable between bicycles as specific information about the bicycle (model, color and serial number) is tied to the permit. Permits are valid for five years from issuance date. The ordinance states that violators of this requirement are first warned, then fined $5 on their second violation and $10 for third and subsequent violations. 1

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1 Full Traffic and Parking Ordinance

Campus Police enforce state and local traffic laws for all modes on campus. For the past two years, DPS has participated in Watch for Me NC, an NCDOT enforcement program. This program promotes bicycle and pedestrian safety to the public and trains officers to reinforce their understanding of traffic laws that pertain to the interactions of drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. Targeted Watch for Me NC outreach in October 2013 informed the campus community that moving violations on a bicycle incur the same fines as moving violations in an automobile. UNC-CH Sergeant Megan Howard noted a reduction in offenses directly after this enforcement action.

Campus Police distribute enforcement and safety messages through social media. As available, Police also distribute safety accessories such as bicycle lights and helmets.

Campaigns to promote understanding and respect may help decrease conflicts amongst all modes on campus. People do not necessarily have an inherent understanding of the motivations, needs and behaviors of those traveling by other modes of transportation. For example, a driver may not understand the importance of using a turn signal to notify a bicyclist of an upcoming turn. A bicyclist may not appreciate how their travel speed impacts the comfort of pedestrians on shared pathways, and a pedestrian may not understand how important it is to make eye contact with a driver or bicyclist when crossing the street. Developing mutual respect and good communication amongst all transportation system users is central to creating a strong, multimodal transportation network.

A set of campaign materials with a recognizable graphic identity should be developed. Materials can include messaging on the campus bicycling website, light pole banners, sandwich boards and posters in dining halls and campus restaurants. The theme of respect should be integrated into other education materials as well. This program is likely best accomplished by DPS working with Housing and the existing student bicycle groups.

Bicycle Ambassador programs have proven successful in a number of cities throughout the United States and are also beginning to be implemented on campuses such as Virginia Tech and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.2 Bicycle ambassadors perform outreach at all types of events on campus and organize stand-alone events, such as bike light giveaways when daylight savings time ends. Ambassadors are expected to act as model bicyclists by following traffic laws and riding courteously to help spread good behavior among the growing numbers of cyclists. At Virginia Tech, six ambassadors are trained about campus, local and state laws regarding bicyclist rights, responsibilities and other aspects of bicycle culture.

A student-staffed program like Virginia Tech’s could be strengthened through inclusion of faculty and staff. Faculty and staff ambassadors may be more successful than students at forming connections and encouraging bicycling amongst their peers. This program could be initiated through coordination with the Carolina Bicycle Coalition and existing off-campus bicycle groups (Carrboro Bicycle Coalition and Carolina Tarwheels bicycle club) which may have UNC-CH staff or faculty members. The program will need to be coordinated by a staff member, potentially in CAP or elsewhere in DPS.

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2 Information about the University of Illinois’ program.

Offering a regular schedule of bicycle education classes, perhaps two per semester, will help institutionalize safe bicycle practices in the community. These classes should be available to the entire campus community. These classes may be offered through Campus Recreation, since they already provide physical activity skills classes at UNC-CH and are often the provider of this type of programming at other universities.

Instructors should be trained bicycle educators. A number of League of American Bicyclist Instructors live in and near Chapel Hill and have offered to teach classes for Town residents.3 These professionals are also available to teach courses at UNC-CH. Education about the rules of the road, what to expect when riding in traffic, safe bicycle operations and emergency maneuvers will help bicyclists ride and interact safely with other modes. In order to tailor the national curriculum to the UNC-CH context, additional messaging about respectfully sharing pathways could be added to the classes.

The University may also explore adding a cycling skills class to the Lifetime Fitness curriculum where an indoor cycling course already exists.

Discounted or free bike safety accessories such as lights, locks and helmets may encourage UNC-CH community members to take part in these classes. Yale University has seen an increase in cycling skills class enrollment since beginning to refund membership fees in the campus bike share program for participants.

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3 League of American Bicyclists instructors teach a “Smart Cycling” curriculum that consists of classroom and on-bike instruction. Information about the program is available.

New students, both undergraduate and graduate, come to campus from many different biking cultures, so it is important to educate them about applicable rights and responsibilities for bicyclists in Chapel Hill. During new student orientation, information is given about many aspects of personal safety on campus, and it is recommended that bicycle safety messages be included. Although CAP and DPS distribute bike safety flyers at the information fairs, it would be beneficial to also include a formal presentation to all incoming students and their parents.

Graduate students should also receive bicycle safety materials and messages during their orientations. Student groups can help DPS, Housing and Campus Health with both of these efforts.

Campus-specific safety resources, such as brochures or fact sheets, can help the UNC-CH community interpret and internalize messages about traffic safety. This information will supplement materials that new employees receive in the current New Hire Packet, which includes information about transportation options and the Commuter Alternative Program (CAP). Materials may also be distributed at events where CAP or bicycle student groups table and can be adapted to appear on the recommended UNC-CH bicycling website discussed under “Encouragement.” This resource should cover:

• Summary of Chapel Hill laws regarding bicycling, including sidewalk riding prohibitions
• Summary of North Carolina laws regarding bicycling 4
• How-to’s for various bicycle facilities: bike lane, sharrow, pathways and shared roads
• Safety tips for traffic interactions at intersections and highways on/off-ramps 5
• Campus policies regarding safe bicycle operations and traffic laws
• Safety equipment recommendations (helmet, lights and reflective/bright clothing) and list of local sources
• Bike locking best practices

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4 The NCDOT maintains a publication on state bicycle laws which may be summarized for a UNC-Chapel Hill guide.
5 The League of American Bicyclists’ Smart Cycling Tips are a good starting point for this resource.
6 A full report on the program is available.

Registration is required for all campus bicycles, and any employee or student registering their bike should receive information about bicyclists’ rights and responsibilities on roads and pathways. DPS should develop materials for all registrants that include information about “do’s and don’ts” for bike parking. The University will explore ways to improve the bike registration process, including advertising and incentives.

Staff in DPS should receive regular training on all modes of travel and be familiar with the Campus Master Plan, which includes the Bicycle Master Plan. This training should include education about and knowledge of best practices in bicycle planning and design. Examples of educational opportunities include the ProWalk ProBike conference, an educational opportunity sponsored by the National Center for Bicycling and Walking and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, which offers resources about the field, including webinars.

Staff in the Facilities Planning Department should be aware of bicycling as a form of transportation that will be considered, as are pedestrians and automobiles, in all master planning and capital projects. They should also be familiar with the Campus Master Plan, which includes the Bicycle Master Plan. The University Architect, the Facilities Planning landscape architect and senior management in particular should receive regular training on general bicycle planning and practices. This will enable them to act as an information source within the Facilities Planning Department and to effectively liaise with DPS, campus bicycling advocacy groups, and the Town of Chapel Hill on bicycle planning and design projects.

Educational opportunities for both DPS and Facilities Planning can be local, regional or national and incorporated as a part of the licensing required by these professions. Staff should also be encouraged to attend campus and local bicycling educational events.

It is recommended that the University investigate methods and opportunities to educate drivers on campus about multimodal interactions and rules of the road. This population consists of drivers of UNC-owned vehicles, delivery drivers and students, faculty and staff who drive to campus.

One potential option that has been implemented at Georgia Tech University is to educate the campus population at the time of parking permit purchase. Each buyer must click through a series of educational slides which are followed by a short quiz about rules of the road and safety related to all road users. This quiz reaches a broad population of drivers, but the approach may need to be modified for implementation in UNC-CH’s current parking permit purchase system.

DPS is currently redesigning their website, which will provide a better format for information about bicycling. Other universities’ commuter websites can serve as models for the type and level of information that should be available to the campus community about bicycling. The pages of UC-Irvine and Yale are particularly good examples. 7 Having a single, comprehensive web resource will make bicycling an easier choice for the campus community and help amass information to demonstrate the extent of bicycling’s presence at UNC-CH. Basic categories of information that should be included are:

• Maps: campus, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and region
• Bike Registration: online application
• Safety: bicycle class schedule, and links to safety videos
• Security: locking how-to and best lock to use
• Bikes-on-Buses: tips for using bike racks on buses
• Resources: Student groups like Tar Heel Bikes, Carolina Bicycle Coalition, and Carolina Cycling; local advocacy groups; advisory boards; email listservs
• Bike Plan: upcoming programs, policies and infrastructure around UNC-CH

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7 These pages are at https://bike.uci.edu/ and https://to.yale.edu/bike

Engineering Information Services should update the existing map located at https://gismaps.unc.edu/bike/ to include the following elements:

• On-road bicycle facilities
• Recommended off-road through routes
• All campus stairways
• Bike rack locations and type: basic, covered and secure
• Bike tire pump locations
• Shower locations

The map should be available in a printable format and linked to the DPS bicycle website. This map should be updated on a regular basis as new bicycle facilities are added on campus and throughout Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

This event, in addition to spring Bike to Work week, can become a focus of the bicycling community at UNC-CH and could bring the campus together for a fun, shared activity. The event could also be a safe way to orient new students to bicycling conditions in Chapel Hill. The ride will enable students to get out on the road in a supported environment and will provide resources for students who want additional education about how to safely ride in traffic. The ride should include common routes that students may take to off-campus destinations as well as on-campus routes for getting from residences to academic and recreation buildings. This ride should be organized with support from campus/Town police, so that riders stay together and interact in a courteous and safe way with other traffic.

The annual fall bike ride should be held in coordination with Cyclicious, which is already held in the fall and is also designed to build excitement about bicycling.

As campus wayfinding is studied and new systems implemented, bicycle routes and destinations should be included in new maps and directional signage. Clearly marked routes displayed in prominent locations will help students and staff navigate campus and will remind anyone using the campus wayfinding system that bicycling is an important part of Carolina culture.

It is recommended that UNC-CH apply to the League of American Bicyclists for designation as a Bicycle Friendly University (BFU). The completion of the BFU application can continue to bring together parties who coordinated to write this Plan. Continued coordination will help solidify connections that will ease implementation of other Plan recommendations. Additionally, UNC-CH may use its BFU status as a promotional point for prospective students, faculty and employees and to keep up interest on campus for further bicycle improvements.

The feasibility of a bike share system that covers both the University campus and the Town should be jointly studied by the Town and UNC-CH. Conducting a feasibility study and exploring possible business models and partnerships will lay important groundwork for a future bike share system. These systems are increasingly popular on campuses throughout the United States and are a way to visibly demonstrate University support for bicycling. In its first year of a two-year pilot, Tar Heel Bikes, a student-led program, had 4,700 rides taken on its fleet of the 30 bikes available to resident undergraduate students living on South Campus. As noted earlier, organizers hope to expand this program throughout campus and into Town.

Raleigh is currently undertaking a feasibility study of bike share. Though it is unlikely that campus affiliates would ride a bike share bicycle from Chapel Hill to Raleigh, the two systems could potentially be run by the same operator and integrated such that members can use systems in both jurisdictions. Conversations about a regional approach to bike share should be included in any feasibility study. A full explanation of considerations for bike share on campus and in Town is available in Appendix G.

All bicyclists in the roadway must obey North Carolina traffic law, and violators incur the same fines as an automobile driver. Other universities have developed supplemental or parallel policies that govern bike riding behavior not covered under state law. For instance, Colorado State University (CSU) policy states “When riding on a bicycle path or other area shared with pedestrians, a bicyclist or skateboarder will not exceed a speed that is reasonable and prudent with respect to visibility, traffic, weather, and surface conditions, but in any case will be less than the speed allowed on campus streets and parking lots.” Violation of this or any other regulation may result in the issuance of a bicycle violation notice. Certain safety violations incur fines, including riding without lighting equipment, wrong-way riding and failure to signal. Furthermore, multiple violations can be cited at a time. These fines are $25, and it is at the officer’s discretion whether to apply the CSU fine structure or the Fort Collins/Colorado fine structure. 8

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8 Full Colorado State University policies

It is recommended that UNC-CH develop a new program, modeled on the UC Davis Bicycle Enforcement and Education Program (BEEP). Through BEEP, bicyclists who violate traffic laws have the opportunity to take an online course and quiz following their first infraction. By completing the quiz, bicyclists are able to lower the fine associated with their violation. This program is designed to leverage traffic violations as an opportunity to increase education amongst bicycle riders. 9

This campaign reportedly was successful in fall 2013 in reducing bicyclist infractions. Continuing consistent enforcement of state and local traffic laws for bicyclists will help develop a culture of lawful behavior and will create a safer environment for all modes using roadways throughout campus. As enforcement occurs, word will spread quickly through student networks and social media, so a limited number of fines each semester may have a far-reaching effect.

As building and road construction projects occur on campus, it is important to ensure that bicyclists have safe passage during periods of construction. It is recommended that all construction plans be reviewed by the transportation planner to ensure that bicyclists (and pedestrians) are safely accommodated if a facility will be blocked by construction equipment or barricades. For example, if construction results in a blocked bike lane or a narrowed roadway, an interim solution can consist of shared roadway warning signage and temporary shared lane markings.