Opinion: Local governments know better what to do about streets

Buried in a N.C. House of Representatives bill is a section which could limit a city’s ability to add bike lanes to their streets.

Under section seven of House Bill 44, if a road has traffic of more than 20,000 cars per day and would result in reduced lane space for motor vehicles, then the local government would need approval from the N.C. Department of Transportation to add a bike lane.

The bill has passed a third reading in the Senate and will soon be headed to the House for a vote. If this bill is passed with section seven intact, it will become more difficult for local governments to create bike lanes and ensure that bicyclists in their area have access to safe travel on roads.

North Carolina has the country’s ninth-highest rate of bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities, according to the Alliance for Biking & Walking’s 2014 report. Bicycling need not be a mode of transportation that results in so many fatalities. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 4,735 people were killed in crashes involving a bicycle and motor vehicle in 2013. Adding bike lanes seems like a natural first step to lowering this number.

Not all residents can afford a car, and bikes provide an affordable and reliable way to get around town. Trends from the U.S. Department of Transportation show increased use of alternate mode of transport by young people.

Making it easier to bike can reduce the number of cars on the road, encourage physical exercise and reduce use of fossil fuel-emitting modes of transportation.

Bicyclists have the same legal right to use roads as motor vehicles and should not have to fear for their safety any more than the average driver. Creating bike lanes on dangerous roads is a relatively simple and low-cost way to ensure that bicyclists have enough space to ride safely.

Bike lanes are especially important here in Chapel Hill, where many residents do not own cars and use bikes to travel.

This bill would make it more difficult for bike lanes to be added to roads that sorely need them, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Estes Road. In October of 2014, Chapel Hill resident Pamela Lane was killed while biking up Martin Luther King Jr.

This bill was intended to clear up road congestion but in reality adds unnecessary red tape to the process of creating bike lanes, and in doing so it stifles efforts to make roadways safe for all who use them.