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Orange County · Orange Unified Transportation Board
Monday, October 21, 2024

Regular meeting Roads and transportationParks and recreationSchools and educationTransit

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved 4Minutes - August 19th, 2024 Approved unanimously as amended
  2. Approved 5.aShort Range Transit Plan Approved unanimously with amendments: Orange High School's pedestrian access project raised to medium-term priority, the rural hub map expanded countywide, weekend and evening Hil…
  3. Approved 5.b2024 Safe Routes to School Plan Approved unanimously with amendments: a directive for each school to pursue a state agreement on car-line traffic, added sidewalk and bike-lane mileage figures, and higher priorit…

Read from the agenda's recorded outcomes. Where the board published minutes, those are the record — this is a pointer to them.

What's on this agenda

The Orange Unified Transportation Board met to review a countywide short-range transit plan and the 2024 Safe Routes to School plan, both drafted by outside consultants. The transit plan covers rider messaging, on-demand booking, the regional transit hub network and the Hill to Hill route between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill. The school plan sets walking and biking improvements at schools across the county, including three Hillsborough schools the town asked to add: Central Elementary, River Park Elementary and Hillsborough Elementary.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

The board approved both plans with changes rather than as presented. On the transit plan, members moved Orange High School's pedestrian access project up to a medium-term priority, expanded the rural transit hub map countywide, added weekend and evening service to the Hill to Hill route pending talks with GoTriangle, and asked staff to emphasize marketing for the transit information campaign as budget allows. On the school plan, members added a directive for each school to pursue a state-DOT agreement on car-line traffic, asked for sidewalk and bike-lane mileage to be spelled out, and raised the priority of no-parking zones and lower speed limits near schools. Both motions passed unanimously. Staff also reported that I-40 remains on schedule for lane closures within the year, that Stantec has been hired for the county's bicycle and pedestrian plan, and that Parks and Recreation expects to start a trails plan in December.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (9)

Procedural · 4Resolution · 2Staff or committee report · 2Minutes approval · 1
  1. 1 Call to Order
    Procedural
    The meeting was called to order and the roll was taken.
  2. 2 Considerations of Additions to Agenda
    Procedural
    Members added two items for discussion: pavement scraping along Orange Grove Road and gate problems at the Eno River parking deck.
  3. 3 Public Comments
    Procedural
    No members of the public spoke.
  4. 4 Minutes - August 19th, 2024
    Minutes approval
    The board corrected attendance and spelling errors in the August 19 minutes and set a policy of summarizing future minutes rather than transcribing them verbatim, with video posted online for the full record.
    Approved unanimously as amended
  5. 5.a Short Range Transit Plan
    Resolution Roads and transportationTransit
    Consultants from Nelson Nygaard presented a short-range transit plan recommending a rider information campaign, easier demand-response booking, and changes to the regional transit hub network and the Hill to Hill route. Members questioned the hub locations and the route's alignment with GoTriangle service.
    Approved unanimously with amendments: Orange High School's pedestrian access project raised to medium-term priority, the rural hub map expanded countywide, weekend and evening Hill to Hill service added, and a Climate Action Plan reference added to the plan's project goals
  6. 5.b 2024 Safe Routes to School Plan
    Resolution Roads and transportationSchools and education
    Staff presented the county's Safe Routes to School plan, updated at the Town of Hillsborough's request to add Central Elementary, River Park Elementary and Hillsborough Elementary. Members and residents raised concerns about student drop-off traffic at River Park Elementary and the timing of the plan's field surveys.
    Approved unanimously with amendments: a directive for each school to pursue a state agreement on car-line traffic, added sidewalk and bike-lane mileage figures, and higher priority for no-parking zones and lower speed limits near schools
  7. 6.a Staff Report: MPO, RPO, and NCDOT
    Staff or committee report Roads and transportation
    Staff reported that I-40 remains on schedule to close within the year and that I-85 bridge replacement work is coming.
  8. 6.b Staff Report: County Bike/Ped Plan
    Staff or committee report Parks and recreationRoads and transportation
    Staff reported that Stantec has been hired to lead the county's bicycle and pedestrian plan, with the first meeting the following month, and that Parks and Recreation plans to start a trails plan in December.
  9. 8 Adjournment
    Procedural
    The meeting adjourned at 8:37 p.m. The minutes list the next meeting as October 21, 2024, the same date as this one, which appears to be an error in the record rather than a scheduled date.

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