AG 2002 12 16 (Regular) - Laserfiche WebLink

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the planned improvements by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). Table 5 lists recommended facilities and their proposed cross-section. While these recommended facilities are important to the area, no formal voice to the State Board of Transportation is available to Mount Pleasant or this portion of the County. Without a formal voice in the funding process many of these projects will not be completed. Two options are available to advance transportation planning in the area, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) and Rural Planning Organizations (RPO). Both are transportation planning bodies established by the federal Inter-modal and Transportation Efficiency Act. While MPOs have long been established, RPOs were recently established and are just beginning to be formed. Because the Cabarms - South Rowan MPO is an established transportation planning body located adjacent to the planning area, it is this plans recommendation that' County and Mount Pleasant officials pursue membership in the Cabarrus South-Rowan MPO. Most of the road facilities in this plan should be designed to accommodate bicycle, pedestrian and vehicular traffic. In order to do so, it is also recommended that the Town of Mount Pleasant establish a bike route and sidewalk plan to compliment their existing efforts. Additionally, many of the primary roads throughout Mount Pleasant are wide enough, by NCDOT standards, to accommodate bike lanes. As these roads are repaved and stripped, it is recommended that bike lanes be stripped as well. This will provide an established travel land for those wishing to make short trips to the schools, downtown, or other areas of Town by bicycle. This improvement may be accomplished with minimal costs and will not only add to the amenities of the Town, but aid in slowing the traffic on those streets. By creating the appearance of narrowing these roads and the added stimulus of the cyclists, motorists will slow their speeds and increase their attention to the activity on the road. A more detailed discussion of bicycle and pedestrian transportation measures will be discussed further in this section.