HomeMy WebLinkAboutOutboard Minutes November 17 2025 ORANGE UNIFIED TRANSPORTATION BOARD MEETING MINUTES
Monday, November 17, 2025
131 W. Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, NC 27278
1 The Orange Unified Transportation Board Meeting was held on Monday, November 17, 2025, at 6:30
2 PM in the West Campus Office Building. The following members and guests attended:
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4 Jamie Crandell Eno Township
5 Erik Legg Cedar Grove Township
6 Art Menius Little River Township
7 Gregory Woloszczuk At Large
8 Roy Schonberg Chapel Hill Township
9 Heidi Perry Bingham Township
10 Sherry Appel At Large
11 Josh Mayo Cheeks Township
12 Gene Owen At Large
13 Susan Gladin Hillsborough Township
14 Roy Schonberg Chapel Hill Township
15 Sarah Williamson Orange County Staff
16 Darlene Weaver Orange County Staff
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19 AGENDA ITEM 1: CALL TO ORDER
20 The meeting was called to order at 6:31 pm, and the roll was taken.
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22 AGENDA ITEM 2: CONSIDERATIONS OF ADDITIONS TO AGENDA.
23 Art Menius added the June minutes to the meeting for approval.
24 Motion: Gregory Woloszczuk
25 Second: Roy Schonberg
26 Approved: Unanimously
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28 AGENDA ITEM 3. PUBLIC COMMENTS
29 No public comments were made.
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31 AGENDA ITEM 4 . MINUTES- October 20, 2025. Motion to approve as amended to change the date to
32 November 17, 2025.
33 Motion: Heidi Perry
34 Second: Jamie Crandell
35 Approved: Unanimously
36 AGENDA ITEM 5 . REGULAR AGENDA
37
38 a. County Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
39 Sarah Williamson provided information on the process and coordination involved with the consultant,
40 Stantec, and the Triangle West Transportation Planning Organization (TWTPO). Johnna Burkett and
41 Madeline Galliano provided the presentation. The project started in November 2024. Johnna provided
42 an actionable strategy for multimodal design in the unincorporated areas of Orange County. She
43 explained that Stantec is in the listening stage of the project, and they are documenting the paths and
44 graph recommendations draft for the implementation plan. The goal is the discuss what Stantec has
45 done over the past year and discuss the recommendations moving forward. The organization has
46 three goals make walking and biking safer, build a more connected network, and improve access for
47 everyone. Stantec completed engagements and was able to reach 600 residents across nine different
48 engagement platforms. They had a project website and an interactive online map, and an online
49 survey. They completed one pop-up and public workshops in Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Feedback
50 from all platforms indicated that the infrastructure is limited and disconnected. Although there was
51 interest in creating connections between Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough, safety concerns
52 arose due to drivers' behaviors.
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54 Stantec chose 10 project concept designs, eight of which came from the top 20 projects that came
55 from the prioritization criteria that they went through, along with a prioritization working group; the
56 last two projects came from engaging with the community. They determined the 10 by doing 10% of
57 10
58 projects. It was highlighted that safety concerns near Duke Forest on Whitfield Road, noting the lack
59 of sidewalks and shoulders, despite increased bicycle and pedestrian activity. It was also mentioned
60 that
61 the new I-40 entrance has shifted traffic patterns in the northwest Chapel Hill/unincorporated area. It
62 was suggested that we discuss traffic, safety, and speed because there is an allusion to that earlier
63 in
64 the plan. Any recommendations on roads like Old NC 86 or NC 86 would stop at the Hillsborough
65 town
66 limits because this plan does not cover facilities inside the town. One OUTboard member suggested
67 that the document clearly note that some proposed segments will not connect directly to
68 Hillsborough's existing bike and pedestrian network, since the town has limited space (e.g., on
69 Churton
70 Street), and the plan does not include their internal projects. Stantec said they discussed with
71 Hillsborough staff that their planned shared-use path on Churton Street would connect directly to the
72 shared-use path recommended in this plan. If the town chooses a different design, the connection
73 could shift from a shared-use path to a bike lane, but coordination between county and town staff
74 will ensure everything ties together. The OUTboard members would like to see more data, because
75 right now they don't have enough information. Stantec asked for feedback on how supportive the
76 board would be with recommendations to update the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to
77 align with current and future planning efforts. Yes, and UDO updates are already underway, and
78 aligning them with adopted plans would help ensure consistency, close network gaps, and require
79 developers to provide needed bicycle and pedestrian connections. It was suggested to use an
80 example that supports rural concepts. It was suggested that we use the type of facility that we want
81 in the plan and have the plan adopted as part of the county's plan. It was explained that Orange
82 County has a strong foundation of adopted plans that support biking and walking, such as the
83 Orange County Transportation Multimodal Plan, Orange County Trails plan, TWTPO Vision Action
84 Zero Plan, and Safe Routes for School Plan. The Bike-Ped plan is expected to go before the board
85 in January or February, and we have another meeting before presenting the packet to the Board of
86 County Commissioners (BOCC).
87
88 There were several questions:
89 ■ Can we have a list of the roads? Yes, they will be provided
90 ■ Is there a way to have a map with roads labeled online and in a spreadsheet?
91 ■ Did you remove the greenway and trail? Yes, because Parks and Recreation are doing a
92 separate plan. Stantec is only focusing on the bike-ped network that's on the road.
93 ■ When the plans are complete, will we be able to see how they are both connected? Yes, they
94 are being completed in a parallel process, and we are both prioritizing. Both plans will be
95 presented to the BOCC together so that they can see both plans at the same time.
96 ■ What is Stantec proposing for Old 86?The right of way is so very narrow. Stantec recommends
97 a 10-foot shared-use path along Old NC 86, separated from the roadway with a buffer, to
98 improve safety for people walking and biking, given curves, driver behavior, and line-of-sight
99 issues.
100 ■ Are there more details about what incidents have occurred for either pedestrians or bicyclists
101 on Orange High School Road or Oakdale Drive? Stantec looks at safety and crash locations,
102 and TWTPO has a vision zero safety action plan for a portion of Orange County. Stantec will
103 provide the map.
104 ■ Were there specific criteria beyond the goals that guided and justified the recommendations?
105 It was explained that all county roads must follow the North Carolina Department of
106 Transportation (NCDOT's) Complete Streets policy, so the team reviewed the state's
107 requirements and design guidance. They used NCDOT's activity estimation map to
108 understand areas of high walking and biking demands, and evaluated speeds, traffic volumes,
109 crash history, and existing plans to shape the recommendations.
110 ■ Is the bike ped crash tool still existing? How often does it update? Yes, and it's updated
111 frequently.
112 ■ How do you decide between building a 10-foot shared-use path versus two 5-foot bike lanes?
113 Since bike lanes are not separated from traffic, the shared-use path provides a much higher
114 level of protection. It's the safest option for everyday users, cautious riders, and families who
115 don't feel comfortable biking next to vehicles. Cost, along with factors like speed and traffic
116 volumes, all help determine the recommended.
117 ■ Can we have upgrades to Erwin Road?
118 ■ What is the difference between US 70, US 70 Business, and US 70 Alt, and why do they
119 appear differently on the map? US 70 Alt is essentially the same roadway people commonly
120 refer to as US 70 Business,while US 70 refers to the main highway alignment.The map shows
121 both because they represent two separate project areas: one on US 70 Alt/Business and
122 another on the main US 70 corridor. The team will clarify the naming in revisions to avoid
123 confusion.
124 ■ Where can we find Appendix A? This is where all the concept designs are for each project.
125 The plan is still in draft format, and we have not assembled them; the materials are ready.
126 ■ How is this integrated with the town of Hillsborough? Are they also doing a similar bike plan
127 that would feed into this? This plan focuses on the unincorporated parts of Hillsborough of
128 Orange County, but Hillsborough staff participated throughout the process through
129 stakeholder meetings and the project committee. Much of the recommended network
130 connects to Hillsborough because focus groups identified more infrastructure gaps there
131 compared to other areas. While the team coordinated closely with the town, this plan does not
132 make recommendations for Hillsborough's own internal planning efforts.
133 Why did we choose the 10 projects we have designs for? Are they the top priorities, and 1
134 would like to know how NC86 would fit into this? We had a list of the top 20, and 8 are from
135 that list. We did not choose the concept development; we were told which ones to move
136 forward with. The priorities are not set, yet we are getting your feedback, but these were picked
137 as a sampling of the 20. They were informed that Nish picked these before he left, so we are
138 having to figure out some of the parts, and we are getting feedback on these ten, and we'll
139 take that feedback into account as we figure out the whole prioritization.
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141
142 AGENDA ITEM 6. STAFF REPORT/UPDATES/ EVENTS
143 a. Fare Free Fixed Route Service
144 This is scheduled to go before the BOCC in December 2025. Orange County is looking at going
145 fare-free on all four of our fixed route services. That would save us some staff time on getting that
146 paperwork done for customers that might or might not qualify, and then would also eliminate the
147 collection equipment that we have to replace every several years, which is expensive and takes the
148 vehicles out of service to do. We are in the process of routing a contract that will change the
149 software that we use for dispatching our buses, and that connects to the onboard Wi-Fi systems. It
150 was suggested that we do marketing to inform the community through radio, churches, and the
151 Department of Social Services (DSS), etc. An Orange County representative explained they were
152 currently working with the Communication Engagement Office on the Outreach and Education
153 Campaign and updating brochures, and we are working with the finance department so that we can
154 advertise the change.
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156
157 AGENDA ITEM 7: ADJOURNMENT
158 Art Menius adjourned the meeting at 7:38 pm. The next meeting is scheduled for December 15, 2025.