Regional Bicycle Plan Blue Ridge Bike Plan

1. Regional Bicycle PlanBlue Ridge Bike Plan Land-of-Sky Regional Council Southwestern Rural Planning Organization

2. Bike Planning Region • Counties: • Swain • Jackson • Haywood • Madison • Buncombe • Henderson • Transylvania • Qualla Boundary NC DOT grant award to LOSRC, in partnership with Southwest RPO Partners: • Advocacy Groups • FBRMPO • LOSRPO • SRPO • State Bicycle Committee

3. Bike Planning Region

4. Committee Structure Executive Committee Nominated by Steering Committee Voting Members Public Participation Interested Citizens Advocacy Groups Provide Critical Information Steering Committee Tribal, State, County, Municipal, and Advocacy Groups Non-voting Members

5. Kick-off Meeting November 30, 2011

6. Regional Activity Centers • Definition: Regional Activity Centers are centers of employment, civic activity, commerce, dense residential areas and recreational destinations (such as historic main street areas or downtowns; larger retail concentrations, libraries, universities, hospitals) which are likely to generate a high amount of traffic and a high potential demand for bicycle trips. • Fixed Route Transit service area is also shown on the map with a half-mile radius • Activity Centers and fixed route transit area with a half (0.5) mile radius

7. BRBP will include existing facilities/routes

8. Regional Bicycle Network • Definition: Regional Bicycle Network is the combination of roadways and some greenways that make up prioritized commuter and recreational bicycle routes in the seven-county region, which connect important activity centers and will serve to prioritize future bicycle facility improvements. • Prioritized corridors for future bicycle improvement • Two categories: priority corridors (commuter) and secondary (recreational) routes • Primarily geared towards on-road projects although sections of greenway might be considered

9. BRBP will incorporate existing networks

10. Bicycling and the Economy • The bicycling industry contributes an estimated $133 billion annually to the US economy • The bicycling industry supports 1.1 million jobs and generates $17.7 billion in federal and state taxes • Annual spending by bike travelers is estimated at $46.9 billion for meals, transportation, lodging, gifts and entertainment as a result of bike trips and tours. Source: Outdoor Industry Foundation, “The Active Outdoor Recreation Economy,” 2006 http://www.outdoorfoundation.org/research.recreation.bicycling.html

11. Bicycling and the Economy

12. Bicycling and the Economy Bicycle Infrastructure creates more jobs for the money than road projects • On-street bike lanes create 7.9 direct jobs and 14.4 total jobs per $1 million spent • Road repairs and upgrades projects create 3.8 direct jobs and 7.4 total jobs per $1 million spent • “Footway repairs and bike lane signing are labor intensive, meaning that a greater share of the total cost goes to pay people than in material heavy road projects.” Darren Flusche, League of American Bicyclists Source: The Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst “Estimating the Employment Impacts of Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Road Infrastructure,”ascited by Streetsblog.org http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/01/07/combat-joblessness-stripe-a-bike-lane/ accessed May 30, 2012

13. Bicycling and the Economy • Ecusta Rail-Trail study estimated the proposed 20-mile trail would generate $20 million and 180 jobs in Henderson and Transylvania counties during construction, a $42 million one-time return and an additional $9.4 million in annual returns in: • tax revenues • tourism spending • health care cost savings • property value increases • direct-use values

14. Bicycling and the Economy

15. Bicycling and the Economy • Western North Carolina holds a variety of bike-themed events every year, such as Blue Ridge Breakaway one-day cycling event held in Haywood County which brings in over 400 participants • Fletcher Flyer is a popular event in Henderson County-Blue Ridge Bicycle Club has donated over $64,000 in proceeds from the Fletcher Flyer event to WNC cycling advocacy programs in the last 6 years (1) • Bike MS ride in New Bern, NC attracted 4500 participants in 2010 and had an economic impact of $1.6 million (2) Source: 1: Blue Ridge Bicycle Club via Fletcher Flyer Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fletcher-Flyer/193486714009520?sk=info 2: http://www.cravencounty.com/departments/nbrfcc/documents/2011/2011_DepartmentalBriefingtoBoardofCommissioners_Convention.pdf;

16. Bicycling and the Economy

17. Bicycling and the Economy Sierra Nevada Brewery will bring 95 full-time jobs and $107.5 million in investment to Mills River. Sierra Nevada Marketing Manager Erika Bruhn: …We reviewed over 200 different sites … In North Carolina, we were humbled by the community, its values and the outstanding craft-beer culture in the area. While we were making this decision, it was important for us to choose a location similar to our home in Chico, California…A university community, Chico is home to California State Chico (CSU), and maintains a unique quality of life, with a small-town vibe, bike-centric culture, and incredible recreational opportunities in and around the surrounding area. Source: The Revivalist, http://therevivalist.info/sierra-nevada-asheville/ accessed May 29, 2012

18. Bicycling and the Economy New Belgium Brewery location in Asheville is expected to create 154 jobs and $175 million in investment • “But more important than Asheville’s informal Beer City title was the local commitment to more bikepaths, greenways, alternative energy, reducing the city’s carbon footprint and building a more sustainable community,” said Ben Teague, executive director of the Economic Development Coalition of Asheville and Buncombe County. Source: jobs and investment numbers from http://www.mountainx.com/article/41852/Beer-buzz-New-Belgium-picks-Asheville-for-East-Coast-brewery-site Quote: http://pollinateasheville.com/2012/04/06/asheville-culture-draws-jobs-support-for-greenways/ Accessed May 29th, 2012

19. Bicycling and the Economy

20. Bicycling and Health Regular bicyclists can achieve healthy levels of physical activity (150 min/week) through daily utilitarian travel • Physical activity can help prevent heart disease, cancer and stroke – the three leading causes of death in America. • 57% of all North Carolinians are either overweight or obese; 20% of children 5-11 are overweight or obese (Center for Disease Control). • North Carolina taxpayers pay an estimated $2.1 Billion annually for obesity-related medical expenses (Research Triangle Institute 2004). Source: J.DillBicycling for Transportation and Health: The Role of Infrastructure. Journal of Public Health Policy (2009) 30. http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jphp/journal/v30/nS1/full/jphp200856a.html; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical Activity and Health: The Benefits of Physical Activity. Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/health/index.html; http://www.fittogethernc.org/aboutObesity.aspx; CDC and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Healthy People 2010, Conference Edition (2000), Section 22

21. How You Can Be Involved Help us create a better regional vision for safe bicycling in Western North Carolina! • Review the maps and help us figure out which road segments should be included as primary (commuter) corridors or secondary (recreational) corridors on the Regional Bike Network • Take a look at the Visual Preference Survey and let us know which types of facilities you would prefer • Sign in so we can keep you informed about future developments • Let us know if you would like to volunteer for fall 2012 bike counts • Next round of public meetings coming up in October-November 2012

22. Contact Information Erica Anderson, AICP erica@landofsky.org Blue Ridge Bike Plan To be added to the list serve: mpo@landofsky.org Bike Plan Info at: www.BRBP.org