FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 16, 2000

CARY, NC – Cary citizens are encouraged to drop by, view, and discuss the Town of Cary’s draft Comprehensive Transportation Plan at a public meeting on Wednesday, October 18 from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at the Page-Walker Arts and History Center. In an effort to produce the best possible transportation system for the community, the proposed Comprehensive Transportation Plan was developed Town staff, a citizens advisory committee, and consultants over the last 17 months.

"Citizen involvement has helped us feel very good about the draft Plan," said Town Engineering Director Tim Bailey. "Once complete, We believe it will serve as an extremely valuable resource as we work to improve transportation alternatives in Cary

For the first half-hour of the public meeting, an open house will be held providing an informal opportunity for residents to view the plans and discuss the recommendations with Town staff and the consultants. Members of the Citizens Advisory Committee will also be on hand. Following the open house period will be a 30-minute presentation and question & answer session. This format will then be repeated twice during the evening.

Following the public meeting, the Comprehensive Transportation Plan Advisory Committee will reconvene to discuss the findings. The draft Plan will be revised to incorporate comments. This revised Plan will go to Town Council in November for a work session and to set a formal public hearing. The public hearing is expected to be set in December, after which the document will be sent to the Planning and Zoning Board. Following its review and recommendations, the plan will go to Town Council for adoption in January or February.

Cary’s draft Plan includes recommendations in four categories:

• Pedestrian element – calls for an expansion of Cary’s sidewalk system to eliminate dead-end sidewalks and providing for greater opportunity for walking; proposes adding sidewalks on existing roadways and having sidewalks provided on both sides of the street.
  
• Bicycle element – calls for adding bike routes, bike paths, and bikeways throughout the town; new and expanded roadways should have wider outside lanes so that bicyclists and autos can safely share the roadway; off-road bikeways/greenways should be provided reinforcing Cary's greenway plans; inter-neighborhood connectors must be encouraged and constructed upon request to connect neighborhoods for bikes and pedestrians.

• Transit element - additional bus routes are recommended for the Town as well as expanded "demand-responsive" transit service for seniors and disabled residents. These additional services would provide needed services now as well as lay the groundwork for Triangle Transit Authority's rail system in 2007.
  
• Thoroughfare element – calls for widened roadways to accommodate growing traffic, recognizing that even though the Plan is "multimodal," cars will continue to carry the majority of the people. Nonetheless, roadways are not proposed to be widened without regard to Cary's character. Where possible, roadways should not been widened beyond four lanes. Additionally, the "standard" roadway design should include a landscaped median to provide a more pleasant environment for Cary and to control the traffic flow.
  

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