NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
1977 SESSION

CHAPTER 1021
SENATE BILL 648

AN ACT TO AMEND THE BICYCLE AND BIKEWAY ACT OF 1974 TO FURTHER PROVIDE FOR THE PROMOTION, ADMINISTRATION, AND REGULATION OF BICYCLE AND BIKEWAY ACTIVITIES IN NORTH CAROLINA.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  Article 4A of Chapter 136 of the General Statutes of North Carolina is hereby amended as follows:
(1)	By adding a new subdivision (5) to G.S. 136-71.7 to read as follows:
"(5)	Secretary. The Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation."
(2)	By adding the following sentence at the end of G.S. 136-71.8:
"The General Assembly also finds that bikeways are a bona fide highway purpose, subject to the same rights and responsibilities, and eligible for the same considerations as other highway purposes and functions."
(3)	By adding a new section to read and be designated as follows:
"§ 136-71.13.  North Carolina Bicycle Committee; composition, meetings, and duties. — (a) There is hereby created a North Carolina Bicycle Committee within the Department of Transportation. The bicycle committee shall consist of seven members appointed by the secretary. Members of the committee shall receive per diem and necessary travel and subsistence expense in accordance with the provisions of G.S. 138-5. Initially, three members shall be appointed for two years, and four members for four years; thereafter each appointment shall be for four years. Upon the resignation of a member in midterm, the replacement shall be appointed for the remainder of the unexpired term. The secretary shall make appointments to the committee with a view to providing representation to each of the State's geographical regions and to the various types of bicycle users and interests.
(b)	The bicycle committee shall meet in various sections of the State, not less than once in any three months, and at such other times as may be necessary to fulfill its duties. A majority of the members of the committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The staff of the bicycle and bikeway program shall serve the committee, maintain the minutes of committee meetings, research questions of bicycle transportation importance, and undertake such other activities for the committee as may be consistent with the program's role within the department.
(c)	The bicycle committee shall have the following duties:
(1)	to represent the interests of bicyclists in advising the secretary on all matters directly or indirectly pertaining to bicycles and bikeways, their use, extent, location, and the other objectives and purposes of this Article;
(2)	to adopt bylaws for guiding its operation, as well as an outline for pursuing a safer environment for bicycling in North Carolina;
(3)	to assist the bicycle and bikeway program in the exercise of its duties within the department; and
(4)	to promote the best interests of the bicycling public, within the context of the total transportation system, to governing officials and the citizenry at large.
(d)	The secretary, with the advice of the bicycle committee, shall coordinate bicycle activities among the divisions of the department, as well as between the Department of Transportation and the other departments. Further, he shall study bicycle and bikeway needs and potentials and report the findings of said studies, with the committee's recommendations, to the appropriate policy or legislative bodies. The secretary shall transmit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly on bicycle and bikeway activities within the department, including a progress report on the implementation of this Article."
Sec. 2.  This act shall become effective on January 1, 1978.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 1st day of July, 1977.