The first meeting of the House Bill 232 Bike Safety Law Study working group was convened by NC DOT on Friday, August 7th. The statue requires the working group to discuss:
- How faster-moving vehicles may safely overtake bicycles on roadways where sight distance may be inhibited.
- Whether bicyclists on a roadway should be required to ride single file or allowed to ride two or more abreast.
- Whether bicyclists should be required to carry a form of identification
- Other issues the group identifies
NC DOT selected nine members for the working group based on statutory specifications:
- Law Enforcement Representative: Master Trooper Christopher Knox – State Highway
- Bicycle Industry Representative: Wes Dickson – Owner of Sycamore Cycles in Brevard
- Agriculture Industry Representative: Fred Burt – Farmer in Fuquay-Varina
- Trucking Industry Representative: Crystal Collins – NC Trucking
- County Government Representative: Chris O’Keefe – Director of Development Services, New Hanover County
- Municipal Government Representative: Jim Westmoreland – Greensboro City Manager
- UNC Highway Safety Research Center Representative: James Gallagher – UNC Highway Safety Research Center staff
- NCDOT Representatives:
- Kevin Lacy – NCDOT State Traffic Engineer
- Lauren Blackburn – NCDOT Bicycle & Pedestrian Division Director
The working group as provided by statue, elected a chairman, Jim Westmoreland. Some of you may remember him as one of the welcoming speakers at our last Bike Summit in Greensboro (2014). The working group, as permitted by statute, elected three additional members to fill the total maximum of 12 to get additional expertise and geographical coverage:
- Chuck Hobgood: Bicycle tourism – Cycle NC, NC Amateur Sports, etc.
- Sergeant Mike Montanya – Greenville Police Department, Traffic Safety
- Steven Goodridge: Certified Bicycling Safety Instructor, BWNC board member
Here is the link to the NCDOT DRAFT meeting minutes. The next meeting is scheduled for September 11th from 10-2 in Room 161 (DOT Traffic Engineering Conference Room) of the NCDOT Mobility and Safety offices, located at 750 N. Greenfield Parkway in Garner. Parking is available in the surface lot in front of the building.
