Acknowledgments The development of the Clayton Comprehensive Bicycle Plan was a collaborative effort that involved numerous stakeholders, including the Clayton Town Council, the Clayton Bicycle Advisory Committee, Johnston County, CAMPO, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation and Division 4). Clayton Town Council Jody McLeod, Mayor Michael Grannis Robert Ahlert Alex Harding Alexander Atchison Bob Satterfield Town of Clayton Larry Bailey Skip Browder Steve Biggs Tim Simpson Lt. Wayne Bridges NCDOT David Bender Bob Mosher CAMPO Jake Petrosky Special Thanks to the Following Bicycle Advisory Committee Members Jimmy Baughan Angela Pendergrass Scott Brown Randolph Reid Paul Gorman Allen Tutt David Holmes Consultants Allison Lockwood Brett Wood Michael Rutkowski Todd Delk Janet Doughty Natalie Smusz Mengelkoch Roger Henderson Table of Contents Chapter 1 –Introduction Chapter 2 – Existing Conditions Chapter 3 – Facility Opportunities and Guidelines Chapter 4 – Recommendations Chapter 5 – Implementation Appendices Figures and Tables Chapter 1 Figure 1.1 –Bicycling Conditions in Clayton Survey Response Chapter 2 Figure 2.1 –Existing Conditions Table 2.1 –Street and Right-of-Way Widths Chapter 3 Figure 3.1 –Vehicle Ownership Figure 3.2 –Destinations and Attractions Figure 3.3 –Typical Bike Lane Cross-Sections on Two-Lane or Multi-Lane Highways Figure 3.4 –Striped Bike Lanes Cross-Section Figure 3.5 –Striped Bike Lanes and Parking Cross-Section Figure 3.6 –Wide Outside Lanes Cross-Section Figure 3.7 –Multi-Use Path Cross-Section Figure 3.8 –Bike Lane Transitions at Roundabouts for On-and Off-Street Cyclists Figure 3.9 –Striping for Bike Lane with Parking at Intersection with Two-Lane Arterial Figure 3.10 –Striping for Bike Lane with Parking at T-Intersection with One-Way Local Street Figure 3.11 –Striping for Bike Lane at 60’Wide Intersection with Left- and Right-Turn Bays Figure 3.12 –Typical Bike Lane Signage at Intersection Chapter 4 Figure 4.1 –Recommended Bicycle Routes Figure 4.2 –Recommended Bicycle Facilities Figure 4.3 –Community Park Loop Figure 4.4 –Legend Park Loop Figure 4.5 –Little Creek Loop Figure 4.6 –Municipal Park Loop Figure 4.7 –Neuse River Loop Figure 4.8 –Town Center Loop Figure 4.9 –Little Creek Greenway Figure 4.10 –Neuse River Greenway Figure 4.11 –Park Greenway Table 4.1 –Route and Network Characteristics Chapter 5 Figure 5.1 –Proposed Route Priorities Chapter 1 –Introduction regional service center, it is clear that Vision Statement Clayton is a growing community. With Located off of US 70 near I-40 and I-95, the growth in population comes changes Clayton is the second largest town in in the needs for transportation, which Johnston County. The downtown of will begin to show significant impacts on Clayton is a thriving area, with a variety Clayton in the coming years. The of businesses and restaurants. The community will need an integrated adopted goals for the Town of Clayton multimodal transportation system to include being “the safest, healthiest town support its vision for the future. As in the Triangle area”as well as “a place people seek ways to enjoy more of their for family fun communities and travel more efficiently, and leisure.” it is valuable to consider the bicycle as Clayton Goals Both of these an important component in meeting 2000-2010 goals address those needs. the desire of the community’s This bicycle plan balances several Safest, Healthiest Town leadership to responsibilities. It identifies the specific in Triangle Area improve the needs in the community, a vision for the town’s quality future, the investment opportunities and Downtown: The of life, including financial realities, and a disciplined Community Hub in the area of investment strategy. bicycle The Town of Clayton’s vision for a Regional Service Center transportation. Comprehensive Bicycle Plan includes Yet bicycle providing its citizens with safe, A Place for Family Fun access, mobility, convenient, and more complete bicycle and Leisure and safety travel facilities within continue to be the community. This Vision project is intended to Business Community: compromised by This project is intended create bike friendly Diverse and Profitable manufactured to create bike friendly barriers such as environments, environments, evaluate the North evaluate current current biking trends, Value for Taxes and Carolina biking trends, develop develop a viable bike Public Fees Railroad, US 70 a viable bike transportation system, corridors, and transportation system, enhance the safety and the focus on enhance the safety and health of users, and moving cars. health of users, and promote livability. promote livability. As the community leadership works to establish a diverse and profitable business community and make Clayton a 1 Chapter 1 — Introduction History § It represents the “livability”of a place. Being able to reach a Benefits of Bicycling destination via bicycle gives Today, bicycling as a primary means of people another alternative for transportation is widely popular in choosing a travel mode. It densely populated cities around the combines the functionality of world. Sometimes commuters find actually getting there with the cycling more efficient, affordable, and benefits of exercise and convenient than traveling by automobile recreation. In places where on congested urban streets. Although residents are regularly seen most people choose to travel by cars and outside walking or bicycling, trucks in the United States, bicycling is visitors feel a sense of community still the first — and sometimes the only and safety there. A town with — choice for some people. great “livability”constantly attracts new residents and Bicycling is recognized to be an businesses. appealing alternative to traveling by car because of the benefits it offers, § The economics of bicycling make including: sense. According to a study by the Boston Foundation, in 2003, § It is environmentally-friendly. typical American households Cyclists power the machines spent an average of $7,125 on themselves and do not use fossil transportation costs, including fuels. Since bicycles do not insurance, repair, maintenance, release polluting emissions into fuel costs, taxes, and other fees — the air and run on gears versus a significant annual investment. engine power, both air and noise The average cyclist spends only qualities are improved. $120 per year on bicycle costs. § Bicycling promotes good health Choosing to ride a bicycle versus practices. The United States the bus or personal automobile Surgeon General advises could save one person thousands Americans to get 30-60 minutes of dollars in a single year. of exercise 4 to 6 times each § Bicyclists can generally avoid week. Bicycling is a low-impact traffic congestion. Since a way to exercise and can improve bicycle only takes up about a a person’s health by lowering quarter of the physical space that blood pressure, strengthening the average car does, cyclists can muscles, lowering stress levels, maneuver more easily through increasing the size, strength, and traffic in urban areas. Often, efficiency of the heart and cyclists can use dedicated bicycle cardiovascular system, burning lanes or greenways, which allow fat, and increasing metabolism. for an even more efficient trip. 2 Chapter 1 — Introduction § It is easy. According to a 1995 where the Town of Clayton hopes to go National Personal Transportation with their bicycle planning efforts. Survey, analysts found that approximately 40 percent of all One of the top priority projects for the trips made are less than 2 miles in 2002 to 2004 Work Plan for the Town of distance from origin to Clayton specifically identified the destination. Most bicyclists can development of a mountain biking trail. make that level of trip in This measurable goal was successfully approximately ten minutes. realized when the 6-mile bicycle path connecting to Legend Park was designed The Bicycle’s Role in and constructed under the supervision of Clayton: Plans, Projects, the Clayton Parks and Recreation Involved Agencies, and Department. This is really only one step Citizen Initiatives of many that have been taken to make Clayton the kind of community where Incorporated in 1869 but first settled people feel comfortable riding bikes and around 1770, the Town of Clayton has encourage others to join them on always revolved around transportation. bikeway facilities. The community served as a depot for the North Carolina Railroad, and fostered a In addition to the Clayton Parks and transportation network to support its Recreation and Planning Departments’ tobacco, cotton, and lumber industries. involvement in promoting biking Clayton is now located near two through the development of trails, interstate highways and is the fastest citizens have been involved in Clayton’s growing town in Johnston County. bike development as well. The Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC) was The Town of Clayton has conducted a instrumental in designing and building variety of efforts that all take bicycle multi-use trails in the town’s Legend planning into consideration. Clayton Park. This group has expressed interest recently updated their Comprehensive in helping the Town develop programs Parks and Recreation Master Plan which to increase the cycling and passive proposes additions to the mountain bike recreational opportunities in Clayton. trail and greenway system in the town. The Town of Clayton is also in the Current Trends and process of updating its long-range Initiatives transportation plan in collaboration with Bicycle education programs have been NCDOT. In addition, the Clayton in place in Clayton for several years Strategic Growth Plan performed in now. Since 1996, bicycle safety 2000 outlines strategies to enhance and programs have included classroom and expand the town’s open spaces and to road training. For completing the provide improved services for its program, children were given helmets, citizens. These plans set a precedent for which reinforced the message that safety 3 Chapter 1 — Introduction is critical to being a responsible education, enforcement, and bicyclist.