News

Crab Creek looks at scenic byway designation

By Bill Moss, Published: August 16, 2012

CRAB CREEK — Winding its way through the rural countryside, Crab Creek Road is the pleasant back way from Hendersonville to Brevard. It's also an increasingly popular riding route for bicyclists, who local residents say back up traffic and create a hazard.

Fourteen Crab Creek residents heard about a couple of options for preserving the road's tranquility and requesting a bike path during a meeting at the Crab Creek Community Club last week.
Designation as a scenic byway can be "a source of pride for the community," Henderson County planning director Anthony Starr told club members. "Having DuPont State Forest and Holmes State Forest would be factors (in favor of the designation) and the fact that the corridor is largely undeveloped compared to other sections of the county. ... I'm not telling you you ought to do it but I'm telling you the things that support it."
The residents learned, too, that the scenic byway designation is not without restrictions. A program of the state Department of Transportation, the designation means that property owners could not erect billboards or put up solar farms on property visible from the road, Starr said.
The DOT has designated 54 scenic byways across North Carolina highlighting the history, beauty and culture of the state. One is in Historic Flat Rock along Little River Road, Greenville Highway and Rutledge Drive. The Black Mountain Rag scenic byway runs from Black Mountain to Edneyville.
Club member Wayne Jones asked whether the scenic byway designation would provide a defense against a large development like the Glen at Flat Rock, a residential life-care community that residents fought four years ago. The county Board of Commissioners ultimately denied the developer's request for a permit.
Starr said a scenic byway does not dictate zoning.
"While it would not provide any legal protection, it certainly would help you make your case," he said.
County planner Matt Cable explained that state law gives bicycle riders the same right to the road and legal responsibility as cars and trucks. In a broad bike route study, the Land of Sky regional planning agency has identified as a desirable commuting route but dangerous one, too. Residents confirmed that, saying bicycle riders have nowhere to go if they drop off the pavement.
"We're having more and more of the bike clubs having ride days" on Crab Creek Road, said Melody Heltman, who lives on Old CCC Road.
Club president Hubert Barnwell said, "We can't get up and down the road a lot of times because of bicycles."
The question of a bike lane is up to the state. "In any scenario, the bike path would lie with the DOT because it's their road," Cable said. "We have a really good working relationship with DOT engineers and we also have a Transportation Advisory Committee. One of the things the committee wants to do is identify roads that are safety hazards. Some of the solutions (such as wider shoulders) that will make it safer for bicyclists will make it safer for motorists too."
The Crab Creek Community Club requested the meeting, to hear about the options for improvements and express the safety concerns.
"At the next meeting of the Transportation Advisory Committee we're going to bring this up," Starr said. "There may be some cheaper things we can do in the short term and more expensive things when funds become available."
Jones, the resident who asked about the zoning, was skeptical about the scenic byway designation and its effect on property rights.
"I have my doubts," he said. "I like to look at technicalities. I hate technicalities."