It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows

SECTION 1. Chapter 31-18 of the General Laws entitled "Pedestrians" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

{ADD 31-18-21. Pedestrians and bike facilities. -- ADD} {ADD Except in the cases of limited access roads, and/or roads of less than 23' (feet) in width, and/or roads already past thirty percent (30%) design stage as of July 1, 1997, the director of the department of transportation is hereby authorized and directed to provide for the accommodation of bicycle and pedestrian traffic in the planning, design, construction and reconstruction, and to consider such in the resurfacing and striping of any project undertaken by the department, unless the director, after appropriate review by the director or his or her designees determines that the inclusion of bike facilities and pedestrian access would be contrary to acceptable standards of public safety, degrade environmental or scenic quality, or conflict with existing right of way. In his/her deliberations, the director shall take into consideration the cost of such facilities in relationship to available funding. Bike facilities may include bike lanes, routes or paths; permeable paved shoulders, and/or signage. ADD}

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.