What's in the Budget this Year?

Safe Streets Investments and Fare-Free Transit

On Monday, June 17, the Durham City Council will take two important votes toward continuing the investment in Safe & Healthy Streets for Durham: 1) the FY2025 Budget and Capital Improvement Program (CIP), and 2) a $115 million General Obligation (GO) Bond for Sidewalks and Street Resurfacings.  There are a lot of projects that would be funded through both of these packages, so we’re going to take the time here to describe all of the projects.  [NOTE: This Summer and Fall, Bike Durham will be working with partners across the City to share stories about the benefits of many of the projects so that Durham voters are well-informed before going to the polls in November to vote on the bond referendum.]

Before we get to the details, it’s important to keep in mind that the City’s staff and elected leadership are demonstrating through these actions that: 1) they hear the demand for infrastructure that will make our streets safer and healthier for everyone, and 2) they understand the need to make investments in the projects and the people to deliver this vision.

We encourage you to sign the petition thanking the City’s staff and elected leadership.

Fare-Free Transit Service

The proposed city budget for the coming year will keep GoDurham service free for all riders for another year.

List of Sidewalk and Street Resurfacing Bond Projects

$60 million to construct approximately 12.4 miles of new sidewalks

Map of Sidewalk Projects Included in the Sidewalk & Streets bond package (orange lines)

The information below is the most current available information from the City of Durham material presented during the budget retreats and available online.  We are planning further discussions with staff to get further details and we will update this post as we learn more.  

These are projects that have already been in development (design and right-of-way acquisition is complete or nearly so) and will be ready to move to construction in the next 2-3 years (link to staff presentation from April 18).   In addition to the sidewalk projects below, the bond referendum would also fund:

• $15 million to repair existing sidewalks and ADA curb ramps;

• $10 million to pave dirt and gravel streets within City limits

• $30 million to fund street paving and maintenance on city streets (We are seeking information from the Public Works department on the city streets that would be included to know more about opportunities to add traffic calming, safer crossings, and bicycle facilities);  

Some of the funding for these projects was previously identified in the city’s Capital Improvement Program.  This can be confusing, but by funding the completion of these projects with voter-approved bonds, the City frees up additional capacity to add new projects to next year’s Capital Improvement Program. 

East Club Boulevard Sidewalks (LC770): 

• Both sides of East Club Boulevard from Stephenson to Glenbrook (filling gaps/building new sidewalks along ~0.4 miles on each side)

• This is a project that the Bragtown Community Association has been advocating for many years.

• It will improve access to GoDurham bus routes 9A/9B and connect to the Club Boulevard Housing community.

Hillandale Road Bicycle and Ped (U-4726HN, LCH85):

• Both sides of Hillandale Road from I-85 to NC-147 (filling gaps/building/widening sidewalks, building bike paths along ~1 mile on each side)

• This stretch of Hillandale Road is an important north-south connection and the site where Seth Vidal was killed while riding his bike in 2013.

• It will improve access to a new bus route that is expected to begin operation in August of 2024.

Morreene Road Bicycle and Ped (C-4928, LCM83)

• Both sides of Morreene Road from Erwin Road to Neal Road (filling gaps/building/widening sidewalks, building bike paths along ~1.5 miles on each side)

• This project will improve access to GoDurham bus route 11B and is an important connection to Duke’s West Campus and Erwin Road from many residential communities, including Morreene Road Housing Community, Damar Court, and American Village. 

LaSalle Street Sidewalk (EB-5703, LC187):

• Both sides of LaSalle Street from Kangaroo Drive to Hillsborough Road and on west side from Hillsborough Rd. to Sprunt Ave (building new sidewalks along ~0.5 miles on east side and ~0.7 miles on west side)

• This project will improve access to GoDurham bus route 11 and Duke bus route LL and is an important connection from the residential communities on LaSalle to Duke and Erwin Road to the south, and the businesses on Hillsborough Road to the north.

Cornwallis Rd Sidewalks/Bike Lanes (U-4724, LCC84):

• Both sides of Cornwallis Road from Old Chapel Hill Road to South Roxboro Street (building new sidewalks and bike paths along ~1.2 miles on each side)

• This project will close an important gap in east-west access including a connection to Rogers-Herr Middle School.

N. Duke Street Sidewalk (EB-5715, LC189):

• East side of N. Duke Street from Murray Avenue to N. Roxboro Road (building new sidewalks along ~1.8 miles)

• This project will improve access to GoDurham bus routes 4 and 9A and the residences and businesses along this busy stretch of North Duke Street.

NC 54 Sidewalk (EB-5708, LC190):

• South side of NC-54 from NC HWY-55 east to the RTP western limit (building new sidewalks along ~0.4 miles)

• This project will iimprove access to GoDurham bus route 12B and GoTriangle bus route 805.

Raynor Street Sidewalks (EB-5704, LC188):

• North side of Raynor Street from N. Miami Boulevard to Hardee Street (building new sidewalks along ~0.3 miles)

• This project will improve walking access to GoDurham Route 3 and to the second busiest bus stop in the city at Raynor St. and North Miami Blvd.

Five Bike+Walk Corridors 1 (SW-66, LC501):

Five street segments will get sidewalks on this project.  

• West side of Clayton Road from Chandler Road to Freeman Road; north side of Freeman Road from Clayton Road to Obsidian way (building new sidewalk along ~0.5 miles) (improving access to GoDurham bus route 3B)

• Both sides of the Hillsborough Road from 3800 Hillsborough Road (Hilton) to 3414 Hillsborough Road (Sheetz) (filling gaps/building new sidewalks along ~0.7 miles on each side) (improving access to GoDurham bus route 11)

• Both sides of Holloway Street from the intersection of N. Guthrie Avenue to N. Miami Boulevard (filling gaps/building new sidewalks along ~0.3 miles on each side) (improving access to GoDurham bus routes 3, 3B, and 3C)

• Both sides of Old Oxford Road from 204 Old Oxford Road to 429 Old Oxford Road (filling gaps/building new sidewalks along ~0.4 miles on each side) (improving access to  GoDurham bus routes 9A and 9B)

• Both sides of W. Corporation Street from N. Duke Street to N. Mangum Street (filling gaps/building new sidewalks along ~0.6 miles on each side) (improving access to GoDurham bus routes 1, 4, and 9A/9B)

Eight Bike+Sidewalk Projects (SW-68, LC504):

Eight street segments will get sidewalks on this project.  

• West side of Broad Street from the rear side of Walgreens parking lot to Forest Road (building new sidewalk along ~0.1 miles) (improving access to GoDurham Route 1)

• Northeast side of the roadway at 3519 Fayetteville Street (Mount Zion Christian Church) (filling sidewalk gap along ~70 feet) (improving access to a bus stop for GoDurham Routes 5 and 7) 

• East side of Fulton Street from Pratt Street to the Durham Freeway On-Ramp (widening sidewalks along ~0.2 mi) (listed on Durham's Future Pedestrian Facilities GIS site as a mixed-use path)

• Both sides of Holt School Road from 3900 Holt School Road to 4102 Holt School Road (filling gaps/building new sidewalks along ~0.1 miles on each side) (improving access to Holt Elementary School)

• Both sides of N. Pointe Drive from the intersection of Guess Road to 1915 N Pointe Drive (Red Roof Inn) (filling gaps/building new sidewalks along ~0.3 miles on each side) (improving access to GoDurham Route 1)

• West side of the Raynor Street from 611 Raynor Street to 701 Raynor Street (filling gaps/building new sidewalks along ~200 feet on each side) (improving access to GoDurham Routes 3/3B/3C)

• Both sides of the SW Durham Drive from 3705 SW Durham Drive to the intersection of Old Chapel Hill Road (filling gaps/building new sidewalks along ~0.5 miles on each side) (improving access to GoTriangle Route 400)

• Both sides of Stadium Drive from 801 Stadium Drive to Olympic Avenue (filling gaps/building new sidewalks along ~0.2 miles on each side)

Capital Improvement Program Projects  ($16,567,884)

As mentioned above, funding the completion of the above projects with voter-approved bonds, the City frees up additional capacity to add new projects to next year’s Capital Improvement Program. 

Durham Downtown Rail Trail, $3,503,126 + $2,400,00 for enhancements

• “Beltline” running from North Durham to Durham Station area downtown (~1.8 miles of new bike and pedestrian paths)

• Additional amenities including the Gateway Park at the trailhead and lighting and site furnishings along the trail.  (Video of the proposed enhancements.)

• This would also fund property acquisition at Avondale Avenue to support a future trailhead amenity and parking.

Durham-to-Roxboro Rail Trail, $2,500,000

• Planning study for a rail-to-trail conversion of the abandoned rail corridor from near Avondale Drive to Person County border (~18 miles of new bike and pedestrian paths)

• The 18-mile corridor would connect the end of the future Durham Rail Trail (Avondale Drive) to the Person County line, passing through the communities of Bragtown, Bahama, and Rougemont along the way.

Mangum-Roxboro Signals for Two-Way Conversion, $500,000

• Pavement markings and signal upgrades to convert US 15-501 Business North (Roxboro Street) and US 15-501 Business South (Mangum Street) from a one-way pair system to two-way streets. Design FY 2025, construction beginning FY2026

Guess Road Improvements for Safer Bicycling - NEW, $950,000

• Bike and pedestrian facilities on Guess Road between I-85 and Club Boulevard. (~1 mi)

Bike Lane Vertical Protection (LC522), $172,035. This is a request for local funding to replace federal funding so that project can move faster.

• Adds vertical protection to buffered bicycle lanes in Durham

New Roundabout Installation - Continuation of LC705, $1,400,000

• Roundabout at the intersection of Morreene Road and American Drive to improve safety and slow traffic. (Bike safety improvements around 1 intersection)

• This project will be comleted in conjunction with the Morreene Road project that will add sidewalks and bicycle facilities.

School Zone Speed Reductions and Trail Crossing Improvements, $1,210,000

• Flashing beacons for Rocky Creek Trail crossing at Elmira St (between Dakota St and Hemlock Ave)

• Flashing beacons for S Ellerbee Creek Trail crossing at Stadium Dr (across from Durham County stadium driveway)

• School zone flashers for Durham School of the Arts on Stadium Drive

• School zone flashers for Central Park School for Children on North Street/Hargrove Street

• School zone flashers for Hope Valley Elementary and Durham Academy Middle on University Drive

• Pedestrian signals for Club Boulevard Elementary at Roxboro/Lavender

• Flashing beacons for Fayetteville St Elementary crossing at Elmira St and Hemlock Ave

• Flashing beacons for Morehead Montessori Elementary crossing at Lakewood Ave and Shepherd St

• Flashing beacons for Clement Early College High crossing at Fayetteville St and Formosa Ave

• Curb radius reduction for Hillandale Elementary at Hillandale/Peppertree

• Crosswalk for Brogdon Middle at Leon St and Buchanon

• Bump outs for Shephard Middle along Dakota St

• Warranted traffic signal on Stadium Dr at new Durham School of the Arts (between Carver St and Shaftsbury St)

Neighborhood Bike Routes 2 and 3 (LC620), $282,723. This is a request for local funding to replace federal funding so that project can move faster.

• Englewood Avenue from Georgia Avenue to Watts Street; 

• Knox Street from Watts Street to Acadia Street 

• Bivins Street from SR 1127 (Chapel Hill Road) to Arnette Avenue

• Iredell Street from US 70 Business (Main Street) to West Club Boulevard

• Maryland Avenue from West Club Boulevard to Ellerbee Creek Trail

• Cleveland Street/Corporation Street from US 70 business/NC 98 (Holloway Street) to Rigsbee Avenue 

• Juniper Street from Spruce Street to Guthrie Avenue 

• Lincoln Street/Grant Street from Lawson Street to Lakeland Street 

• Ridgeway Avenue/Lakeland Street from Lawson Street to Mathison Street 

• Lavender Avenue from Elgin Street to Stephenson Street 

• Stephenson Street from Lavender Avenue to SR 1669 (Club Boulevard) 

• Umstead street/Lodge Street from SR 1118 (Fayetteville Street) to Fargo Street

Signal Timing Improvements - Continuation of LC259, $300,000

Trail System Repairs, $1,200,000

Proposed City Budget/CIP Includes All Our Priorities

Durham Leaders Take Next Steps Toward Our Vision for Safe & Healthy Streets

Whether long-time residents of Northeast Central Durham or new residents near Southpoint, whether working at Duke Medical Center or in a restaurant kitchen, most of us want Durham to be inclusive and vibrant, and everyone wants their friends and loved ones to come home safely.  We all deserve to get around Durham on bike, on foot, on transit, or in a car without our loved ones worrying about whether we’ll be hit by a driver on our Durham streets.

Over the past month we’ve been reminded of the risks as three men have been killed in hit-and-run crimes while walking or biking on our streets.  In response to these and too many preceding tragedies, our elected and staff leaders have been deepening their commitment to Vision Zero (see below), and they have been making steps toward greater investments in infrastructure that will slow driver speeds, make our streets safer for biking and walking, and improve access to the GoDurham bus system.  In fact, the proposed City Budget and Capital Improvement Program includes nearly everything that we asked for:

• Continuation of fare-free GoDurham and GoDurham ACCESS services

• Fund the entire list of Transportation Department infrastructure projects plus design and engagement on Duke and Gregson/Vickers

• Acceleration of the completion of projects by investing in staff (competitive wages and additional positions) and streamlining the project delivery process.

Much of the funding for these investments will require voter approval through the November 5 election.  Over the past several months, the staff and Council have been taking the series of steps required to place a bond referendum on the November ballot to fund $115 million in sidewalk and street resurfacing projects.  This is a common way for local governments to fund important community infrastructure, as in 2019 when city of Durham voters supported a $95 million affordable housing bond, and in 2022 when Durham county voters supported a $550 million bond for Durham Public schools, Durham Tech, and the Museum of Life and Science.

This November’s election is important for many reasons, but we will be focused on educating voters about the sidewalk and streets bond referendum and encouraging voters to register and turn out to vote. We know what can make Durham thrive for us all.  By working together with community members and staff and elected representatives at all levels, we can design and deliver safe and healthy streets with complete biking and walking networks and great transit that not only connect and improve our neighborhoods, but protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and this place we call home, for generations to come.

Below are details about the decisions our local leaders are making, and the work that we have to do to realize the future that most everyone wants in Durham.

Advancing Vision Zero

In 2017, Durham City Council adopted a Vision Zero Resolution becoming an early adopter among North Carolina communities.  This was an important step to set an intention to change Durham’s approach to traffic safety until we have zero deaths and serious injuries on our streets and highways.  Since that time, many more communities across the country have committed to Vision Zero and taken steps to achieve it, establishing a record of promising practices.  Three of those building blocks that have demonstrated to be necessary steps are:

• Assigning a full-time, dedicated Vision Zero Coordinator;

• Adopting a Vision Zero Action Plan that analyzes traffic data and street designs, prioritizing changes to infrastructure and policy;

• Setting a specific year for achieving zero deaths and serious injuries, as well as interim milestones.

Last Spring, through advocacy from Bike Durham and the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Commission, and with the leadership of Council member Javiera Caballero, the manager recommended and the Council adopted a budget funding a Vision Zero Coordinator position.  Late last year Lauren Grove was hired in that role.  You can hear from Lauren in this video interview.

Late last year transportation director Sean Egan also committed to completing a Vision Zero Action Plan by the end of 2024, and that effort is underway.  This past Monday, the City Council adopted an update to the original Vision Zero Resolution, setting targets for reducing traffic deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2035 and to zero by 2045.  The entire updated resolution is worth reading.  It lays out clearly the rationale for Vision Zero, and the steps that the staff is directed to take.

A Bond Referendum for Funding Safe and Healthy Streets

Following several years of discussion and preparation, the City Council is prepared to take action on June 17 to place a $115 million sidewalk and street resurfacing bond referendum on the November ballot (together with an $85 million parks and recreation bond).  If the sidewalks and streets bond referendum is passed by the voters in November, they would directly provide:

• $60 million to construct new sidewalks;  

• $30 million to fund city street paving and maintenance (each an opportunity to slow traffic, improve crossings, and add bicycle facilities);  

• $15 million to repair existing sidewalks and ADA curb ramps; and  

• $10 million to pave dirt and gravel streets within City limits.

We will share additional information in a following post about the specific projects to be constructed with these revenues, but it is important to know that these are projects that have already been in development and will be ready to move to construction in the next 2-3 years (link to staff presentation from April 18).   The $115 million in bond revenues would create a reliable source of revenue to move these projects to completion in the fastest and least expensive way available.  These new revenues would also make possible the funding of additional projects in the city’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

Proposed Budget and Capital Improvement Program

We had three specific asks for funding priorities that we made at the March 18 budget public hearing:

• Continuation of fare-free GoDurham and GoDurham ACCESS services

• Fund the entire list of Transportation Department infrastructure projects plus design and engagement on Duke and Gregson/Vickers

• Acceleration of the completion of projects by investing in staff (competitive wages and additional positions) and streamlining the project delivery process.  

The proposed budget (read excerpt) that City Manager Wanda Page released on May 20 includes funding to continue fare-free transit service for another year; funding for nearly every single request from the Transportation Department, including the feasibility study for Duke and Gregson/Vickers; and funding for staff salaries to make them competitive with the regional market. 

The funding of all of these capital projects was made possible because of the proposed bond referendum for $115 million in sidewalks and street resurfacing projects.  The bond referendum is also an important step in improving the project delivery process, creating a funding resource across multiple projects and several years that can be used to more flexibly respond to changes in projects costs and schedules. We can also see some of this flexibility being built into the CIP. For several projects, multiple years of funding are being made available in the upcoming fiscal year, which will allow staff to more seamlessly move from one stage of a project to another, without having to wait for another budget cycle to request additional funds.

We are excited about these decisions and steps that the city’s staff and elected leadership are taking to make our streets safe & healthy for everyone.  We encourage you to join us in thanking them for their leadership and we invite you to join us as we educate voters about the sidewalk and street resurfacing bond referendum.

Durham Residents Want Our Streets to be Safe for Everyone

On April 26, the IndyWeek published an article that first ran in the 9th Street Journal entitled "Reckless Roxboro May Get a Revamp if Locals Can Persuade NCDOT". I encourage you to read this article by Esmé Fox and pay attention to the quotes by NCDOT district engineer John Sandor.

While I find the quotes to be troubling, they are not entirely surprising, and I think it’s helpful that he's saying this publicly to a reporter. Now we know what mindset and arguments that we're facing. In the article, the district engineer is reported as having made the following points:

1. He only raises concerns for congestion, making no mention of concern for excessive speeds or safety. The community has repeatedly called for a new design intended to slow speeds and make these streets safe and comfortable for all users. Car volumes on these streets have dropped since the opening of the East End Connector (I-885).

2. He poses the questions, "Are they going to use smaller streets? Are they going to go through neighborhoods now?" He's referring to his own speculation that a design for two-way travel and slower speeds would cause drivers to look for other paths.  What he doesn't seem to realize is that Roxboro and Mangum Streets already cut through existing neighborhoods. People live on those streets and have to cross those streets to move through the neighborhood. However, instead of being designed as connectors, the current designs divide the communities.

3. “Has it [two-way conversion] been done successfully? I think you’ll see a mixed bag of results. It’s not a magic pill that’s going to go in there and fix all these things for these people. It actually changes the road completely. Whereas if I’m a pedestrian on a one-way street, all I have to do is look one way, right?” First, there actually is a lot of evidence that one-lane of traffic in each direction will be slower than two lanes of traffic in one direction. The expected slower speed is the primary reason that the capacity of the streets would be lower, since there would still be a total of two lanes of traffic in each direction on Mangum and Roxboro Streets. There are also a lot of other reasons that communities make these conversions, including for economic development (look no further than Durham’s own conversion of Main Street and Chapel Hill Street from one-way to two-way travel inside the Loop). More concerning however, is that he is not being a partner with the City in solving the concerns about speeding traffic and safety. We want NCDOT’s district engineer to be a partner in redesigning streets that are safe for all users.

4. “We have a bigger responsibility than just those citizens that live down in that corridor.” ​This is the quote that burns me up.  First of all, he is dismissing residents who are engaging in a public process to shape their own physical community.  Second, he doesn't acknowledge that the City Council, our elected representatives, adopted the Move Durham Study in 2020 recommending converting these streets to two-way travel, nor that the City staff are the ones who have been trying to work with him on the analysis to convince him that a new two-way design will "work" for traffic flow.  I read this as a statement that he and his colleagues at the NCDOT district office believe that they know better what the Durham community wants and needs in their street designs than the City Council and staff, let alone the residents. 

We cannot let these comments go without response. I and several others have submitted letters to the editor at IndyWeek and are sharing them with City staff and elected officials. The text of my letter to the editor (limit 300 words) is below:

“Residents from neighborhoods across Durham, whether in northeast central Durham or southwest Durham, we all want and deserve streets that are safe for walking, biking, and driving. That means streets designed for slower speeds, with sidewalks, safe crossings, protected bike lanes, and access to transit.  In the April 26th article "Reckless Roxboro May Get a Revamp if Locals Can Persuade NCDOT", Esmé Fox reports on the residents organizing for safer two-way designs of Roxboro and Mangum Streets. The City Council adopted this change in their 2020 Move Durham Study, and staff has hired an engineering consultant to analyze the impacts before developing a design.  However, the district engineer dismisses this direction set by our elected and staff leadership, “We have a bigger responsibility than just those citizens that live down in that corridor.”  Since these are NCDOT-maintained streets, the district engineer also needs to be convinced to become a partner in making this change.

Just last week at the NC Traffic Safety Conference, the City of Durham Transportation Department, the Southside Neighborhood Association, and Bike Durham were recognized with the 2024 Collaboration of the Year Award by the Governor's Highway Safety Program.  This award was for the collective effort to engage the residents about their desires for slower speed traffic where they lived, to co-design solutions that the City evaluated, approved, and implemented.  

We call on NCDOT engineers to embrace this model of collaboration so that they become full partners with the City and community residents in addressing concerns about speeding traffic that too often leads to tragedy.  Our streets belong to all of us and they should be designed so that everyone can thrive whether walking, biking, riding transit, or in a car.”

We cannot achieve the changes to our streets that we need unless we convert NCDOT’s district engineer to be a partner in addressing these problems.

Composite of (unflattering) images from the awards event at the Traffic Safety Conference.

What You Can Do

1. Send your own letter to the editor at IndyWeek (backtalk@indyweek.com) in response to "Reckless Roxboro May Get a Revamp if Locals Can Persuade NCDOT". The limit is 300 words.

2. Sign up to receive email updates on our Safe Streets campaign.

3. Become a sustainer to power this campaign for safe streets by making a monthly or annual contribution.

Vision Zero Durham

Remembering John Allore

As I was preparing to write this post last Thursday about our Vision Zero Durham rally and comments at the City Council public hearing on March 20, I heard the tragic news that John Allore, Durham’s budget director, had been killed while riding his bike in western Orange County.  I had known John from my years working at GoTriangle and more recently through Bike Durham’s advocacy on City budget priorities.  My impression of John was always that he was genuine, caring, and good at his work for the City.  I was also always interested to hear about his acting, too.  He was an avid bike rider, both for recreation, and as a commuter (bike-bus-bike from Carrboro to Durham).

I have been in touch with some of his family, as well as his colleagues at the City, about whether there is support we can offer to honor John’s memory.  We are also coordinating with advocates in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, where John lived.  As a reminder to all, we will host the annual Ride of Silence on Wednesday, May 17 at 6pm, starting downtown at CCB Plaza.  

John’s death is yet another tragic reminder that the time is past due for the local, regional, and state governments to change our approach to transportation to Vision Zero. 

Calling for Vision Zero Durham at City Hall

On Monday, March 20th, nearly fifty people gathered at the intersection of W. Main, Morgan, and Watts Streets to rally for safer streets and to protect one another as we rode to City Hall for the public hearing on the budget.  BIke Durham Advocacy Committee Co-Chair Erik Landfried remembered Tysiea Gurley and Mike Possley who had both been killed recently while crossing Durham streets.  He also spoke about the serious injuries suffered by Noah Goyette when the bike lanes on West Main Street were blocked by idling cars and he hit a pothole when swerving to avoid the cars.  On behalf of Bike Durham, Erik called for the City to invest in a Vision Zero Durham agenda:

• Fund a full-time, dedicated Vision Zero Coordinator. The person in this position will lead an interdepartmental, interdisciplinary team in identifying, prioritizing, and implementing measures to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries. It’s important to hire this position now as a Vision Zero Action plan will be developed later this year.

• Fund the repair of existing sidewalks, bring curb ramps up to ADA standards and convert all existing bike lanes into protected bike lanes.

• Provide annual funding commitments for traffic calming and the completion of safe city-wide sidewalk and protected bike lane networks.  

Residents, many with their bikes, gathered to rally for safer streets.

Brian Hawkins spoke on behalf of the Durham Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC), stating, “...what we are asking for is the city to prioritize the usability and safety of the infrastructure in which we have already invested. Bike lanes are a welcome addition to our cityscape, but it is clear that simply painting a stripe on the road is not sufficient. In fact, we would argue that a bike lane that is suddenly and unpredictably unavailable creates a more dangerous situation than no bike lane at all, which we saw right here last month.

We call on the City Council to prioritize the following to address this issue: 

1. The addition of physical barriers to existing bike lanes

2. More consistent enforcement of parking restrictions 

3. A program and policy whereby the City conducts public visits to sites of serious and/or deadly crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists, and produces crash memos that describe how similar tragedies can be avoided in the future”

Following the media event, we created a cyclist-protected bike lane to start our ride to City Hall for the public hearing.  Seven of us signed up to speak to Council in support of the Vision Zero Durham agenda.  I highly encourage you to watch the remarks made at this link.  In addition to powerful comments in support of the Vision Zero approach to traffic safety, there were others advocating for expansion of the community safety department, known as the HEART program.

We received excellent media coverage, including CBS17, WRAL, News & Observer, IndyWeek, and 9th Street Journal.  

Why Do We Advocate for Vision Zero?

Bike Durham was incorporated ten years ago as a voice for residents who wanted streets safe for people on bicycles.  We have since broadened our vision to a transportation system that is safe, affordable, and sustainable for everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live.  One key approach to achieving this vision is known as Vision Zero.

According to the Vision Zero Network, Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero has proven successful in communities across Europe — and is now gaining momentum in American cities and states.

Vision Zero is not just a catchy slogan.  It is a fundamentally different approach to thinking about our transportation system.  

Again according to Vision Zero Network, Vision Zero is a significant departure from the status quo in two major ways:

1. This approach recognizes that people will sometimes make mistakes, so the road system and related policies should be designed to ensure those inevitable mistakes do not result in severe injuries or fatalities. This means that system designers and policymakers at the city, state, and federal levels are expected to improve the roadway environment, policies (such as speed management), and other related systems to lessen the severity of crashes.

2.  This approach is multidisciplinary, bringing together diverse and necessary stakeholders to address this complex problem. In the past, meaningful, cross-disciplinary collaboration among local and state traffic planners and engineers, policymakers, and public health professionals has not been the norm. Vision Zero acknowledges that many factors contribute to safe mobility — including roadway design, speeds, behaviors, technology, and policies — and sets clear goals to achieve the shared goal of zero fatalities and severe injuries.

More is described in Vision Zero Network’s document Core Elements for Vision Zero Communities and their recorded webinar Vision Zero 101.

Here in Durham, the City Council adopted a Vision Zero resolution back in 2017, following the adoption of a Vision Zero program at the state level in 2015.  Our regional transportation organization also adopted a goal of zero deaths and serious injuries by 2050.  The goals have been set, but the paradigm shift has not occurred.  In recent meetings with NCDOT engineers, it is clear that safety is not yet prioritized ahead of minimizing traffic delay.  We still hear City staff putting too much emphasis on the behaviors of people driving, walking, biking, or rolling, and accepting enough responsibility for the changes that they could make to our streets to encourage slow speeds and safe spaces for everyone to use our streets.

We need our City leaders to recommit to Vision Zero through this year’s budget by approving:

• Funds for a full-time, dedicated Vision Zero Coordinator. The person in this position will lead an interdepartmental, interdisciplinary team in identifying, prioritizing, and implementing measures to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries. It’s important to hire this position now as a Vision Zero Action plan will be developed later this year.

• Funds for the repair of existing sidewalks, bring curb ramps up to ADA standards and convert all existing bike lanes into protected bike lanes.

• Annual funding commitments for traffic calming and the completion of safe city-wide sidewalk and protected bike lane networks.  

You can sign our petition in support of the Vision Zero Agenda and share it with your friends.  Our goal is 500 signatures by April 30.

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

Attendees standing vigil for the 22 victims of traffic violence in Durham during 2022. Luminaries were placed in the outside lanes of Guess Road at the trail crossing as a symbol of the type of measure that we would like considered to make this crossing, where Matt Simpson was killed while on his bicycle, safer for everyone.

On the Sunday, November 20, about 50 of us gathered at Westover Park for Bike Durham’s first observance of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.  It was a simple, yet powerful event.  We called for the City to complete a Vision Zero Action Plan by next November showing the roadmap for getting to zero deaths or serious injuries from traffic violence.  We also called for the City Council to fund a full-time, dedicated Vision Zero Coordinator to lead this work. 

Tyler Dewey, representing the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee, said that for those who are walking, biking, or rolling on Durham’s streets, “The dangers are clear to us, but they don’t define us…Our vulnerability is not inherent to our bodies. It is imposed on us by systems and institutions that value speed over human life.” He continued, “There is a way forward…We must build for a people-centered future, rather than our car-dependent present.”

City transportation director Sean Egan confirmed the City’s commitment to Vision Zero and said that the city has applied, together with the regional transportation planning organization, for a federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant to develop a regional Vision Zero Action Plan.

Council member Javiera Caballero also spoke, challenging Durham residents to tackle transportation safety challenges the same way that we have tackled affordable housing. She said, “We need to be the…leader in the state. I know we can do it. When we put a bond, which is coming, in front of you all, we need you to resoundingly vote yes.”

Bike Durham executive director John Tallmadge and Bridget Bell lighting a candle for the vigil

Then Bridget Bell read a statement prepared by her friend Allison Simpson - widow of Matt Simpson who was killed while riding his bike across Guess Road, just steps from where we gathered.  This emotional moment was followed by lighting hand-held candles and reading the names of the twenty-two road traffic victims who had died this year in Durham, as well as 14-year old Riverside student Aliyah Thornhill who was killed while walking on a dark road in Oak Ridge, NC on Halloween.

We finished the vigil by placing luminaries in the outside lanes of Guess Road to narrow it from four lanes to two at the crossing where Matt Simpson was killed.  Twenty-two of the luminaries had the names of the victims and/or the dates of their crash. We all stood for twenty-two minutes to honor their memories and watched drivers slowly pass using the two center lanes of Guess Road.  We were grateful to the Durham Police Department for keeping us safe while we placed the luminaries in the street and retrieved them, and for producing this video summary of the event.

Asst. Chief David Anthony & other members of DPD participated in a vigil held by @BikeDurham at Westover Park for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Luminaires were placed on Guess Rd to remember the 22 victims who have died in road crashes in Durham this year pic.twitter.com/oXRz76eEg4

— DurhamPoliceNC (@TheDurhamPolice) November 21, 2022

The following day at the city council meeting, council member Monique Holsey-Hyman (who also attended Sunday’s vigil) read a Mayor’s proclamation recognizing November 20th, 2022 as the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in Durham. Allison Simpson was able to make brief remarks virtually on Zoom in accepting the proclamation. You can watch the reading and Allison’s remarks here.

Our local event, covered by CBS 17 and ABC 11, was part of a larger, growing movement for Vision Zero across the country and world.  More than sixty communities in the U.S. and hundreds across the world held Day of Remembrance events on November 20th (recap here) with the theme of “Remember. Support. Act”.  

Importantly, US Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sat down for an interview recognizing the Day of Remembrance (you can read remarks from the Secretary and watch a recording of his comments here). This was an important reminder that this year the federal government has set a direction to eliminate deaths and serious injuries.  NCDOT adopted a Vision Zero policy in 2015, the City of Durham adopted a Vision Zero resolution in 2017, and our regional transportation planning organization adopted a goal of zero deaths or serious injuries due to traffic violence by 2050.  

The direction has been set and is aligned from the federal to the state to the regional to the local level.  But resolutions and policy statements won’t save lives. This past Sunday, The NY Times ran a story about how the number of roadway deaths in the U.S. began increasing in recent years while it has continued to fall in countries across the world.

Now it is past time for our leaders and government agencies to act on their commitments.  Bike Durham will be working with partners and supporters to move our local, regional, and state governments to action in Durham, starting with our calls for a Vision Zero Action Plan to be completed by the 2023 Day of Remembrance and for funding a full-time, dedicated Vision Zero Coordinator.

Another Hit-and-Run Driver Sends a Friend, who was Riding his Bike, to the Hospital

On the evening of Friday, September 9th, a Bike Durham member and frequent volunteer was struck by the driver of a truck while cycling through the Five Points intersection in downtown Durham. The crash was a hit-and-run, though we understand that the driver and vehicle have been located thanks to several eyewitness accounts. Two off-duty paramedics immediately assisted the crash victim until an ambulance could arrive at the scene.

Photo of damaged bike on ground at Five Points on September 9

The crash victim suffered a fractured pelvis and broken hand and is currently recovering in the hospital following three surgeries. Despite this, he is in good spirits and plans to continue biking and advocating for safer streets in Durham once he recovers from his injuries. Bike Durham wishes him a speedy and complete recovery.

Unfortunately, these types of crashes are all too common in Durham. On average every 16 days someone is killed or seriously injured while walking or biking in Durham. Just two months ago, Matt Simpson was killed crossing Guess Road on his bike with his family. These tragedies will continue to occur in Durham as long as motor vehicle speed and delay at intersections continue to be the number one priority for how our streets are designed.    

The formula for safer streets is simple:

1. Reduce motor vehicle speed on all streets. Speed kills.

2. Create fully protected places for people walking, biking, and using transit on larger streets. 

3. Shift funding away from projects that make it easier to drive to projects that make it easier to walk, bike, or use transit.

Cities that have implemented a human-centered transportation system instead of a vehicle-centered one have achieved remarkable success. Oslo, Norway, a city twice the size of Durham, recorded zero pedestrian or cyclist fatalities in 2019 and only a single vehicle fatality. This is not some type of Scandinavian exceptionalism - Oslo had 41 traffic fatalities as recently as 1975. By prioritizing people instead of cars, Oslo made the streets safer for everyone, not just those walking or biking.

The City of Durham must do more to implement the Vision Zero program adopted in 2017. Vision Zero is a framework to eliminate traffic fatalities. There needs to be dedicated funding for the Vision Zero program in the City’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget, beginning with the hiring of a Vision Zero coordinator staff position.

The City should also begin conducting more holistic crash investigations that include people from the City, State (if it is on a State-maintained road), and transportation safety advocates. They should also produce follow-up reports available to the public following each crash that leads to a fatality or serious injury, similar to those done in Washington, DC.

A Great First Week of Bike Month 2022

Big Turnout for Biking Fun Festival at Glenn Elementary

April 30

Last Saturday we had a huge turnout for a Bike Fun Fest at Glenn Elementary.  There were more than 70 kids from Glenn and the surrounding neighborhoods and we gave away 65 helmets while the kids practiced their biking skills.  Thanks to a donation from Ninth Street Bakery​, everyone (including me) also enjoyed delicious cookies.  This was a capstone to the four-session bicycle safety training class that the 4th graders at Glenn Elementary completed during the month of May. A big thanks to Principal Hunt and Coach Matheson for all their support.

May 1

On Sunday, we launched a couple of rides from Hi-Wire Brewing. We had a good turnout, and a great time, and appreciate the participation of the Durham Bike Co-op​, Rescue Project Racing​, and Trek Cycles. Thanks to Jacopo Montobbio and Christy LaGuardia for leading the rides.

On Sunday, Ali Shoenfelt and Nikola Milenkovic also held the second of five walk-audits scheduled for the Old West Durham and Watts-Hillandale neighborhoods as part of the traffic calming plan that the neighborhood association boards asked us to develop with financial support from Duke Doing Good. You can learn more about that project on our website.

Council member Javiera Caballero joins with students and teachers from Merrick-Moore Elementary on Bike, Walk, and Roll to School Day

May 4-6

Wednesday was Walk, Bike, and Roll to School day.  Fourteen Durham public schools held events on the 4th, 5th, or 6th, and six more will hold events later this month. This represents thousands of students who are getting out and walking, biking, or rolling. Many Durham schools do not have safe routes for students to walk or bike to school, even if they live a few blocks away. Bike, Walk, and Roll to School days are a great way to bring attention to this issue and for the schools to celebrate the joy of walking, biking, and rolling.   You can learn more about our Safe Routes to School program here.

I can’t wait for the rest of Bike Month.

Bike Durham Named Advocacy Organization of the Year

Last Monday, Bike Durham was named the Advocacy Organization of the Year by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) - our nation’s organization representing bicyclists in the movement to create safer roads, stronger communities, and a Bicycle Friendly America.

LAB gives this award to a bicycling and/or walking advocacy organization or club who, in the past year, made significant progress. LAB recognizes an organization whose leaders have worked tirelessly together to grow and strengthen their organization and fulfill their mission. This award is about recognizing organizations that are inclusive, welcoming, and committed to growing bicycling.

We are thrilled with this recognition for all we accomplished in 2022. We are also pleased that the League recognized our work that centers safe walking and transit equity, as well as safe bicycling. It all works together to give us the transportation system we deserve - one that is safe, affordable, and sustainable for everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live.

The League’s Executive Director, Bill Nesper, asked us to answer three questions that could be shared as part of the award announcement. I want to share our responses with you, too.

What do you hope the future holds for the bike movement? We hope that the bike movement joins forces with others to remake our communities and retake our streets so that its safe, affordable, and enjoyable for everyone to bike, walk, rolll, and use transit.

How should advocates seize this moment to shape the future?  We should all be stretching our comfort zones to invest in the relationships to build a multi-racial coalition for safe, affordable, and sustainable transportation.

What was a recent moment of bike joy in your work?  On a Saturday in early December, we held a Bike Festival for youth following four weeks of teaching bike safety skills to fifth graders at Eastway Elementary in Durham. The turnout was estupendo, and the highlight was when the school counselor got on a bike for the first time since she was a girl.

Thanks to all our volunteers, contractors, Board members, member donors, and supporters. This recognition belongs to all of us.

Below you will find video (credit to Arleigh Greenwald, @DurhamStreets) and print recaps of our 2021 accomplishments.

This award includes the Jon Graff Prize for Advancing Safe Cycling - a donation of $1,000 to our organization.

A Great Start to 2022!

We had a great kick-off event last Sunday, February 6th.  There was a great turnout for both the ride and our program where we recapped our 2021 accomplishments and shared our plans for 2022 (see below or download here).  We were sorry that we had to reschedule and change locations - we know that made it impossible for some to attend, but the weather was sunny and Locopops was a great host. (Note: 10% of February sales at Locopops will be shared between us, American Dance Festival, Meals on Wheels of Durham, and Club Boulevard Elementary PTA.)

Take a look at our work plan for 2022 below and get involved!

There are several ways that you can get involved with our work in the coming year:

1. Engage with our action alerts through email or social media (@bikedurham).

2. Volunteer at one of our events or on with a committee

3. Join the Board.  We are looking for additional board members, particularly those with experience in finance, HR, fundraising, and non-profit governance.  If you are interested, please email director@bikedurham.org to learn more.

4. Make a donation.  More than half of our budget comes from individual contributions.

Summary of Bike Durham Plans for 2022

Aligning Transportation Plans with Our Values

The future we want captured in an Image of youth walking and biking to school from transformca.org

I think I observed an important breakthrough on September 1, 2021, in Bike Durham’s work for a safe, affordable, and sustainable transportation system for everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live.  Elected officials from Durham, Orange, and Chatham counties had a long overdue conversation about developing a transportation plan that actually aligns with the values and policy direction that they agree upon around eliminating carbon emissions, eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries, and eliminating racial and economic disparities in access to jobs and other destinations.  Further, they went beyond conversation and voted unanimously to direct staff to develop a plan alternative that is intended to reach these goals by 2050.  They broke through the mindset that they don’t have the power to set a new course, and took a step toward a safe, equitable, and sustainable transportation system. 

Here’s the story: 

The little-known regional transportation planning organization known as DCHC MPO met to discuss and take comments on the staff-developed Transportation Plan Alternatives for the next 30 years.  This governmental organization is required under federal law to adopt a long-range transportation plan every four years.  It’s called the Metropolitan Transportation Plan or MTP.  Despite how obscure the organization is, it plays a crucial role in determining what transportation projects get built.  Any transportation project that receives federal or state funding must be included in the MTP.  The final set of projects in any MTP must be agreed upon by the state department of transportation (NCDOT) AND the locally appointed DCHC MPO board. 

Last summer the planning process for the plan looking out to 2050 started by identifying goals and objectives.  Bike Durham reviewed that draft proposal and raised concerns that they were inadequate and would not lead to change.  In commenting on the Goals and Objectives, we called for a bold vision of Zero Carbon Emissions, Zero Deaths or Serious Injuries, and Zero Racial or Economic Disparity of Access.   The Board agreed with us and directed the staff to revise the Goals and Objectives to include this bold vision.

It’s hard to understate how much of a departure these goals are from the past, and the staff has the uncomfortable challenge of working with analytical tools that are designed to evaluate benefits and impacts for drivers, not equity or safety, and carbon and other emissions have typically been measured at the end of the process, not used as a driver of the plan.  As the staff proceeded with the planning steps, they acknowledged the need for performance measures for these goals, but pointed out that they don’t have good tools to measure them.  This led to the development of three alternative future transportation systems that have differences, but none would make an appreciable difference in reaching the bold goals (in fact, there was no analysis to even indicate how they would affect the goals).

At the September 1st DCHC Board meeting, staff member Andy Henry presented the Alternatives Analysis, and Board members and the public followed with comments.  I listened while waiting my turn at the Zoom mike, and heard very encouraging questioning from Carrboro Council member/Mayoral candidate Damon Seils and Chapel Hill council member/GoTriangle Board chair Michael Parker.  It was clear that neither thought that the alternatives were bold enough.  

There were only two of us there to provide comments at the public hearing and both of us are white men who used to work at GoTriangle - a serious indictment of the public engagement process!   A link to a recording of Bike Durham’s comments, delivered by me, is embedded below.  The written remarks are at the bottom of this post.  (If you’re really interested in this, start at the 31:35 minute mark with the points raised by Carrboro Council member Damon Seils.)

In our comments, I closed with a call for the Board to direct the staff to develop another alternative that would address all three goals and reduce the drive alone mode share by 25% by 2050.  In the discussion that followed, the Board members came to the conclusion that they could ask for an alternative that reflected their priorities, that would reveal many of the difficult changes that will have to be made to achieve our vision, and that would serve as an advocacy piece, making it clear what the benefits will be if those changes to projects, policy, laws, ordinances, and budgets are made.  I am optimistic about the opportunity that the Board’s action creates, and am proud that Bike Durham played a role in making this happen.

Best quotes of the day

“If we move forward with a preferred option based on those before us, I’m not sure what we’re doing here.” - Damon Seils, Carrboro Council member/mayoral candidate

“It’s not just about adding more transit projects, it’s also subtracting car-oriented projects.” - Michael Parker, Chapel Hill councilmember/GoTriangle Board Chair

“This is part of a system that is not functioning in a way it needs to get where we want it to go.” - Jenn Weaver, Hillsborough Mayor

“This may be the best MPO meeting that I’ve ever been to.  And these may be the best two public comments I’ve ever heard at an MPO meeting.” - Charlie Reece, Durham City Council member

Bike Durham comments delivered to the DCHC MPO Board on September 1, 2021 by John Tallmadge

“Thank you for the opportunity to comment.  I’m John Tallmadge, Executive Director of Bike Durham.

After the Board adopted goals that included zero deaths and serious injuries, zero disparity of access, and zero carbon emissions, we were optimistic that the 2050 Plan would chart a new course toward a safe, affordable, and sustainable transportation system for everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live.  That’s Bike Durham’s vision for the future.

We were hopeful that the bold vision that the MPO adopted would drive the development of bold alternatives that would illustrate the likely difficult choices needed to achieve these goals.  We grew concerned when the deficiency analysis largely addressed the issues of driver delay, driver commute time, and highway capacity - the same variables that are typically used - and measures of safety, carbon emissions, and disparity of access.  Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) was presented, but not in the context of carbon emissions.

We were disappointed to see the alternative scenarios presented for comment.  The staff has not attempted to develop a scenario that could achieve the goals.  The All Together alternative is the best of the bunch, but it does not rise to the occasion required.

We understand why this is the case, but we do not accept it.  When urging you to adopt bold goals, we said that it takes a long time to turn a big ship onto a different course, and that’s why it’s important to turn the wheel hard now.  It appears that in attempting to turn the wheel hard through bold goals, other problems have been revealed.

First, the navigation tools that the staff uses don’t provide any visibility into impacts on safety, carbon emissions, or racial disparity of access.  All we can see are delay, travel time, capacity, and mode share.  What we don’t measure, we don’t manage.  The answer is not to rely on changes to the travel demand model.  The staff needs to develop new analytical approaches.

Second, the steering mechanisms are stuck.  The alternatives accept the next 10 years as fixed, and the staff has found the model to be largely unresponsive to changes in the projects.  The projects selected are all through technical staff, there is very little community engagement in the development of projects.   

Third, the engine of transportation funding keeps chugging away, driving us in the same disastrous direction.  When we limit our alternatives to what we can fund with existing laws and rules, then we cannot even see what it would take to achieve our goals.  The final recommended plan needs to be fiscally constrained, that’s required.  But if alternatives were developed that achieved our goals, or even approached them, then we could all see what changes are going to be needed from the local, state, and federal levels.

The All Together alternative is the best of the bunch, but we’d like to point out a few ways in which it falls short.

1) There is no indication that the alternative is increasing funding to make our streets safer.

2) There is no indication that there is an increased investment in transportation demand management.  We have just seen that the capacity for telework is much greater than we ever imagined.  

3) There is no indication of investments in the infrastructure or incentives for electrification of our transportation system.

4) There is no indication of whether neighborhoods that are currently the heaviest users of public transportation will be closing the gap with neighborhoods that don’t use public transportation in terms of access to jobs or other destinations within 45 minutes.

5) While the alternative includes the conversion of a portion of the Durham Freeway to a boulevard, which may be a good idea if we could make sure that the benefits accrue to the Black residents whose community was destroyed in the first place, but at the same time we assume that we’ll push ahead with converting US70 and US15-501 into freeways.

It’s time for the DCHC MPO Board to direct the staff to develop a bold scenario that gets us on the path to our goals.  You need to find levers that will result in the creation of new navigation tools, that will unstick the steering wheel, and cut the engines to create time to fix those other problems.  We ask that you start by directing the staff to develop another alternative that would address all three goals and reduce the drive alone mode share by 25% by 2050.  Thank you.”

Update: I have been informed that Carrboro officially changed the name of their governing board to a Town Council. I have updated references to Damon Seils’ position from alderman to Council member.