Tomorrow is the First Day of School: Let’s Slow Down and Continue Advocating for Change

My daughter’s parking space at high school

Tomorrow, my youngest daughter is starting her Senior year at Riverside High School. It will mark the eighteenth consecutive year that one of our daughters has attended Durham Public Schools.  In addition to feeling excited for her, I’m also nervous because we’ll be letting her drive to school for the first time.  We know that back-to-school time can be particularly hectic on the streets and roads as there is concentrated activity around schools, many navigating new travel patterns, and lots of people new to walking, biking, and driving, all on the streets together.

Over the past eighteen years, with our three daughters, we’ve done it all.  There has been walking, biking, riding a kick-scooter, riding the school bus, and carpooling.  There has also been driving (by my wife and me) and driving by our daughters.  We have been fortunate that the only injury has been some scrapes from a fall on a kick-scooter.  And I feel privileged that we live in a neighborhood where walking and biking to school has often been a good option. 

Most families in Durham are driving their children to school or putting them on a school bus.  Walking or biking to school has become a rarity, not just in Durham, but across the country.  This is not because families don’t want their kids to walk or bike to school, most would love to give their kids that kind of independence and save themselves the time it takes.  But it is usually the rational choice given distances or dangers between home and school.  This is the outcome of decades of policy choices at the local and state levels about how we build our communities and our transportation system.

At Bike Durham, we want all families to have the choice to send their kids out the door each day to walk or bike or roll to school.  And we want that to be a safe option that parents feel good about. 

Here is what we are doing about it:

• Advocating for the City to continue funding sidewalk, intersection, and crosswalk improvements near schools so that all students will have safe walking access to schools;

• Advocating for measures to slow speeds City-wide, starting in school zones;

• Training elementary school students on bike riding and walking safety skills; and

• Supporting families that are starting bike trains/walking school buses. 

These infrastructure improvements require investment at the local, state, and federal level.  In addition to direct public investment, we need to change the rules that our governments administer to ensure the private developers are building communities where it is easy to walk and bike and that are well-connected to neighboring development and the rest of Durham.

Responsible Road User Behavior: For Drivers

While improved infrastructure and better development is crucial, it must be complemented by responsible behavior from all road users. Tomorrow, we will all be navigating the infrastructure we have, so here are reminders from the National Safety Council about how to be safe tomorrow, regardless of whether you have kids at schools or not.  

If You're Dropping Off

Schools often have very specific drop-off procedures for the school year. Make sure you know them for the safety of all kids. The following apply to all school zones:

• Don't double park; it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles

• Don't load or unload children across the street from the school

• Carpool to reduce the number of vehicles at the school

Sharing the Road with Young Pedestrians

According to research by the National Safety Council, most of the children who lose their lives in bus-related incidents are 4 to 7 years old, and they're walking. They are hit by the bus, or by a motorist illegally passing a stopped bus. A few precautions go a long way toward keeping children safe:

• Don't block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn, forcing pedestrians to go around you; this could put them in the path of moving traffic

• In a school zone when flashers are blinking, stop and yield to pedestrians crossing the crosswalk or intersection

• Always stop for a school patrol officer or crossing guard holding up a stop sign

• Take extra care to look for children in school zones, near playgrounds and parks, and in all residential areas

• Don't honk or rev your engine to scare a pedestrian, even if you have the right of way

• Never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians

• Always use extreme caution to avoid striking pedestrians wherever they may be, no matter who has the right of way

Sharing the Road with School Buses

If you're driving behind a bus, allow a greater following distance than if you were driving behind a car. It will give you more time to stop once the yellow lights start flashing. It is illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children.

• Never pass a bus from behind – or from either direction if you're on an undivided road – if it is stopped to load or unload children

• If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop

• The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus

• Be alert; children often are unpredictable, and they tend to ignore hazards and take risks

Sharing the Road with Bicyclists

On most roads, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as vehicles, but bikes can be hard to see. Children riding bikes create special problems for drivers because usually they are not able to properly determine traffic conditions. The most common cause of collision is a driver turning left in front of a bicyclist.

Far Hand Reach: Take this simple step before getting out of your car. It may save a life.

• When passing a bicyclist, proceed in the same direction slowly, and leave 3 feet between your car and the cyclist

• When turning left and a bicyclist is approaching in the opposite direction, wait for the rider to pass

• If you're turning right and a bicyclists is approaching from behind on the right, let the rider go through the intersection first, and always use your turn signals

• Watch for bike riders turning in front of you without looking or signaling; children especially have a tendency to do this

• Be extra vigilant in school zones and residential neighborhoods

• Watch for bikes coming from driveways or behind parked cars

• Check side mirrors and use the far hand reach technique when opening your door

By exercising a little extra care and caution, drivers and people walking and biking can co-exist safely in school zones.

Responsible Road User Behavior: For Parents

• Model good behavior: If driving, never use your mobile device. If walking with your children, always use crosswalks. No matter how you are traveling, always follow traffic rules. Your kids are watching and learning what is acceptable.

• Teach traffic safety: Regularly discuss and practice safe pedestrian and cycling behaviors with your kids.

• Carpool or use alternative transportation: Reduce traffic congestion by sharing rides or using school buses when available.

• Arrive early: Give yourself extra time to avoid rushing, which can lead to unsafe choices.

Responsible Road User Behavior: For Students when walking

• Use crosswalks and obey crossing guards: Never jaywalk or cross against signals.

• Stay visible: Wear bright clothing and use reflective gear, especially in low light conditions.

• Walk on sidewalks: If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic and as far from the road as possible.

• Be alert: Avoid distractions like headphones or mobile devices when walking.

Responsible Road User Behavior: For Students when biking

• Follow traffic laws: Ride in the same direction as traffic and obey all signs and signals.

• Use hand signals: Clearly communicate your intentions to turn or stop.

• Helmet use: Always wear a properly fitted helmet when cycling, skateboarding, or using other wheeled transportation.

• Stay visible: Use lights and reflectors, especially during early morning or evening hours.

• Give pedestrians right-of-way: Yield to pedestrians on shared paths and at crosswalks.

• Be alert: Avoid distractions like headphones or mobile devices when biking.

A Call to Action: Making School Zones Safer for All

As we embark on a new school year, let's commit to a vision for a Durham where everyone can thrive, and all families can make the choice for their kids to walk, bike, or roll to school.

Here's how you can get involved:

1. Become a Bike Durham member advocating for change.

2. Support the Connecting Durham bond referendum: Vote for and promote this measure to fund sidewalks, bike lanes, street repair, and parks.

3. Join or organize a walking school bus or bike train program at your school. Contact us for support.

4. Educate others: Share traffic safety information with your neighbors and on social media (use #saferoutesDurham) to raise awareness.

5. Report hazards: Use Durham OneCall (919-560-1200) to notify the City about dangerous conditions near schools.

The first day of school should be filled with hope and possibilities, not danger and fear. By working together to improve our infrastructure and promote responsible behavior, we can create a safer environment for all our children.

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.

Supporting Parents to Make Walking, Biking, and Rolling to School Safer in Durham

EK Powe mom crossing Ninth Street with bicycle

The morning commute for these EK Powe families looks a little different now that a bike train (also called “bike bus”) has been firmly established.  Every Wednesday morning, a group of parents and their children meet at the park in their neighborhood and bike together to school.  “My kids know that we value physical activity and bike riding to school is another way we can make a lifestyle choice that promotes sustainability,” said EK Powe parent Kyle Simmons. 

Photo of EK Powe parents David Bradway and Kyle Simmons with their bicycles and Kyle’s daughter peeking through

Another EK Powe parent, David Bradway, who also co-chairs the Bike Durham Advocacy Committee, partnered with staff at Bike Durham and EK Powe Physical Education Coach Walker in the Fall to include the bike train in the school’s Walk and Roll to School Day.  Now David, and his daughter, Amelia, are the first to arrive Wednesday morning, radio on and energy high as they greet the other parents and students.

Pulling out at 7:45am the short ride has them at school in plenty of time for the morning bell.  The parents often grab coffee after the drop off, “Bike riding and walking to school together is a way to build community,” said Scotty Mathess, long time bike advocate and EK Powe parent.

Through our Safe Routes to School Bike and Walk Safety programs and support of both the Fall and Spring Walk, Bike and Roll to school events, Bike Durham is implementing a broader strategy to engage parents, and the school community to identify the barriers to increased bicycling and walking and to effectively advocate for change.  

In 2022, Bike Durham, with a grant from Duke Doing Good in the Neighborhood, conducted walk audits with the Old West Durham and Watts Hospital-Hillandale neighborhoods in developing a traffic calming plan.  Safety issues on 9th street in front of the school were obvious and we recommended strategies to slow traffic and “daylight” the crosswalks.

The community successfully lobbied for infrastructure investment and this Fall the city has used “daylighting” to make the mid-block crosswalk more visible by using posts to block off parking within 20-feet.  They have also shortened the crossing distance on Knox Street by closing off a right-turn “slip lane” with new posts.  The city and school system are working to install additional bike racks on campus.  In addition, the speed in front of the school has been reduced from 35 to 25 matching the speed limit in front of the shops on 9th street.  Building on the momentum, Bike Durham recently met with parents to hear other ideas like shutting the street down during drop off and pick up which would increase safety.

Our goal is to replicate this strategy of building relationships through our bike and walk safety classes; bring school-wide, ‘Walk Bike and Roll’ events to more DPS schools to increase awareness around the benefits; identify and partner with parent leaders to conduct safety audits; and lend our support to effectively advocate and realize needed changes.  

“Starting with kids getting to and from school is starting with the foundational and basic trip that every individual has taken throughout their childhood and educational career, notes Jacopo Montobbio, Bike Durham Education Program Manager, Safe Routes to School is about putting policies, physical infrastructure, and programs in place to enable families to choose to walk and bike to school, as well as other places, safely.”

Kristen Brookshire, the community transportation planner for DPS, believes that advocating for Safe Routes to School isn't just benefiting the students, but the community in Durham as a whole.  “If we’re making it better for kids, it’s going to be better for everyone,” said Brookshire. “It’s going to be better for the parent with a stroller. It’s going to be better for the grandfather with a cane. It’s going to be better for the person trying to get to work.”

Bike Durham will continue to work to deepen partnerships with the 13 schools receiving our bike and walk safety program this school year.  We are making strides now to conduct a safety audit at Eastway Elementary.  The community around Hope Valley Elementary school held a summer block party with a main topic of conversation focused on how to safely walk and bike to school; they are interested in learning from the leaders of the bike train at EK Powe.  Bike Durham serves an integral role in connecting parents and partners to learn from one another and build a network of families advocating for increased investment in bike and pedestrian infrastructure to ensure accessibility and safety for all families in Durham.

If you would like to help lead efforts to increase walking, bicycling and rolling to your school and within your community, please email us at saferoutes@bikedurham.org with the subject line Safe Routes to Schools.  

Children Deserve Safe Places to Walk and Bike, Starting With the Trip to School

‘They Just Made it Happen’

Durham’s Safe Routes to School program started humbly as an idea that Open Streets volunteers, Mark Dessauer and Jen McDuffie, wanted to see brought to Durham back in 2011. This has grown into an eagerly anticipated program, where Bike Durham staff touch the lives of thousands of elementary school students each year. 

Jen McDuffie, a public health professional, former Durham resident, and former Bike Durham board member, had been intimately involved with the Safe Routes to School Program for ten years until she passed the torch to our organization in 2021. 

John Rives, Mike Fink, Jen McDuffie, Frank Glover, Ellen Beckmann, and Dale McKeel (pictured Left to Right) at the Eastway Elementary Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day event in 2014

Starting in 2015, McDuffie wrote grants to buy bicycles and pay helpers - Durham Bike Co-op faithfuls Mike Fink, Ralph Griesenbeck, John Rives, Tim Smith, and Gary Tencer - to teach the classes with her.  In addition to the Co-op, she had connections with Durham Congregations, Associations, and Neighborhoods (CAN), the Partnership for a Healthy Durham, the East Durham Children’s Initiative, the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), and at Durham Public Schools.  All these partnerships played an instrumental role early on, setting the foundation and tone for Safe Routes to School in Durham.

“When Jen Mcduffie first started, she recruited a bunch of her friends and would put the bikes in the back of their pickup truck to move them around,” said Jennifer Delcourt.  “It was an idea and they just made it happen.”

Coach Nisha Watson taking a selfie with students during the May 2015 Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day event

Delcourt started working with the Safe Routes to School program as the regional school coordinator in 2014, covering nine counties including Durham. She started working with McDuffie trying to provide as much support as she could to the schools in Durham, such as printing flyers and introducing Safe Routes to Schools to many schools in Durham. 

With one common goal in mind, they all came together to provide these programs and opportunities for students in Durham, despite the limited resources and challenges that they encountered. 

At one of those schools, Eastway Elementary, they found a real partner in Nisha Watson, the P.E. teacher at the school.  She has advocated for the program from the start. Although the idea of facilitating these activities for her students was intimidating, the support built in place made it easier for her to embrace this opportunity. 

“They all put me at ease since the beginning,” Watson said. “Coming in with that partnership has been huge because I don’t think I would have been able to do it on my own.” 

Keeping It Going

In 2019, McDuffie and Dale McKeel, the Bicycle-Pedestrian Coordinator for Durham, wrote a grant that was awarded by the state department of transportation to fund Safe Routes to School programming in Durham. Following delays due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, in early 2021 the City sought proposals for a contractor to lead the Safe Routes to School program.  McDuffie approached Bike Durham executive director John Tallmadge about a partnership, and together they were successful in winning the City contract.  This established Bike Durham as the funded provider of Safe Routes to School programming, including bicycle safety training courses, and support for schools, parents, and students in holding Bike, Walk, & Roll to School day activities each May and October.

McDuffie planned to move from Durham to Vermont in Summer 2021, so Tallmadge knew they needed to keep it going by finding new staff to continue what McDuffie had started.  Through the hiring process, Bike Durham was able to bring on both Jacopo Montobbio, a former bikepacking tour leader in Europe and New England, and Stephen Mullaney, a longtime classroom and outdoor educator working at Merrick-Moore Elementary, in part-time roles to carry on the program.

During that school year, with the fleet of bicycles that McDuffie had acquired in previous years, Montobbio, Mullaney, and volunteers Ruth Browne and Bes Baldwin were able to deliver bike safety classes at six schools.  By May, nineteen schools participated in Bike, Walk, & Roll to School events.  

Picking Up Momentum

The word was getting out to other schools in the Durham Public School system and more P.E. coaches were requesting classes than could be accommodated.  Fortunately, Bike Durham had also been successful in telling the stories of the young students’ lives that were being touched by this program, and additional funding started coming in.

During the Summer of 2022, Bike Durham received gifts from an anonymous donor connected to a former board member and from Crum & Forster, employer of another former board member, enabling the organization to purchase a second fleet of bikes for the third and fourth grade classes, and a fleet of balance bikes to start a kindergarten level class at Merrick-Moore Elementary.

During Fall of 2022, the Pedals to Possibilities fundraiser brought in additional money to pay more educators to teach the classes to more grade levels at more schools.  That school year, more than 1,200 students at twelve schools participated in bike safety classes.  More than 15,000 students participated in Bike, Walk, & Roll to School events. 

Bike Durham also learned in Spring 2023 that funding would continue for at least the next two years through a County-directed federal grant and the next round of Safe Routes to School funding from North Carolina Department of Transportation.

“Once you give seed money, it is up to the people who receive it to keep it going and get it permanently funded,” McDuffie said. “We’ve done that and it’s beautiful.” 

‘They’re Going to Be Advocates One Day’

Students with bikes and scooters celebrating their arrivial at Lakewood Elementary during the 2017 Walk, Bike, & Roll to School event.

Starting with kids getting to and from school is starting with the foundational and basic trip that every individual has taken throughout their childhood and educational career. According to Montobbio, our Education Program Manager, Safe Routes to School is about putting policies, physical infrastructure, and programs in place to enable families to choose to walk and bike to school, as well as other places, safely. 

The education program has been successful because so many kids love the feelings of accomplishment that comes from learning new skills, and they love feeling their bodies move around outside.  Momentum has built as Safe Routes to School becomes more prominent within the schools it works in. Students and parents are now expecting bicycle safety classes and activities year after year. But Safe Routes to School is intended to have a deeper impact than just teaching kids how to ride a bike. It teaches the benefits of having safe and accessible transportation and also teaches students to be advocates for themselves and their community. 

“They're going to be advocates one day like they're advocating now for themselves to have more of these classes,” said Coach Watson of Eastway Elementary. 

Over the years, the Safe Routes to School Program has been a strengthening partnership with the City of Durham, Durham County, and the Durham Public Schools district.  All have shared goals of making it safe and attractive for more families to choose walking, biking, and rolling to school.  Kristen Brookshire, the community transportation planner for DPS, believes that advocating for Safe Routes to School isn't just benefiting the students, but the community in Durham as a whole. 

“If we’re making it better for kids, it’s going to be better for everyone,” said Brookshire. “It’s going to be better for the parent with a stroller. It’s going to be better for the grandfather with a cane. It’s going to be better for the person trying to get to work.”

*According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Safe Routes to School is an approach that promotes walking and biking through infrastructure improvements, safety education, incentives, and many more methods to work towards the overall goal.

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.

Walk and Roll to School Day is almost here!

As the community transportation planner for Durham Public Schools, I spend my days observing, planning, and coordinating ways to improve multi-modal school travel, this day is as close as we come to a holiday in my line of work (in addition to Bike and Roll to School Day, Bus Driver Appreciation Day, and Crossing Guard Appreciation Day).

Walk, Bike, and Roll to School events promote physical activity, sustainable travel, and strengthen social connections between families, schools, and the broader community. These events celebrate active travel to school and can also help build awareness for the need to prioritize the safety of young people walking and bicycling. 

Walk to School event at Merrick-Moore Elementary in Spring 2022

I sometimes feel conflicted when a walking and biking to school event requires detailed coordination, permission slips, and law enforcement support to close streets or to escort families along a route. I don’t dispute that these precautions are often necessary, but I also think it makes these events look like an extraordinary undertaking, when really, walking or rolling to school should be an easy, everyday occurrence—a choice that is safe, comfortable, and familiar for every family that lives close to the school their student attends. The ability to walk, bike, or roll to school can also foster independence and ensure that students observe and experience their world at a human-scale, not just through the passenger window of a vehicle. 

I see two key domains when it comes to increasing the number of families whose students can walk, bike, ride the school bus, or take transit—our built environment (i.e., land use, street design) and our social context (i.e., social norms, policies). We need to turn the tide on both fronts while also considering how these domains influence each other. 

A safer, more inviting environment for multi-modal school travel could look like streets with lower driver speeds and vehicle volumes; more dedicated space for walking and biking; conspicuous and accessible crossing locations; and a robust network of transit options. Ultimately, streets that work for our youth will work better for everyone. I recognize that the location and design of school sites also affects transportation outcomes for our students. While Durham Public Schools (DPS) can pursue initiatives that improve the safety and efficiency of internal site circulation and access onto campuses, we value our positive working relationships with the City of Durham, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Durham County, and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) to keep school travel in mind when identifying and prioritizing local and regional transportation projects.  

Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day activity for Pearsontown Elementary School in May 2022

Safer streets are game changers for encouraging active travel, but we still need the next generation of Durham residents to be able and excited to ride bikes and to choose walking or riding transit when those modes are reasonable options for a trip. We also want the next generation to know what is possible when it comes to the design of our cities and how we get around so they can continue advocating for improvements. Bike Durham’s Safe Routes to School program, supported through a contract with the City, provides education and encouragement for walking, biking, and rolling to school.  Teaching Bike Riding and Walking Safety skills during physical education classes and coordinating Walk, Bike, and Roll to school events are important steps for shifting our transportation culture. Bicycle riding and walking safety education involves the development of skills, not solely the acquisition of knowledge, so it’s significant that these weeks-long classes provide the time and space for students to practice. The classes also have a multiplying effect since they empower physical education teachers to teach the curriculum in the future and as a conclusion to the classes, Bike Durham plans a bike festival at the school so that families can observe and celebrate their student’s improved bicycling skills. 

My children are four and a half and one and a half. My older child has been to a few Walk, Bike, and Roll events for my own version of “bring your daughter to work day.” When we are going somewhere new, she usually asks me if it will be a walk or drive. I’m dreading the day when she stops asking because she realizes that so many of our trips are drives. 

Kristen Brookshire with her young daughter

I’m glad we have Walk, Bike, and Roll events at least twice a year for the smiles they bring to the faces of thousands of students and for the visual reminder to grown-ups to stop and think about what it would take to see kids walking and biking more often. These events have taken place around the country for over 25 years and there is a good reason—they can inspire change. These changes could range from improving a single pedestrian crossing or PTA-led monthly events or walk audits, to a city-wide school traffic safety committee or a new school district policy codifying the importance of active school travel. 

I hope you’ll be out walking on Wednesday, October 12 or cheering along the kids walking and rolling in your neighborhood!

Kristen Brookshire

Community Transportation Planner

School Planning, Transportation, and Nutrition

Durham Public Schools

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.