Creating a Better Erwin Road

Most people in Durham have likely experienced Erwin Road in some capacity, whether driving to a medical appointment at a Duke clinic, taking a bus to the VA Hospital, biking to work, or walking to class. This experience is generally not a positive one. The road is very wide, there are limited bike lanes, no bus lanes, and sidewalks are usually right up against the road, making it very unpleasant to walk. It is, like so many wide roads devoted mostly to private vehicles, dangerous. There were over 350 crashes on this corridor between 2017-21, including 19 involving people walking. Despite the presence of a pedestrian tunnel, the most crashes occurred at the intersections directly in front of Duke Hospital and the VA Hospital.

Source: Google Maps

The Previous Vision for Erwin Road

For most of the 2010s, the plan was to transform Erwin Road by adding a light rail line along it. Even then, many compromises had to be made because the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), who owns and maintains Erwin Road, would not allow the removal of any general purpose lanes despite the fact that more people would be able to access the residential areas, restaurants, world-renowned medical services, and tens of thousands of jobs using transit. Still, light rail and associated improvements for people walking and biking along Erwin Road would have provided significantly better access for people living and working in the area.

Unfortunately, no comprehensive vision for Erwin Road has been developed since the light rail project ended over three years ago. One of the options shown to the public in the ongoing update to the Durham Transit Plan included a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line along Erwin Road. BRT, if done well, can mimic many of the best aspects of light rail. However, no work has yet been done to flesh out this concept and it’s not clear whether BRT along Erwin Road will make it into the final Transit Plan update or be anything more than a slight improvement over current bus service.

The Next Opportunity

The lack of a current vision for Erwin Road means that when opportunities arise, they are often missed. One such opportunity is occurring this fall when NCDOT will be repaving Erwin Road, something that last happened 15 years ago. Roads have to be restriped after they are paved, but they don’t have to be restriped the same way they were before. Durham has long taken advantage of this low-cost opportunity to repurpose excess space for private vehicles to create bike lanes, bus stops and better crosswalks. In fact, most of the existing bike lanes in Durham were created through repaving projects.

According to their own Complete Streets Guidelines, NCDOT is expected to consider improvements that will enhance the safety and access of those walking, biking, using transit, and driving:

They did not do so on Erwin Road and have not done so for any NCDOT-maintained road in Durham to our knowledge. NCDOT also moved the repaving of Erwin Road up a year, shortening the planning time for any restriping changes that could make the road safer, more accessible, and more inviting. The City of Durham and local transportation advocates recognized that an opportunity existed despite the short timeframe. Unfortunately, the City did not have staff capacity to do the necessary design work and public engagement in-house, so they hired a consultant. The scope of the contract focused mostly on potential transit improvements—a good start for sure—but did not include a more holistic set of potential improvements such as dedicated lanes for people biking.

To meet NCDOT’s requirements, the consultant had to determine whether these potential changes would cause traffic to be delayed at intersections in the year 2035. This nearly singular focus on intersection delay, often codified in a misleading concept called Level of Service, is problematic for a number of reasons. First, it assumes that other goals of a transportation system—safety, equity, health, sustainability, accessibility—are secondary to making sure people don’t have to hit the brake pedal for too long. Second, projecting future traffic delay relies on imprecise traffic models that will almost certainly be wrong. Just as no one would have predicted huge traffic decreases in 2020 due to a pandemic and shift to telework, no one knows what traffic will be like in 2035. Finally, these projections fail to take into account how many people will switch to walking, biking, and using transit when these modes of transportation become more enticing.

The initial ideas presented to NCDOT included bus lanes in both directions on Erwin Road or, if that was not feasible, a bus lane in either the eastbound or westbound direction.

Bus Only Lanes in New York City

Source: https://nacto.org/publication/transit-street-design-guide/transit-lanes-transitways/

All of these options were rejected by NCDOT because they do not believe there is enough spare capacity on Erwin Road to repurpose any lanes. In other words, NCDOT believes that the majority of road space on Erwin Road should continue to be for private vehicles and that even more road space would need to be created to accommodate other ways of moving around.

If Durham is going to get serious about addressing its transportation and sustainability goals, adding more asphalt is not the answer. We have to be more intentional about how we use the space that is already paved on our streets. On Erwin Road, that means carving out some of that space to make walking, biking, and using transit safer and more reliable.

As a reminder, these concerns about capacity are based on imprecise projections looking out thirteen years into the future. Remember also that this project only includes new pavement and new paint. If bus and/or bike lanes really create massive traffic jams, make the street less safe, or delay emergency vehicles in the future, they can quickly be converted back to general purpose lanes until a better solution can be found.

Unfortunately, the City and its consultants abandoned the idea of bus lanes and quickly shifted to looking at smaller improvements. These smaller improvements are still being developed but may include more and improved pedestrian crossings and queue jump lanes for buses. Queue jumps allow buses to use the right lane to move ahead of other traffic at certain intersections, which gives them a speed and reliability advantage over general traffic.

Source: https://nacto.org/publication/transit-street-design-guide/intersections/intersection-design/queue-jump-lanes/ 

A Vision for Erwin Road

While things like queue jump lanes would be welcome improvements, they fall far short of what Erwin Road needs to be. It is a big challenge for most people to envision what a street that’s existed in its current state for decades could potentially look like, so we asked for examples of great streets in front of major hospitals in North America. One of the best examples people sent us is Broadway in Seattle:

Source: Google Maps

Look at how much Seattle is able to accomplish in a much narrower space than Erwin Road! Two general purpose lanes w/streetcar tracks, a center turn lane, two-way cycle track, on-street parking, and wide sidewalks with street trees. This is a street that is safe and inviting for everyone who uses it, whether they are walking, riding in a wheelchair, biking, using transit, or driving.

Meanwhile, on Erwin Road…

Source: Google Maps

Despite being up to 60% wider than Broadway in Seattle, there is no protection for people biking, no priority for the thousands of people who use transit on Erwin Road every day, wide lanes that encourage speeding, and narrow sidewalks, oftentimes right up against that speeding traffic. A repaving will not create streetcar tracks or the curb between the cycle track and general travel lanes, but there is more than enough room for a shared bus/bike lane that can also be used by emergency vehicles if we decide to prioritize it. 

Shared bus/bike lanes have become increasingly popular in the United States. They are not a perfect solution because of continued conflicts between cyclists and buses and where possible, both cyclists and buses should have their own dedicated lanes. However, it eliminates conflicts with the things that are the biggest safety hazard to cyclists and cause for delay for buses, which is cars. Despite an initial rejection from NCDOT engineers, the City should continue to push for these lanes and present them to the public for their consideration. The good news is that there is already an example of a shared bus/bike lane in North Carolina in Charlotte, so Durham does not need to reinvent the wheel:

Source: https://charlottenc.gov/newsroom/cityhighlights/Pages/Bus_bike_lane_debuts_on_4th_Street.aspx

What’s Next

Even if we can get bus and/or bike lanes and improved pedestrian crossings during this repaving, that will not be the end of the story. Paint alone is not going to create a safe, accessible, and beautiful Erwin Road. The City, NCDOT, and key stakeholders along the corridor like Duke University, Duke Hospital, and the VA Hospital must commit to developing a long-term plan for the road and figure out how to fund its construction. But we can also do a lot now to make significant progress towards making Erwin a road Durham can be proud of.

Last year, Bike Durham called for a bold vision of Zero Carbon Emissions, Zero Deaths or Serious Injuries, and Zero Racial or Economic Disparity of Access as the major goals of a regional 2050 transportation plan, which was adopted by local elected officials. Now it’s time to make that vision a reality. You can support us by signing up for updates on the Erwin Road repaving project. Public engagement is scheduled to begin in July and time will be of the essence, so we will need your voices.

Click this button to receive updates on Erwin Road, including information about public meetings and ways to provide input online.

Bike Durham Comments on Draft Policies for the Comprehensive Plan

Durham is currently updating its Comprehensive Plan, which is a long range vision for how and where things can be built in Durham. The Planning Department is currently seeking public feedback on draft policies that will be included in the Comprehensive Plan update.

Bike Durham, with a huge assist from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC), sent the following responses regarding the transportation-related draft policies. The format below matches that of the survey.

Bike Durham encourages you to review the draft policies and submit your own comments on them. If any of the responses below speak to you, please feel free to include them as well.

1. Check all the policy areas you reviewed:

Transportation

2d. How well do the draft policies under “Transportation” meet the priorities and needs of those in your community?

Very well

3d. If you responded neutral, somewhat, or not well, how should the draft “Transportation” policies change to meet the needs and priorities of those in your community?

n/a

4d. How do the draft policies under "Transportation" address a problem you have seen or experienced? How might the draft "Transportation" policies impact your community if they were implemented?

Overall, the draft policies related to transportation promote a Durham that is equitable, safe, accessible, and sustainable. The key will be to work with the departments who implement the majority of these policies, both within the City and outside of it, to make sure these policies are being realized on the street. A few aspects to improve the transportation system in Durham, particularly for those cycling and using transit, could be strengthened. See the next two responses for details.

5d. How would you change the wording of the “Transportation” policies to make them more understandable? You can write the policy number if you have feedback on specific policies

Bike Durham supports the following wording suggestions, most of which were made by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC):

T.01  Add the following sentence: "Prioritize pedestrian-oriented design elements such as street trees and raised crosswalks."

T.02   Add the following sentence: “Allow more communities to share in growth and investment by improving non-automotive connections between the north and south sides of Durham Freeway."

T.03  Rephrase sentence to read “Improve ADA design and conditions at crosswalks, along sidewalks, store frontages, bus stops and other transportation corridors …”

T.07  Rephrase sentence to read “Reinvest, retrofit, and maintain areas and facilities which have current transportation needs or network gaps…”

T.08  Add sentence: “Improve service frequency, route expansion, timeliness, reliability, and other key performance indicators of the mass transit system to benefit existing users and facilitate increased ridership”.   

T.09  Rephrase last sentence to read "...increase investment in high-quality, frequent, and reliable transit that expands coverage and  serves mixed-use, high-density areas."

T.10  Add to the first sentence “with a focus on street design".   Add the following sentence: “Ensure that Vision Zero approach does not rely on over policing and does not obviate need for better infrastructure.”

T.11  Change “speeding traffic” to “unsafe speed”.   Add to the last sentence “...raised crosswalks, reduced curb radii, street trees”.

T.13  Rephrase first sentence to read "Implement and design streets using a complete streets approach that allow and encourage walking, riding transit…."

T.14  Rephrase first sentence to read "Provide great, high frequency regional connectivity to destinations in the Triangle." Consider better defining what types of regional destinations are most important to serve, such as major employment centers, medical centers, and universities. The current wording is very general and does not reflect that prioritization will need to be done based on the highest needs. The needs of low-wealth communities should come first.

T.16 Add sentence "Prioritize reduction of parking."

T.18  Rephrase to read "... limit investment in infrastructure that prioritizes single occupancy gas, electric or diesel cars."

T.20  Rephrase last sentence to read “...in formats that are accessible and legible to all people.  “

T.20  As a general comment, this should not be limited to transportation policies.

GI.23  Add sentence “Encourage medium density housing and commercial development, and minimize surface parking.”

N.03  Rephrase first sentence to read "Create neighborhood and site designs in new development that accommodate residents in all non-single occupancy vehicle modes of movement with different mobility needs."   

N.03  Add the following to the last sentence "...and other complete streets methods."

N.16  Add to the second sentence “...locating vehicle access and parking to the side or rear of lots and buildings; providing covered bus stops, and designing buildings …”

6d. What policies are missing in the “Transportation” topic that you would add?

Bike Durham supports the following additions, many of which were suggested by BPAC:

• Propose a new policy for bicycle networks similar to T.01 about sidewalk networks and pedestrian facilities. "Create and maintain a complete, safe, and accessible community-wide bicycle network where bike lanes, off-road paths, and other safe bicycle facilities provide access to daily needs such as work, school, and shopping. Ensure this network serves everyone in Durham, prioritizing communities with residents who do not have access to a car or have few transportation options, and areas with high numbers of bicycle crashes, injuries, and fatalities." In addition, language should be added about ensuring safe and convenient bicycle parking, whether in this policy or one about parking in general..

• Propose a new policy on government support. "Create, promote, and support programs supported by local government or other agencies that reduce financial barriers for residents to utilize non-motor-vehicle transportation modes. For example, subsidies or rebates to enable acquisition of bicycles, e-bikes, or other equipment; share programs; or other methods to lower the cost obstacles for people to use these modes.

• Propose a new policy focused on street design: “Ensure that streets are designed to prioritize the safety, mobility, and experience of pedestrians, cyclists, and transit-users. This includes designing streets for low speeds for single-occupancy automobiles, promoting pedestrian-focused design elements, and creating great cycling and transit facilities on our roadways. At a minimum, modifications and new streets should comply with the “Complete Streets" standards followed by NCDOT as well as NACTO standards.”

• Maximize opportunities to make streets safer and more accessible such as street resurfacings (note: this may be more of an action item rather than a policy statement).

• Propose a new policy that promotes reduction of parking and appropriate pricing for parking.

• Note: A policy should be added that aims to improve the quality of the transit system in Durham beyond maintaining fare-free service. If this is not included as additions to T.08, T.09 and T.14 as suggested in Question 5d, then it should be its own policy statement.

7. Is there anything else you want to share?

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.

Our In-Person Presentation to the DPS Board of Education

Last Thursday, February 10th, I had the privilege of presenting an update on our Safe Routes to School program to the members of the Durham Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education.  And we were able to be there in-person!  This was a great opportunity to tell the story of the outstanding reception that we’ve been getting to our work in the schools and to share our plans for deepening our impact in the future.

You can watch the video of the presentation here (it should be set to start at the 2:14:40 mark).  The presentation is 15 minutes long and remarks from the Board members are another 12 minutes.  You can also view the slides independently here.

We have been developing and delivering Safe Routes to School programming under contract with the City of Durham since March of 2021.  Our work is shaped in part through bi-weekly video calls with Dale McKeel of the City’s Transportation Department and Mathew Palmer, DPS’s Executive Director of School Planning, Design and Construction where we discuss our plans and get support and advice from Dale and Mathew.  This opportunity came about through discussion of our desire to deepen the relationship we have, not just with leaders at individual elementary schools, but with district-level leaders.  We are scheduled to make a similar presentation to the Durham City Council on March 24th. 

We are seeking additional Bicycle Safety Educators  

If you are interested in working with the Safe Routes to School team teaching bicycle safety skills to 4th or 5th grade students, please see the job description here.  

Black History Month Slide Deck for Elementary School Students

Stephen Mullaney of our Safe Routes to School Team, and a DPS outdoor learning specialist put together a slide deck for Black History month that highlights Black individuals on bikes from historic figures across the country to current day here in Durham.  This has been shared with all Durham elementary schools.  You can view it yourself here.

May 4th is Bike and Roll to School Day

Every May is Bike Month, and this year the national Bike and Roll to School Day is May 4th. Last October, more than 5,000 students at thirteen DPS elementary schools participated in Walk and Roll to School events. We want this May to be even bigger! We will be supporting administrators, teachers, and parents with planning activities for this May. More details to come. If you’d like to discuss ideas for your school now, please email us at saferoutes@bikedurham.org.

Photo from October 2021 Walk and Bike to School Day at Eastway Elementary

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

ACTION ALERT: Help support a new direction for transportation in the Triangle

We have a critical opportunity to move toward a safe, equitable, and sustainable system with a shift from road expansion to transit, sidewalks, and bikes

Last year, Bike Durham's advocacy successfully pushed the executive board of the regional transportation planning agency, Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro (DCHC) Metropolitan Planning Organization, to adopt necessary objectives for their 2050 plan, including Zero Deaths or Serious Injuries, Zero Racial Disparity of Access, and Zero Carbon Emissions.  

Now, at this point in the process, the DCHC MPO is seeking comments through December 7th on their Preferred Option for investments in their 2050 plan. In response to our advocacy when the draft alternatives were released, the DCHC MPO Executive Board directed the staff to draft a preferred option to show investments that will move us strongly toward the adopted objectives of Zero Deaths or Serious Injuries, Zero Disparity of Access, and Zero Carbon Emissions. While there is still a long way to go, the Preferred Option marks a departure from past planning by removing most road expansion projects and planning for massive investments in sidewalks, bicycle facilities, and transit. 

We are broadly supportive of Preferred Option and encourage you to send in comments to that effect. The staff and Executive Board are already getting some push back on the proposal to remove highway widening projects from the plan. We need to encourage the Executive Board of DCHC to move forward and adopt the Preferred Option. 

Please add your voice to our email campaign.

Our full comments on the Preferred Option are included below:

Bike Durham Comments on 2050 MTP Preferred Option

Bike Durham is supportive of the proposed 2050 MTP Preferred Option.  We appreciate the courageous action taken by the Executive Board to direct staff to develop a new preferred option that moves closer to the adopted objectives of Zero Deaths and Serious Injuries, Zero Disparity of Access, and Zero Carbon Emissions.  That was real leadership.

We also appreciate the extra effort put in by MPO staff and members of the Technical Committee to develop the new Preferred Option that we’re commenting on.  Making a change this significant mid-process without all the tools needed is not easy.

While we support this Preferred Option, the mix of proposed investments and removed projects does not reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled, and there are no evaluations of the impacts on safety, nor on racial disparity of access.  The plan should identify the need for new tools, strategies, and processes that must be developed in order to better design and evaluate programs or projects intended to address the objectives of Zero Deaths and Serious Injuries, Zero Disparity of Access, and Zero Carbon Emissions.  This will take additional staff time and likely procurement of consulting assistance.  

In addition, we have a number of specific comments in each plan section that we urge the Board and staff to incorporate in the final adopted plan so that we continue to accelerate our progress toward those objectives.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Section

1. We support the level of investment in infrastructure to keep people who are walking, biking, or rolling safe from traffic.  We also support the methodology of building up the costs from projects identified in municipal plans as opposed to the past practice of just assigning “leftover” revenue to these projects.

2. We ask that the adopted plan include a listing and map of the projects programmed to be delivered in the first 10-year period.  We believe that the benefits of transparency and accountability outweigh the potential staff time required if there are project changes that would require updates to the MTP.  Seeing the prioritized projects would also engage the public in the MPO’s planning and build trust that the priorities are aligned with the objective to eliminate racial disparity of access.

3. The MPO Policy described in this section should be revised to call for incorporation of protected bike lanes with concrete separators on any streets with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour or faster.  

4. The MPO Policy should also be extended to cover resurfacings of municipal- and state-maintained streets, where feasible.

5. We also urge the adoption of any other policies to ensure that all funded projects in DCHC area get the full benefits of the NCDOT Complete Streets Policy.  This would include establishing a priority of safety for all users, including those walking or biking, over traffic delays when there is a conflict.  Further, that street design changes intended to improve safety for drivers must not increase the risks to people walking or biking.

6. The financial plan information in this section includes an assumed unit cost for protected bike lanes equivalent to $6.34 million per mile.  A Protected Bike Lane Design Guide published by the Portland Bureau of Transportation in May 2021 (available at this link - https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/36167) assumes a cost of $1.1 million per mile for concrete island-separated bike lanes on two-way roads.  This figure is “fully loaded,” including a 2.5 multiplier over construction costs to account for design, project management, etc.  Even if this estimate is doubled, the staff estimate is nearly three times as high.  We urge the final document to show a per unit cost for protected bike lanes that is more in-line with actual experience around the country.

7. Finally, we urge inclusion of a line item for “quick-build” protected lanes that could be installed on an interim basis on streets where there are missing sidewalks or a protected bike lane is needed due to traffic speeds above 35 miles per hour.  “Quick-build” projects would be installed with striping changes and vertical delineators (posts, planters, or parking protection), rather than more permanent concrete curbs.

Public Transit Section

1. We support the higher level of investment afforded by a full penny sales tax (½-cent more than current) suggested by the Executive Board at their November meeting.  The addition of these revenues should enable the inclusion of specific services and projects that are not in the current, outdated transit plans, but have not yet been adopted in the new plans.

2. While we understand that, for the sake of clarity, it does not make sense to show all transit lines, we urge the final plan to include mapping of the proposed frequent transit network (services running every 15-minutes or better all day long), in addition to fixed guideway projects.  We also suggest that assumptions be explained about the changes in level of investment in local bus service, regional bus service, BRT service, and rail service.  A form of this data is shown by agency in the Measurement of Effectiveness section.  We suggest it be explained here so that there is no confusion about what type of services will see changes in investment.

3. We recommend inclusion of a transit capital investment and high-level of service in the US 70 corridor connecting Durham and Raleigh.  We support the highway modernization or boulevard project on US 70, in lieu of a freeway, but it should be supported with additional high-quality transit capacity in the corridor, as is proposed for the US 15-501 corridor and the NC-147 corridor.

4. We recommend inclusion of multi-modal hubs where parking may be located.  These would be facilities where transit lines, micro-mobility, and other community resources would be co-located (some with parking for park-and-ride).  These have been identified in various locations in past studies, and should be included in the adopted plan.

5. We urge the inclusion of a statement that the MPO will support and encourage all transit agencies to transition to all electric fleets by 2030.  This statement should call for development of an MPO strategy for accomplishing this.  

Highways Section

1. We support the replacement of widening projects with modernization projects, and the acknowledgement that this will require working with partners across the state and at the North Carolina Department of Transportation to more fairly score projects based on how well they will function for all users.  We also support the removal of the managed lane projects on I-40 and NC-147.  We encourage the DCHC MPO and CAMPO to initiate study of congestion pricing on the existing lanes I-40 and NC-147 in order to cost-effectively manage traffic demand.

2. We support the proposals to convert US 15-501 and NC-147 segments to boulevards 

3. We support the proposal to modernize the segments of US-70 rather than converting them to freeway sections.  The proposed freeway conversion would have required bulldozing as many as 60 homes and businesses.  We can make this corridor work for all users and look forward to a new study with that as the goal.

4. Moderniziation projects should be added for streets in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods (e.g., Dearborn Drive, Cheek Road, S. Alston Avenue south of Cecil Street, Junction Road).

5. We do not support the inclusion of the widening of I-85 west of the Durham County/Orange County line. Adding highway capacity induces additional vehicle travel and this will affect volume on Durham streets connected to I-85. We oppose the addition of all four projects in Orange County where it is indicated that they were added to the Vision Plan by Orange County staff AFTER directed by the Executive Board to bring forward a Preferred Option that moved us to lower vehicle miles traveled. Rather than modernizations of the three arterial segments that add sidewalks and protected bicycle lanes, staff inserted new road widenings. We urge the replacement of the three widenings on NC 86 and South Churton Street with modernization projects and the removal of the I-85 widening.

6. Finally, this section should be renamed the Streets and Highways Section.  Both are addressed in this section.

Measures of Effectiveness Section

1. This section reveals that much more needs to be done to develop transit, walking, and biking infrastructure so that per capita vehicle miles traveled will fall.

2. This section is lacking any safety analysis.  We’re left to make conclusions based on average speeds.

3. This section is lacking any analysis of differences in access to jobs or other destinations between drivers and transit users.  There is also no analysis of differences in access to jobs or other destinations between areas that are predominantly occupied by minority residents and those predominantly occupied by white residents.

4. Differences in work trip distance, mode usage should be analyzed by race and income.

5. The tables on pages four through six are difficult to understand for some items because units of measure are not labeled, and abbreviations are used for some descriptors.   

Financial Plan Section

1. The narrative of the Roadways and Alternative Transportation Revenues should make clear that current law prohibits spending of State revenues and also flexing federal highway revenues to stand-alone projects providing safe infrastructure for people walking or biking.  The assumption that this prohibition wil be lifted should be clearly stated.

2. The local/private funding of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure should reflect the City of Durham’s recent increase in their CIP funding for projects of this type.

3. The assumptions of growth rates in the transit sales tax should be stated. 

4. The differences in the level of detail between the roadway section and the public transportation section communicates that either less work has been done to understand the public transportation costs and revenues, or there is no desire to share the information.

5. Neither table seems to reflect the federal infrastructure bill that has been signed into law.  While we understand that is a recent occurrence, it seems that it should be reflected in some way.  

6. The public transportation table should reflect other federal formula funds received as revenues, other federal discretionary grant assumptions, and state revenue assumptions.  The abbreviation CIG should be explained.

Bike Durham joins leaders from Bragtown and Merrick-Moore in calling for prioritizing bus service and bus stop improvements

On Thursday, November 18, 2021, the Durham Herald-Sun and News & Observer ran an op-ed co-written by Vannessa Mason Evans, chair of the Bragtown Community Association, Bonita Green, president of the Merrick-Moore Community Development Corporation, Stella Adams, CEO of S J Adams Consulting, a civil rights research and consulting firm in Durham, and Erik Landfried, Bike Durham board member. The op-ed calls on the officials that must approve an update to the Durham Transit Plan to listen to current transit riders and Black and Brown Durhamites and prioritize bus service and bus stop improvements.   

Bike Durham believes that racial equity must be at the heart of all transportation decision making in Durham. Most of the transportation investments over the past 100 years have benefited wealthier, white Durhamites at the expense of Black and brown communities. The best way to make our transportation outcomes more equitable is to listen to the communities who have suffered these harms and directly address their needs.

The final draft recommendations for the Durham Transit Plan are expected this winter.  We will all be given another opportunity to comment on the recommendations, but clear preferences have been expressed by current riders and residents of Black and brown neighborhoods in the Summer’s engagement around the transit plan options. Those preferences include more frequent bus service to more places in Durham and the region and benches and shelters at bus stops, but do not include a proposed commuter rail project to Raleigh.

Slide from presentation on Phase II outreach results by Durham Transit Team staff

We are urging the Durham County Commissioners, DCHC MPO Board members, and the GoTriangle Board of Trustees to listen to the voices of current transit riders and Black and brown residents as we move forward building a better transit system.

The op-ed is included below in its entirety:

Triangle infrastructure: For equity, put buses ahead of commuter rail in Durham

BY BONITA GREEN AND VANNESSA MASON EVANS

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Civil rights consultant Stella Adams and Bike Durham board member Erik Landfried also signed on to this op-ed.

Residents of Braggtown and Merrick Moore, two historically Black communities northeast of downtown Durham, have requested many transportation improvements over the years, including sidewalks along major roads, bus shelters and more frequent bus service.

With the demise of the Durham-Orange light-rail project, half a billion dollars are available in the 2040 Durham Transit Plan. Any transit plan adopted must include 15-minute bus service via Route 9 in the heart of the Braggtown neighborhood and both bus service and sidewalks in the Merrick Moore neighborhood and in other communities of color throughout Durham.

Durham has a transportation system created through a history of decisions that have led to inequitable outcomes along racial lines. Nowhere is this more apparent than in our transit system.

Durham transit riders, most of whom are non-white and make less than $15,000 per year, face a daily gauntlet of streets with no sidewalks, bus stops with no shelters, and bus service that does not come frequently enough. It also takes a long time to get to their destination. And many parts of the county still lack bus service, despite rapid growth.

Before considering new large-scale projects, we must fix the broken infrastructure that exists in our under-served communities.

No one should have to walk in the street to get to a bus stop in a ditch. The good news is that there are many projects proposed that address these deficiencies and will make bus service more reliable, more frequent, and more abundant, which will increase economic and social opportunities for all Durhamites.

The most expensive project under consideration in the Durham Transit Plan is a commuter rail line between Durham and Wake counties. While the project would provide an alternative to driving, it would mostly do so during “peak” commute times, only running every 30 minutes during those times and every two hours in the middle of the day and at night. There is no weekend service proposed. Those service levels provide little utility for those with non-traditional work schedules.

Commuter rail is not a high priority for people of color in Durham. One of the survey questions for the Durham Transit Plan was “If passenger train is included, what else do we need to fund?” The number one response from people of color was “All of these transit improvements are more important than a passenger train.”

That same survey also confirmed what transit improvements people of color and daily transit riders prioritize: more hours of frequent and reliable bus service to more parts of Durham and the Triangle and better bus stops.

Commuter rail is not the most equitable use of resources. Setting aside local funding for commuter rail would delay new bus service and infrastructure by up to 10 years. According to data from GoTriangle, only 42% of the projected riders of the commuter rail would come from zero or one-car households. 91% of current GoDurham riders live in zero or one-car households.

To achieve equitable outcomes, the Durham County commissioners, Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization board, and the GoTriangle board must listen to the needs of current transit riders and communities of color and make sure projects are prioritized in the Durham Transit Plan that support those needs. Our communities have made it clear that we must improve our local and regional bus systems. These improvements cannot be delayed to provide local funding for commuter rail.

We have the opportunity in Durham to make transportation decisions that will lead to equitable outcomes. This is the time to seize it.

Will the Durham Transit Plan Prioritize Improvements for Current Riders?

Durham County, the regional transportation planning organization (DCHC MPO), and GoTriangle released three options for how to invest one billion dollars in transit tax revenues over the next twenty years. All options contained some common projects and service improvements using half the money. They differed in how to spend the remaining one-half billion dollars. One option prioritized improvements in local service and sidewalks, while including additional regional bus service. A second option prioritized investments in regional Bus Rapid Transit to Raleigh and to Chapel Hill. The third option prioritized investment in commuter rail to Raleigh. Both the Bus Rapid Transit option and the Commuter Rail option included local bus service and sidewalk improvements but there are fewer of them and they occur up to 7 to 10 years later. During the period when the Durham Transit Team was collecting public input, the Transit Equity Campaign was talking to riders about their priorities.

Erik Landfried, Bike Durham board member and manager of the Transit Equity Campaign, wrote a letter on September 9 to the staff and elected officials working on the plan to share what we heard from riders and to make recommendations for evaluating the options and developing a better final plan. The content of the letter is below:

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The Transit Equity Campaign is a partnership between Bike Durham, the Coalition for Affordable Housing and Transit, Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, Durham Congregations in Action, and People’s Alliance. The goal of the Transit Equity Campaign is to hold the public agencies in charge of updating the Durham Transit Plan accountable to make sure the needs of current transit riders, transit workers and low-wealth BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities are the first priorities in the Transit Plan.

The Campaign appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on the Durham Transit Plan update. We are encouraged to hear that over half of the comments received on the latest round of engagement came through the Engagement Ambassadors and in-person events at Durham Station and other locations. However, engagement is only the starting point. The Campaign will be watching closely to see how the final plan addresses the needs brought up by riders, transit workers, and communities of color.

When asking people to sign onto the Transit Equity Campaign, volunteers asked a single question in addition to contact information: “What’s the most important improvement to make to the transit system?” We have summarized the responses below:

Infographic summarizing priorities from riders

Many of the service and infrastructure needs should be familiar at this point - frequent, reliable service to more destinations supported by safe access to comfortable and accessible stops. These needs are addressed to varying degrees and timeframes by the three transit options that were presented to the public.

However, one-third of the responses to the question we asked were largely unrelated to service or infrastructure. Instead, they focused on driver courtesy and training, safety, cleanliness and comfort of the buses, and maintaining fare-free service. When asked how the Transit Plan would address these types of needs, the response we received from staff was:

We have communicated to GoDurham and GoTriangle the results of our stakeholder interviews and responses like this from both the Youth and Senior listening sessions.

Simply communicating these needs to the transit agencies without providing funds to address them is insufficient. If these needs supersede the need for better service or bus stops for many people in Durham, they need to be addressed with investments from the Durham Transit Plan.

The Transit Equity Campaign also has the following recommendations to better communicate the vision and projects in the final plan that is being developed:

• Be explicit about when people can expect improvements and show these improvements at a community level. The difference in implementation timelines was one of the most important tradeoffs between each of the three transit scenarios shown to the public, but this was not clearly communicated. Showing this information system-wide is important, but individual communities need to understand what improvements will directly impact their own community and when those improvements will occur. This will require more granularity to break the improvements down by geographical area, but will lead to better engagement with riders and low-wealth communities of color.

• Improve transparency by including ALL of the projects in the Durham Transit Plan public materials and the rationale for how those projects were chosen. There were assumed projects in each of the three transit options that were not shown to the public. This is unacceptable. These projects included service improvements such as increased frequency on crowded 15-minute bus routes and infrastructure improvements such as a new Bus Maintenance Facility. One of the core tenets of the Plan is transparency. Not including certain projects in the public materials does not meet that goal, especially ones that warrant public feedback. It is also important to communicate the rationale for why certain projects were or were not chosen. For example, the Braggtown Community Association is advocating for improved frequency on Route 9, which serves the heart of their neighborhood. No frequency improvements were shown for Route 9 in any of the three transit options and no rationale was provided for why other frequency improvements were prioritized above Route 9.

• Include a prioritization of projects that may require additional revenue. There are clearly more transit needs in Durham than what can be funded given the current revenue assumptions in the Durham Transit Plan. It is important to present a realistic set of projects and the Campaign supports conservative revenue forecasts. However, it is also important to continue to pursue additional funding and have a prioritized list of the projects that would be next in line so that there is not a delay between receipt of these funds and implementation.

• Measure equitable access to jobs in a more meaningful way. The Transit Equity Campaign was excited that staff followed through on our request to include measures for how job access would improve under the three transit options presented to the public. However, staff ran these measures without including any wait time and ran the analysis at 5pm on a weekday. This represents an unrealistic, best-case scenario and renders the frequency of each service moot. The results were also difficult to interpret:

The Transit Equity Campaign requests that transit staff measure access to jobs from multiple communities of color (not just Durham Housing Authority locations) using average wait time, which better reflects most riders’ experience using public transit. In addition, we recommend using the “Jane” tool to better display the access to employment improvements. Here is a before/after example using Jane:

Map of Transit Access from Oxford Manor with Existing Bus System

Transit Access from Oxford Manor with Existing Bus System

Map of Transit Access from Oxford Manor After Service Improvements

These maps are easier to understand and not only show the increase in job access, but also where people in select communities can get to by walking and using transit in increments of 15 minutes. In this example (which is not from any of the transit plan options), people living at Oxford Manor can see that not only has job access within a 30 minute commute - the medium blue color - increased significantly (from ~4,000 to ~19,000 jobs), but that these increases happen mostly along Roxboro Road, Horton Road, and downtown Durham.