Safe & Healthy Streets

A network of connected sidewalks, slow streets, protected bike lanes, and trails—known as a “low-stress network” (LSN)—is essential to enable people to travel safely from Point A to Point B whether walking, biking, or rolling. The creation of such a system is a focal point of our advocacy.

Street Repaving Projects

Erwin Road

NCDOT has completed the repaving and is completing the restriping of Erwin Road. The City of Durham is still completing additional work on the buffered bike lanes, including adding vertical flex posts. Pending weather, the work should be complete by the end of the calendar year. While this work was done on a compressed timetable with no Complete Streets analysis and little public review, and while we did not get all that everyone walking, biking, and using transit deserve on this street, we are pleased with some important improvements that the City was able to get approved by NCDOT. We continue to work with local activists, engaging the various stakeholders in the hopes that the City will adopt a vision for the street that’s better for all users.

These instructions will benefit both bicyclists and motorists. Please take a few minutes to learn your responsibilities as a bicyclist and as a motorist - let’s keep everyone safe on our streets.

Neighborhood Engagement

Southside Neighborhood (2022-2023)

In Fall 2022, Bike Durham was invited by the Southside Neighborhood Association to work with them on a strategy to address speeding traffic at the intersection of Enterprise and South Streets. Traffic Calming is seen by the residents as a strategy to address both traffic safety and gun violence through drive-by shootings. Because the City will be repaving all the streets in the neighborhood this year, we are working with residents to develop traffic calming recommendations on every street. We are able to do this important work thanks to a grant from the Duke Doing Good program.

Old West Durham / Watts Hospital-Hillandale Neighborhoods (2022)

During Spring 2022, Bike Durham worked with residents of these two neighborhoods to develop a plan to improve the safety of people walking, biking, and rolling by calming traffic speeds and improving infrastructure. We were able to do this important work thanks to a grant from the Duke Doing Good program.

Burch Avenue Neighborhood (2021)

In Summer 2021, Bike Durham and the Burch Avenue Neighborhood Association partnered with the City’s Transportation Department to develop and implement a traffic calming plan for the neighborhood. You can read a full description of the project at this link. We were able to do this important work in the Burch Avenue neighborhood thanks to a grant from the Duke Doing Good program.

Protected Lane Projects

North Miami Boulevard

Bike Durham is working with the City of Durham to add protective posts to new walk/bike/roll lanes along North Miami Boulevard between Raynor Street and East Geer Street in conjunction with the City’s re-striping of the street in Spring 2023. You can learn more about the project at the City’s project webpage.

This project is possible thanks to a mini-grant Bike Durham received from the American Heart Association and Blue Cross Blue Shield NC.