9th and "Safe"way - A crosswalk that begs for higher visibility
A big thanks to all who have contributed to our study thus far. Our community meetings have been a valuable time of hearing and recording your concerns. The walk audits informed our study as participants put their "eyes on the street," a term coined by author and activist Jane Jacobs in The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Your survey responses and emails provided specific examples of areas that need attention. We have a lot to chew on!
At this point, our team has finished the data collection phase. We're now synthesizing our notes and plan to discuss our findings at a community meeting in early June (date TBD). In the meantime, you can already start directing the City of Durham's attention to local safety concerns by taking advantage of Durham One Call. You can do this on the web site, by phone at 919.560.1200, or on the Durham One Call app.
We are very fortunate to have local parks and businesses within walking and rolling distance of our homes. Sharing our sidewalk-level perspective through Durham One Call will help locate traffic safety concerns, get them addressed in a timely manner, and ultimately lead to a safer and more predictable environment. For example, our recent walk audits identified many cases of visibility issues caused by vegetation overgrowth, including some that contributed to the recent pedestrian injury at the traffic circle on Maryland. If you happen to find the following traffic-related issues, please place a Durham One Call service request.
Damaged/removed/obstructed traffic signage (vegetation overgrowth, hit-and-run etc.)
Damaged pavement or sidewalk (i.e. potholes, tree roots shifting/cracking sidewalk slabs)
Worn paint markings (i.e. crosswalk, school zone, bike lane, etc.)
Street cleaning and litter removal (i.e. broken glass or trash left in the right of way)
Abandoned vehicles (including vehicles parked partially in the driveway and illegally obstructing the sidewalk)
If submitting the request online or through the app, include a photo of the issue, the location, and describe how community safety is being negatively impacted. These three bits of context will help the City quickly identify and prioritize the ticket upon review.
Thanks for your help in making our neighborhood safer! We look forward to sharing our findings soon.