Branches in your way? Time to contact Durham One Call! (Instructions below)
We at Bike Durham hope your summer is off to a great start, despite the heat! Later this week, the Safe Streets team will present our traffic-calming recommendations to representatives from the Old West Durham and Watts Hillandale neighborhood associations. The lead transportation engineer from the City of Durham will also be present, to advise us on the feasibility and timing of implementing our proposed solutions. We are hopeful! These preliminary recommendations focus on reducing dangerous driving and increasing pedestrian visibility, especially along 9th St. and Hillsborough Road, and near E.K. Powe Elementary and Westover and Oval Parks. Solutions are not limited to these areas, as they do reflect what we’ve heard from the community as a whole. We are grateful for your participation in our study!
We are excited to share our proposal and receive your feedback at an upcoming community meeting. We are waiting for a few details to come together before we can schedule this meeting, but plan to hold it in the next 10 days so we can complete this portion of our work before our deadline. Will you take this quick survey to help us choose a time that works for most? We appreciate your input and hope that many will take the time to attend this 90 minute meeting. A City transportation engineer will be available to answer your questions, so if you’re wondering what improvements might be possible on your street, here’s your chance to find out!
It’s a good time to advocate for safety and to look out for each other. Unfortunately, a young child was recently hit by a car (but is miraculously OK) on W. Woodrow Street. According to the family, the child was excitedly riding her bike from her driveway into the street and was hit by a car cutting through the neighborhood to avoid the traffic light at Club and Hillandale. A similar incident just happened in Trinity Park the other day- luckily, this child was also OK, but the potential for serious injury is alarming. Vision Zero for Youth is an excellent organization dedicated to eliminating traffic-related deaths- please check out their website for resources and ways to get involved.
We want to again encourage you to take advantage of Durham One Call to document safety hazards that can be addressed by the city. These may include:
Damaged/removed/obstructed traffic signage (i.e. vegetation overgrowth, worn-out signs)
Damaged pavement or sidewalk (i.e. potholes, tree roots shifting/cracking sidewalk slabs)
Worn paint markings (i.e. crosswalk, school zone, bike lane)
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)
You can do this on the Durham One Call website, by phone at 919.560.1200, or on the Durham One Call app. 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. The app allows you to see existing service requests in our area and is very user-friendly.
Again, please stay tuned for details on our upcoming community meeting and drive, ride, and walk safely!
The Safe Streets Team