Vision Zero Chapel Hill

Come learn about current and upcoming Town of Chapel Hill Transportation and Mobility projects.

When: Thursday, September 11 from 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Where: Chapel Hill Public Library, Room A

We’ll share information about these current and upcoming projects:

• N. Estes Dr. resurfacing & bike lanes (Caswell Rd. to E. Franklin St.)
• Pinehurst Dr. resurfacing & bike lanes (Burning Tree Dr. to Ephesus Church Rd.)
• Ephesus Church Rd. sidewalks
• Fordham sidepath
• Vision Zero
• Safe Routes to School
• Everywhere to Everywhere Greenways Feasibility Study

Tune in on YouTube for the Premier of Safety Science 101, a powerful new short film co-produced by Families for Safe Streets (FSS) and Jessie Singer.

📅 Date: Monday, August 18, 2025
🕖 Time: 7 PM ET (4 pm PT/ 5 pm MT/6 pm CT)
▶️ Watch & Comment Live on Youtube

Why Watch Live?
This film challenges the myth that traffic violence is just about bad drivers and shows how the Safe System Approach can save lives. By joining the live premiere, you can:

• Watch alongside FSS members, survivors, and advocates from across the country
• Comment and share your reactions in real time
• Help kick off the FSS national Safety Science campaign leading into World Day of Remembrance

This is more than a film—it’s a tool for change. By watching and sharing, you’re helping build a national conversation that holds systems, not just individuals, accountable.

Next time you travel on S. Elliott Road you’ll notice new modular medians designed to slow cars down. Our Public Works staff placed the medians at a curve in the road just west of Fordham Boulevard. These medians help calm traffic by requiring drivers to slow down to stay in their lane as the road curves.

A new crosswalk is under construction on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Taylor Street and Critz Drive. This crossing is similar to others along the road – it’ll have flashing lights to alert drivers and a pedestrian island where people can stop to make sure the road is clear. We’re also adding a sidewalk on the east side of the road, filling an existing gap for people who are walking along the road.

The NC Department of Transportation tested multiple locations for this crosswalk and ultimately settled on this as the best choice for overall function and safety of everyone using the road. This project has been a priority due to serious crashes involving people crossing the road in this area.

The design of protected bicycle infrastructure on West Cameron Avenue is underway and we have some initial plans that we want to share with the community and hear your feedback on! This webpage is the place to go for all project information. Please explore the designs and other materials that have been posted and take our survey to let us know what you think.

Community and stakeholder feedback is one of several factors that go into the decision about how to design this project – or any of the Town's projects. We also consider user experience, NCDOT requirements, accessibility, design standards, environmental impacts, cost, safety, utilities, construction and maintenance considerations, and overall network connectivity.

We've got lots of great events and ways to get involved planned over the next few weeks. We expect community engagement will happen through April 25th. We look forward to hearing from you!

Since launching our "Near Hit" map, we received over 700 submissions! Thanks to everyone who contributed. The areas with the largest number of pins highlighted some key areas of concern.

• Intersections
  • Ephesus Church Rd & Colony Woods Dr
  • Seawell School Rd & Ironwoods Dr
  • Fordham Blvd & Eastgate Crossing
  • Fordham Blvd & Willow Dr.
• Road Segments
  • Ephesus Church Rd
  • Estes Dr (Seawell School Rd to Carrboro limit)
  • 15-501 (Southern Community Park to Chapel Hill jurisdictional limit)
  • MLK Jr Blvd (near Taylor St & Critz Dr)
• Other Areas
  • Morgan Creek.

Some of these key areas of concerns already have projects underway, such as an NCDOT crosswalk project on MLK Jr Blvd at Critz Dr, Seawell School Rd at Ironwoods Dr. crosswalk gateway, and the Estes Drive Extension Project.

Our Walk Audit on 2/27/25 will focus on Willow Drive at Fordham Blvd and Estes Drive.

Priority Quick-Build Projects: What’s Happening Around Town?

You may have seen one of our recent quick-build projects along a road that you frequently travel. Over the past two years, the Town has installed white bollard posts to support our Vision Zero goals to eliminate traffic crashes and deaths on our roads. Town staff has prioritized Town transportation resources and research for high-traffic areas such as Franklin Street, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Rosemary Street, Weaver Dairy Road, Estes Drive, and Country Club Road. While you may have seen various quick-build projects in neighborhoods, quick-build projects are prioritized for major streets. Since 2020 there have been 6 deaths and 14 serious injuries attributed to traffic crashes on these roads.

Here’s an overview of our priority projects:

What are bollards for?

• Bollards are flexible posts that are used to narrow the drivers' field of vision to encourage slower driving speeds. They also provide a visual barrier that allows for a more defined bike and pedestrian safeguard area.
• When driving slower, your reaction time increases, making roads safer for all.

What are the current projects and what’s next?

Franklin Street

• Lane study from Eastgate to downtown – the purpose is to slow traffic and create more space for other modes of travel
• Redesign of Franklin Street-- downtown from Merritt Mill Road to Henderson Street (includes a safer type of bikeway)

Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard

• Coordination of traffic signal timing between I-40 and downtown
• Installation of flex post bollards at all mid-block crosswalks—facilitates safer driver and biker interactions
• Installation of new mid-block crosswalk at Central Park Lane—serves nearby residents who cross MLK to and from nearby bus stops

Rosemary Street

• Installation of flex post bollards at existing crosswalks--encourages motorists to yield to pedestrians
• Restoration of clear space for cyclists in marked bike lanes by using flex post bollards-- prevents cars from parking in the bike lane

Weaver Dairy Extension

• Installation of flex post bollards---reduces motorist speed at marked crosswalks used by youth walking to and from school bus stops
• This spring – when there’s no more chance of snow – we’ll reinstall flex post bollards area and may install a different bollard configuration in 2025.

Over the past two years, the Town has installed white bollard flex posts to support our Vision Zero goals to eliminate traffic crashes and deaths on our roads. While neighborhood streets are important, Town staff has prioritized Town transportation resources and research for high-traffic areas such as Franklin Street, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Rosemary Street, Weaver Dairy Road, Estes Drive, and Country Club Road.

Below, you will find commonly asked questions and updates on three of our neighborhood projects throughout the town:

What are bollards for?

• Bollards are flexible posts that are used to narrow the drivers' field of vision to encourage slower driving speeds. They also provide a visual barrier that allows for a more defined bike and pedestrian safeguard area.
• When driving slower, your reaction time increases, making roads safer for all.

Why are we using bollards?

• Bollards are a quick, cost-effective tool that encourages slower speeds in communities.

What are the current projects and what's next?

Honeysuckle Road at Red Bud Lane

• Town staff installed bollards (flexible posts) along the sides of a portion of Honeysuckle Road near Red Bud Lane in 2024 to address speeding drivers.
• During the recent snow, these bollards were damaged during plowing.
• This spring we’ll install new paint markings on both sides of Honeysuckle Road and install a few flexible bollards at the existing crosswalk near Booker Creek Road.

N. Roberson Street at Hargraves Community Center

• Town staff installed bollards (flexible posts) on N. Roberson Street in 2023 to address speeding drivers.
• In 2025, staff determined that the quick-build installation did not achieve the desired traffic calming results and will remove the bollards in the coming months.
• Staff will reassess the area and may install a different bollard configuration in 2025.

Brookview Drive

• Town staff installed bollards (flexible posts) along a portion of Brookview Drive in 2024 to address speeding drivers.
• During the recent snow, these bollards were damaged during plowing.
• Staff determined that the quick-build installation did not achieve the desired traffic calming results.
• Staff will reassess the area and may install a different bollard configuration in 2025.

Town staff installed crosswalk gateways using flexible posts this week on West Rosemary Street from Mitchell Lane to Pritchard Avenue to address speeding drivers and issues with drivers not yielding to people trying to walk in the crosswalk.

What are crosswalk gateways for?

• Crosswalk gateways use flexible posts or similar infrastructure to narrow the drivers' field of vision to encourage slower driving speeds. They work especially well when grouped along multiple blocks rather than placed at a single crosswalk.
• When driving slower, your reaction time increases, making it easier to notice people crossing the street and yielding to them.

What's next?

• Staff will measure vehicle speeds and the rate of drivers that yield for people walking to determine whether the crosswalk gateways address these issues.