Vision Zero Chapel Hill

Please join us for an Open House to review the Safe Routes to School and Vision Zero Draft Action Plans!

Tuesday, March 25^th

Chapel Hill Public Library, Room B

4- 7pm.

We will have snacks, and family friendly activities.

Of course, we will have lots of information on what we have been learning as we’ve been hearing from people and collecting data in Chapel Hill.

You can also learn more about the Downtown Public Space Pilot project, in which the Town is experimenting with ideas for the space using low-cost, temporary materials.

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.

The Vision Zero team invites you to join our walk audit on Thursday February 27th from 2:00 PM-3:30 PM. The audit will be just under a mile beginning at the S. Estes-Fordham intersection next to Circle K:

Intersections along the route were identified for safety concerns for pedestrians crossing at the Willow and S. Estes crosswalks.

A walk audit allows us to assess the conditions of the street, identify safety concerns, and develop potential improvement in this area. If you would like to send this email out to your neighbors and community members, please use this link!

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.

Everywhere to Everywhere Greenways Projects Kicking Off Soon

Join Town staff and our project consultant for an open house at Chapel Hill Library to learn about the Bolin Creek Greenway Extension and Estes Drive Ext. bike-ped projects. We invite you to ask questions, share your opinions on different designs, and review maps, renderings, and technical details about the options. Here are more event details:

• January 23, 2025, 6 - 8 p.m.
• Chapel Hill Public Library, Meeting Room B
• Visit the Bolin Creek Greenway Ext. project page
• Visit the Estes Drive Ext. project page

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.

The DCHC MPO is creating a Safe Streets for All Action Plan that aims to make public transportation, walking, biking, and driving safer in the DCHC MPO area. The plan will show the types of crashes that happen, how serious they are, where they occur, identify where safety and security are lacking in the area, and will help develop new ideas and campaigns to improve transportation safety in the region.

There is still time to share your thoughts about safety with us -- the survey is open until January 31, 2025.

The Vision Zero team invites you to join our walk audit on Thursday December 12^th from 10:00 AM-11:30 AM. The audit will be just under half a mile running along E Franklin Street from N. Estes Drive up to Elizabeth Street. E. Franklin Street was identified for bike and pedestrian safety concerns and a recent speed analysis done on this section of E. Franklin found that approximately 76% of drivers travel over the posted speed limit of 35mph.

A walk audit allows us to assess the conditions of the street, identify safety concerns, and develop potential safety improvements in this area.

When: Thursday, December 12, 2024, 10:00 AM-11:30 AM.

Where: (intersection of N. Estes Drive and East Franklin Street) 1501 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC 27514