Vision Zero Chapel Hill

The Vision Zero team invites you to join our walk audit on Wednesday May 7th from 2:00 PM-3:30 PM. The audit will be just over a mile running along S Elliot Rd, from the Whole Foods in Village Plaza to Ephesus Church Road., with the central meeting point being at the corner of S Elliot and Alexan Ct around 81 S Elliott Rd. A walk audit allows us to assess the conditions of the street, identify safety concerns, and develop potential improvement in this area. I will be sending out a corresponding calendar invite for this event for those interested in attending. If you would like to send this invite out to your neighbors and community members, please use this link! Thank you very much and we hope to see you there!

Who: Anyone interested in Vision Zero, pedestrian safety, and safer streets

What: S Elliot Road Walk Audit (from the Whole Foods in Village Plaza to Ephesus Church Road.)

When: Wednesday, May 7, 2025, 2:00 PM-3:30 PM.

Where: 81 S Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Why: We will assess current conditions, identify safety concerns, and develop potential improvements in this area.

Event Link: Vision Zero Chapel Hill | Engage Chapel Hill

Getting there:

• If you plan to drive:
• 81 S Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, Village Plaza Parking Lot
• Closest bus stop:
• Elliott Road at Whole Foods Market (Bus D)
• Elliot Road at First Citizens Bank (Bus D)

What to expect:

• If you have never done one, the purpose of a walk audit is to gather on-the-ground knowledge of safety concerns cyclists and pedestrians face so that we can find potential improvements.
• We will have safety vests, worksheets, clipboards, and pens for all participants.
• We expect the total distance covered will about one mile of total walking (see map attached).

Please take a virtual walk in Google Street view prior to meeting.

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.