walking

Carrboro Transit Mode Share Now 16.7%(!)

The U.S. Census Bureau released updated American Community Survey Data a few days ago, and there's some very noteworthy news out of Carrboro in the latest figures: Carrboro's transit commute mode share is now at 16.7%, the highest in all of North Carolina. Chapel Hill's transit mode share is 10.6%, as Carrboro Alderman Damon Seils helpfully pointed out on Twitter yesterday (see the Storify below).

(For any curious readers, you can access this data for all American cities, along with a host of other fascinating data from the American Community Survey, at the American FactFinder website. The data for commute mode share are in table B08301.)

Adventures in intersection design

(Cross-posted from my blog at geoffgreen.org)

Meadowmont is a neo-urban neighborhood in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It was designed with a mix of uses and is trumpeted as a walk-friendly community, with sidewalks along both sides of the street and a network of greenway trails. (It was also designed as a station for a light-rail line, but that's a different story.) During the approval process, Meadowmont's developer emphasized its "pedestrian orientation for working and living." So you would hope that the design of the sidewalks, roads and intersections would consistently reflect the importance of access for people traveling on foot.

Alas, you would be wrong.

Public input on CH Greenways map

From the Town of Chapel Hill web site:

Give Us Your Input on the New Greenways and Cycling Map
Posted Date:
1/7/2011
Calling all bikers, hikers, and anyone who uses Chapel Hill’s trails and greenways. You’re invited to drop in and provide input for a new Greenways and Cycling Guide Map. A public meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan.13, in the Chapel Hill Town Hall second floor training room.
The Town of Chapel Hill Planning and Parks and Recreation departments are working with Steve Spindler, a cartographer specializing in cycle facility and transit mapping for urban areas, to develop a community map aimed at facilitating and promoting bicycle and greenway usage. Spindler will give a short presentation at 6 p.m. about mapping projects he has worked on and how his work has been used and distributed in other cities.
During this event, Spindler and Town staff will be available to discuss the information that makes urban cycling and greenway trail maps most effective. The Town is seeking public input so this map will benefit visitors, cyclists, and trail users of all types for years to come.
For more information, contact Garrett Davis of the Chapel Hill Planning Department at [email protected]or 919-969-5061.

Date:

Thursday, January 13, 2011 - 12:30pm

Location:

Chapel Hill Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd

More Information:

http://www.townofchapelhill.org/index.aspx?recordid=2407&page=22

Government

NCDOT Yields to Carrboro on Smith Level Rd

The N&O just announced that NCDOT has agreed to build Carrboro's preferred design for Smith Level Rd, but is dropping their previous requirement that Carrboro must pick up the ongoing maintenance tab for the roadway if the town's preferred design is to be accepted.

Campus to Campus Connector walk

Via e-mail...

On Saturday March 27 at noon at Caribou Coffee downtown Chapel Hill, the Campus to Campus Bike Connector group will lead a walk of a potential bike route to connect UNC campus with Carolina North. For more information, see http://ccbconnector.wordpress.com
Please note that there is a walk of the middle route(connection through Northsdie) planned for this Saturday, March 27. All folks interested in walking the route with CCBC and gaining insight on route conditions are welcome.
Meet us at NOON (12pm)at Caribou Coffee on Franklin (near Columbia)...or as the old-timers know it, Hagen-Daaz/He's Not Here courtyard across from the Baptist Church downtown.
Walk time is estimated to be about 1 hour.

Date:

Saturday, March 27, 2010 - 8:00am

Location:

Caribou Coffee, West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill

More Information:

http://ccbconnector.wordpress.com

Planning & Transportation

Downtown Carrboro Ped/Bike Connections

For years now I've used the informal trails linking my neighborhood around Lloyd Street/Broad Street near downtown Carrboro, Northside, Bolin Creek, and the rest of Carrboro to navigate as a pedestrian and a biker. Every time I cross the ditch on an old railroad tie and then straddle the railroad tracks to get to Harris Teeter or the Pleasant Street neighborhood, I marvel at the fact that the geographic center of Carrboro/Chapel Hill is still so isolated from the surrounding neighborhoods. At night as I see folks wandering through the informal dirt paths that connect Pleasant Street to Lloyd Street, I worry about the safety of the dark trail and wish that there was a way to put some resources into making these vital links for those of us who can't or choose not to drive much more user friendly and safe.

If a Diagonal Crossing is installed, but not visible?

As noted on the Endangered Pedestrians thread, Chapel Hill is testing an "exclusive pedestrian" traffic signal phase at the Columbia (NC 86) & Cameron intersection, a configuration of traffic signals and pedestrian "walk" displays that will allow those on foot to cross in all directions at once, including diagonally across the street. This video (also below) demonstrates such a crossing in Los Angeles.

Another pedestrian fatality

Police statement published today by the Carrboro Citizen:

On Thursday, December 11th, the Chapel Hill Police responded to a traffic crash on N.C. 54 west of the South Columbia Street Bridge. Seven pedestrians were reportedly crossing the roadway at approximately 10:30 PM. Four of the pedestrians had made it to the median and three were struck by an eastbound vehicle. One person, a female, was pronounced dead at the scene and two others were transported to UNC Hospital for treatment of their non-life threatening injuries.
- http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2008/12/12/pedestrian-killed-at-south-columbia-street-bridge/

Highlighting yet again the need to make our town more walkable.

Bus driver fired after fatal accident

I just got the following notice from the Chapel Hill Town Manager's offce:

We are saddened by the tragic accident of Valerie Hughes, who died on Oct. 28 after being struck by a bus while crossing a street in Chapel Hill. We wish to express our deepest sympathy to her family and to her friends.

The driver of the Chapel Hill Transit bus involved in the accident, James Orr, was placed on administrative leave without pay immediately. The Town of Chapel Hill conducted an internal investigation consistent with Town policy and statutory guidelines.

Effective November 3, 2008, James Orr, Transit Operator II was terminated as an employee of the Town of Chapel Hill.

The Town Council has expressed an ongoing concern with pedestrian safety, and this unfortunate accident highlights our need to continue and improve upon that effort.

The Merritt Railroad Crossing

I imagine many OP readers have heard about area residents who are concerned about the new fence blocking access between Estes Park Apartments in Carrboro and Village West Townhouses in Chapel Hill. The management of Estes Park erected a fence and gate which is padlocked. The fence is 8' tall with three strands of barbed wire at the top. It blocks a traditional connection between the two neighborhoods and by extension connections from each neighborhood to downtown Carrboro and Chapel Hill.

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walking

Carrboro Transit Mode Share Now 16.7%(!)

Adventures in intersection design

Public input on CH Greenways map

Date:

Location:

More Information:

NCDOT Yields to Carrboro on Smith Level Rd

Campus to Campus Connector walk

Date:

Location:

More Information:

Downtown Carrboro Ped/Bike Connections

If a Diagonal Crossing is installed, but not visible?

Another pedestrian fatality

Bus driver fired after fatal accident

The Merritt Railroad Crossing

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