Making our streets safe for walking and biking is not extreme – it’s the right thing to do.
Defining the problem:
In many places across Orange County, it is unsafe for our friends, family, and neighbors to walk or bike. In only the four years from 2020 to 2023 in Orange County, NC:
- Drivers struck and killed 15 and injured 49 community members who were walking.
- Drivers struck and killed 2 and injured 168 community members who were riding a bike.
Across North Carolina from 2020 through 2023:
- Drivers struck and killed 1,054 and injured 6,697 community members who were walking.
- Drivers struck and killed 116 and injured 24,970 community members who were riding a bike.
This isn’t right, nor is it inevitable. We should all feel safe getting from place to place, whether we are walking, biking, rolling, or driving. Rather than leaving our health and safety up to the actions of drivers, our leaders can take concrete steps to protect all of us who walk, bike, and roll or desire to do so.
A straightforward solution like safe pedestrian crossings can make a noticeable difference. One study found a 70% vehicle-pedestrian crash reduction after installing Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons in Florida (Goswamy, A., & Abdel-Aty, M.) After New York City implemented similar changes to their streets, the city saw a 30 percent reduction in pedestrian deaths (Pedestrian & Bike Deaths Are up in NC. How to Reduce Them? | NC Health News, n.d.).
What are protected crossings?
These are crosswalks that are designed to increase driver awareness of pedestrians (Safe Crossings, 2020). These crossings include highly visible markings and signage. To achieve our goals, we want crosswalks in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough to include these four elements:
- Clearly painted crosswalks
- Pedestrian-level lighting
- Rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFB)
- “Pedestrian Crossing” signs with bollards
Some of these crossings are already in place, including in front of the Chapel Hill Town Hall, on Franklin Street near Spicy 9, and on Martin Luther King Blvd near Flyleaf Books. Carrboro and Hillsborough do not yet have any such crossings.
These safe crossings prioritize visibility, which will lead to fewer people getting injured while crossing. One study in New York City analyzed several new high visibility crossings and found a 40% decrease in pedestrian-driver crashes after one year (Chen et al., 2012). If the Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough include these design elements in their comprehensive plans, we would see fewer injuries and deaths and greater physical and mental health benefits.
The status quo is not working; in fact, it’s killing us. We need to push for these changes from Town officials. Join us in making these changes possible.
We are building a campaign to prioritize people walking, biking, and rolling rather than privileging only those people driving cars in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough. We want you to be involved and to take action in two key ways:
- Click the button above to learn more about safe streets advocacy campaigns like this one.
- Use the sample language below to send an email to elected officials in the Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and/or Hillsborough asking them to invest in safe crossings. Feel free to amend the language and/or include your own story about walking, biking, and rolling where you live, work, and play in Orange County.
If you are a resident of Chapel Hill (contact: mayorandcouncil@townofchapelhill.org):
Dear Chapel Hill Town Councilmember,
I am writing to express my concern for the lack of safe crossings in our Town. I have had several close encounters where a person driving a car has nearly hit me while I was trying to cross the road. Our community should be safe for everyone, no matter how they are getting from one place to another. Please help by providing us with safer crossings that have (1) clearly painted crosswalks, (2) pedestrian-level lighting, (3) rectangular rapid flashing beacons, and (4) “Pedestrian Crossing” signs with bollards in your upcoming Land Use Management Ordinance re-write. Our streets belong to all of us, and I want my friends and family to feel safe whether they are walking, biking, rolling, riding transit, or driving a car. These higher visibility crossings are proven to reduce pedestrian and driver injuries and fatalities, and we need town leaders like you to invest in the safety of our Town.
Sincerely,
Your name
Address
If you are a resident of Carrboro (contact: council@carrboronc.gov):
Dear Carrboro Town Councilmember,
I am writing to express my concern for the lack of safe crossings in our Town. I have had several close encounters where a person driving a car has nearly hit me while I was trying to cross the road. Our community should be safe for everyone, no matter how they are getting from one place to another. Please consider including safer crossings that have (1) clearly painted crosswalks, (2) pedestrian-level lighting, (3) rectangular rapid flashing beacons, and (4) “Pedestrian Crossing” sign with bollards in your upcoming Comprehensive Plan re-write. Our streets belong to all of us, and I want my friends and family to feel safe whether they are walking, biking, rolling, riding transit, or driving a car. These higher visibility crossings are proven to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities, and we need town leaders like you to invest in the safety of our Town.
Sincerely,
Your name
Address
If you are a resident of Hillsborough (see contacts below):
Dear Hillsborough Town Commissioner/ NC DOT District Engineer (Chuck Edwards)
After seeing news of another driver of a car hitting and killing a pedestrian walking along Highway 70, I am asking you to invest in better, higher visibility crossings. These are simple and effective solutions that can prevent needless pedestrian deaths like this one. Our crossings should have clearly painted crosswalks, pedestrian level lighting, rectangular rapid flashing beacons, and “Pedestrian Crossing” sign with bollards. I want my Town to value everyone – whether they are walking, riding a bike, rolling, or driving to safely get to their destination. Please invest in changing our roads to help people get across them safely, especially on Highway 70.
Sincerely,
Name
Address
Mayor Mark Bell: mark.bell@hillsboroughnc.gov
Commissioner Robb English: robb.english@hillsboroughnc.gov
Commissioner Evelyn Lloyd: evelyn.lloyd@hillsboroughnc.gov
Commissioner Meaghun Darab: meaghun.darab@hillsboroughnc.gov
Commissioner Kathleen Ferguson: Kathleen.ferguson@hillsboroughnc.gov
Commissioner Matt Hughes: matt.hughes@hillsboroughnc.gov
NC DOT District Engineer Chuck Edwards: phone: 336-570-6833, email: cnedwards@ncdot.gov
References
Chen, L., Chen, C., & Ewing, R. (2012). The Relative Effectiveness of Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures at Urban Intersections—Lessons from a New York City Experience.
Goswamy, A., & Abdel-Aty, M. (2023). Safety effectiveness of rectangular rapid flashing beacons pedestrian enhancement. Journal of transportation engineering, Part A: Systems, 149(8), 04023070
North Carolina Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Data Tool—Pedestrian Crash Data Table Results. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2024, from https://www.pedbikeinfo.org/pbcat_nc/_pedtypefacts2.cfm
Pedestrian & bike deaths are up in NC. How to reduce them? | NC Health News. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2024, from https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2024/06/17/pedestrian-bike-deaths-up-in-nc-public-health-advocates-calling-for-change/
Safe Crossings. (2020, August 12). National Association of City Transportation Officials. https://nacto.org/publication/streets-for-pandemic-response-recovery/emerging-street-strategies/safe-crossings/
Goswamy, A., & Abdel-Aty, M. (2023). Safety effectiveness of rectangular rapid flashing beacons pedestrian enhancement. Journal of transportation engineering, Part A: Systems, 149(8), 04023070
Sources for images and context:
- https://www.ourstreetsmn.org/initiative/streets-for-people/
- https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/intersection-design-elements/traffic-signals/leading-pedestrian-interval/
- https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2024/06/17/pedestrian-bike-deaths-up-in-nc-public-health-advocates-calling-for-change/
- https://smartgrowthamerica.org/what-are-complete-streets/