In recent weeks, we’ve started to see  a lot of misleading facts and misinformation start to spread about the missing Bolin Creek Greenway in Carrboro. Extending the greenway in Carrboro along the existing 30-foot-wide cleared sewage easement would help connect our schools, parks, and unpaved walking trails in Carrboro.

We’re going to start debunking these misleading statements.

If you’d like to learn more about a group of parents and kids working to make biking and walking to school safer, please join the mailing list for the Carrboro Linear Parks Project.

This isn’t a project for bikers – it’s for everyone

We see an effort afoot to call the multi-use path that will be primarily used by pedestrians — as it is in Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Durham, and Raleigh — a bikeway.

It’s much more accurate to describe the path as a multi-use path. We have actual numbers on this from counters on the Chapel Hill’s Bolin Creek Greenway, which are located about a quarter of a mile east of the trail head in Community Park.

These counts tell us that these paths are used primarily by people on foot for exercise, recreation, or to be near nature.

As our community ages and shifts in demographics, ensuring that there are safe, paved spaces to be near nature is really important — for both kids and grownups. Right now, strollers and wheelchairs can’t go on the Bolin Creek Trail in Carrboro, but they can on the paved path right next door in Chapel Hill.

John Rees contributed to this article

In the last municipal election cycle, we helped increase turnout by over 20 percent. We're all volunteers who care deeply about Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and we're working to make Chapel Hill and Carrboro more vibrant, accessible, fun, and sustainable.  Please consider a small donation to help us keep our digital lights on, host events, and hire students to do data deep-dives.

Ryan Byars writes about transportation infrastructure, greenways, and how to get around with your kids safely on a bike. He lives in Carrboro with his wife and three young children.