- Date: Thursday, September 11
- Time: 6:00 – 7:30 PM
- Where: Chapel Hill Public Library, Room A
The town of Chapel Hill’s Office of Mobility and Greenways is holding an open house this week to provide information regarding the towns upcoming projects:
- N. Estes Dr. resurfacing & bike lanes (Caswell Rd. to E. Franklin St.)
- Pinehurst Dr. resurfacing & bike lanes (Burning Tree Dr. to Ephesus Church Rd.)
- Ephesus Church Rd. sidewalks
- Fordham sidepath
- Vision Zero
- Safe Routes to School
- Everywhere to Everywhere Greenways Feasibility Study
Visit the towns Transportation and Mobility Hub for more information
Note: This is a public information session, not a public comment meeting. While the town will have staff present to answer questions, most of these projects will have other opportunities for community feedback and comment.
Why these projects are important
Even if you do not have any interest in using a bike (or an e bike) to get around town, these projects are important to provide opportunities for those who do (or want to) use bikes for daily needs. Remember, every person or child getting to work or school means one less car off the road. In the case of children, providing safe routes to schools reduce cars queuing up in car lines and teach school aged children independence.
Car ownership is getting more and more expensive. Many of us take for granted that our households have as many cars as we feel are needed for everyone to conveniently get to work or school. In its 2024 Your Driving Costs study, AAA says average ownership costs for a new vehicle driven 15,000 miles annually is $12,297 a year, or $1,024 a month. If you are curious how much you are paying (or might pay) nerdwallet has a calculator
Having more bike specific infrastructure creates more predictable traffic movements for bike drivers and car drivers alike.
As a car light person. I appreciate the projects and the towns initiatives to make it easier for people less adventurous than me to ditch the car for transportation. As many know, I rarely use a car to get anywhere in town, Preferring to either use my recently purchased e-bike or the Chapel Hill Transit.