Column: City needs to link its bike-ped friendly islands

Phillip Barron
The Herald-Sun
Sep 21, 2004 : 9:32 am ET

DURHAM — The new American Tobacco District could be a great jump-start to revitalizing downtown Durham, but several things need to happen to realize its potential.

Right now, Durham is an archipelago of bicycle and pedestrian-friendly islands. Ninth Street, Brightleaf with West Village, downtown, Fayetteville Street near N.C. Central University; these are all bikeable and walkable areas. Each has sidewalks, some have bike lanes on the roads, and they all have that urban feel that makes you wonder why you need a car.

They are all islands, however. Islands separated from each other by fast-moving currents of automobile traffic.

The American Tobacco District, the warehouse renovation across Blackwell Street from the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, joins the adjacent Bulls stadium to make yet another island of bike-ped-friendly space. Walking around American Tobacco and the Bulls ballpark on attractive, wide, tree-lined sidewalks is very pleasant. Walking from there to downtown is not so. Why? Because you have to cross two busy streets and a set of railroad tracks, all without a pedestrian traffic signal.

Lori Shakespeare, owner of the Blue Coffee Company in the heart of downtown Durham, is glad to see the warehouse space renovated but doesn’t expect much new business from its tenants. It’s not as easy, attractive, or safe as it can be for pedestrians and bicyclists to get downtown from the new district. This is true despite the fact that they are merely a block away from each other.

The opening of American Tobacco’s retail and corporate spaces provides the city of Durham with an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to revitalizing all of downtown Durham — both inside the loop as well as its periphery.

Here are four simple recommendations for establishing a safe, bicycle and pedestrian-friendly connection between the new district and the businesses inside the loop.

– The sidewalks alongside the former warehouses and the Bulls’ stadium should remain wide and well lit all the way to Pettigrew Street, and new sidewalks should be installed assisting pedestrians between Pettigrew and Ramseur, over the railroad tracks.

– Push-button crossing signals need to be installed at the intersections of Pettigrew and Blackwell as well as at Ramseur and Corcoran.

– Attractive signs pointing Bulls fans and American Tobacco employees toward the restaurant and shopping district downtown are needed on these sidewalks.

– Currently, the City’s plan is to extend the American Tobacco Trail along these wide sidewalks, sending bicyclists onto the sidewalks up and down Blackwell Street. This section of sidewalk must be striped into lanes: two lanes of bicycle traffic and a pedestrian lane. The bike path connecting West Cameron Street in Chapel Hill with Carrboro is an excellent example of how attractive and effective this simple striping can be.

Durham’s Transportation and Parks and Recreation departments are already planning many bicycle and pedestrian-related improvements downtown, but if the improvements connecting American Tobacco with downtown are not timed with the district’s grand opening celebrations, then Durham will miss an opportunity to give visitors the best first-impression it can give. If you agree that these improvements need to be accelerated, please contact the City Council to register your support.

Without these improvements, the American Tobacco District and the Durham Bulls Athletic Park will be yet another island of bicycle and pedestrian-friendly space, physically and visually separated from downtown Durham by unsafe, unattractive street and railroad crossings. It benefits both the American Tobacco businesses and downtown Durham to establish bike/ped-friendly routes to make Durham a connected city, one well-planned urban space.

Column: September good month to try commuting

The Herald Sun
September 9, 2004

Ruth Coppinger, a post-doctoral researcher in Duke University’s Pharmacology Department, rides her bike 8 miles from the Woodcroft area to work nearly everyday. When asked why she chooses to ride, she says “I like commuting by bike because I share a smile and a ‘Good morning!’ with other people on the trail and in the neighborhoods. It makes me happy and calm.”

She’s not the only one. As more bike lanes and greenways are built, the number of riders is only increasing. Several readers of this column have written in to say how much they enjoy using their bike to ride to work, to run errands, to visit friends, or to go shopping. Either by choice or out of necessity, practical cycling is a healthy, rewarding mode of transportation.

September is the perfect month to get out there and try it. The weather is cooling off, the summer rains will lessen, and there are three upcoming events designed to encourage you.

First, if you are an employee in Research Triangle Park, you’re eligible for the Smart Commute Challenge. Smart Commute is a non-profit organization promoting alternative modes of transportation. Julie Woosley, Smart Commute’s Director, says that all RTP employees are invited to try some alternative form of commuting between now and September 30th. Anyone who takes the bus, rides a bike, or carpools before then is eligible for a drawing with some great prizes. For more information or to register for the Smart Commute Challenge, call 549-8181 or visit www.smartcommute.org.

Second, on September 22nd, join people from 1400 U.S. cities and 37 countries around the world in celebrating International Car Free Day. To encourage folks to go car free or “car light,” Durham and Orange Counties are holding support events. In Orange County, head to Weaver Street Market in downtown Carrboro between 6PM and 8PM. Durham’s event will take place downtown, at the corner of Parrish and Mangum, between 7AM and 2PM. Again, those who register and participate are eligible for prizes. Visit www.gocarfree.com, or register to go car free at CenterFest, September 18th and 19th.

Third, Alison Carpenter, the City of Durham’s new Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Coordinator, is hosting a Basic Bike Commuting workshop on Monday, September 27th at 3:00PM. Carpenter says the course is designed to help you “learn how to get started bike commuting the right way.” Designed for novices as well as for those who want to refresh their skills, the course is free but there are a limited number of spaces. For more information or to register, call or email at 560-4366 or acarpenter@ci.durham.nc.us.

If these incentives are not enough, there’s more. Using bikes as a form of transportation (not just recreation), we make the best use of our time, getting exercise at the same time that we’re going somewhere. Parking is usually much easier to find and less expensive for bicyclists. Many retail stores give “bag credits” for bringing your own shopping bag. Wear an empty pack to the store, use it to carry your goods home, and save a little money. And there’s just a unique feeling of accomplishment knowing that you pedal yourself where you need to go.

So, think differently about getting around town. By bicycling, the journey to get there becomes as important as the destination.

Commuting Tips

1)Be comfortable with your bike. Practice riding your bike in safe areas before you ride in traffic. Your bike should fit you well (e.g. seat height, handlebar position), and you want to be very comfortable starting and braking before you share the lane with automobiles.

2)Be comfortable with your route. As long as they are safe, ride roads you already know. If you need to find a new route, plan your route with a map or just by riding casually on the weekend.

3)Wear brightly colored clothing. On a bike, you want to be seen. Reds, yellows, and oranges are great colors for cycling clothes. They make you more visible than deep greens, greys, and dark colors which tend to blend in with the surrounding environment. Many commuters also wear a bag to carry items to work or groceries home from the store. A brightly colored bag also helps.

4)Use your hearing. Your ears can be the eyes in the back of your head. Sounds are often the the first signals that a car is approaching from behind. Use your peripheral vision as well. Cyclists are able to hear and see what’s going on around them much better than the motorists.

5)Make eye contact with drivers. Most of the time, this is your best defense against a driver turning left in front of you. They see you, you see them, they see you seeing them.

6)Ride one to three feet away from curbs and don’t ride in gutters. Not only is there sharp trash just waiting to pop your tires in this portion of the lane, but slotted drainage grates are traps for wheels. Ride three feet away from parked cars, and assume that every car door may open at any moment.

7)Signal all your turns clearly. Review those hand signals, and practice riding a bike one handed so that you can signal comfortably. Remember, you’re sharing the road with automobiles; the best way to do that is to obey traffic laws so that you don’t distract the drivers.

8)Plan ahead. Watch the weather. Check the weather channel or your favorite weather-watching-website. If there’s a chance of rain, carry a rain jacket and pants. If you’re riding at night, state law requires that you have a red tail light mounted to either your bike, your pack, or your helmet. A bright headlight is also useful in darker corridors, between streetlights.