May is Bike Month throughout the community – and Orange County’s local governments have been holding several different events to celebrate and promote bicycling as a form of alternate transportation.
But the Town of Chapel Hill looks to boost that option for its community members beyond just this month. Alongside its efforts through Vision Zero to improve infrastructure and safety, the local government also offers trip coordination to anyone looking to get around without using a car.
Nate Helms runs the Town of Chapel Hill’s Commuter Solutions program. The role, which is based out of Chapel Hill Transit, existed before Helms joined the staff last year – but he was told to make the program his own after graduating from UNC. The result: Helms is on hand to help anyone with questions about navigating the bus system, greenways and beyond.
If you have a destination, he will walk you through the available sidewalks, bike paths and bus routes, to get you where you’re going. Helms says his favorite detail to share with people is how bicycling can connect any gaps between transit lines.
“Every Chapel Hill Transit bus has at least two bike racks on it,” he says. “So, we’re really hammering home: if you have a bike and you’re able to access the transit system, you can put your bike on the bus and you can really get anywhere around town. I think that’s a really great service for people and it increases access.”
The vision of Helms’ position is to encourage community members to decrease their single-occupancy vehicle trips and use more sustainable methods of transportation. Doing so aligns with several of the Chapel Hill government’s long-term goals and values: lessening environmental impact, improving connectivity between neighborhoods and promoting a healthier lifestyle.
And Helms says there is interest. He averages around one question a day about navigating the local transit and greenway networks.
“The big thing is just [providing] resources,” he says of how he often answers. “Giving people the tools to be able to navigate around and understand the system. I find a lot [during] outreach, a lot of people are coming to Chapel Hill for the first time and it’s kind of the first time they’re opened up to public transportation too. So, I just help people get familiar with the system.”
On its surface, trip coordination might not seem related to Chapel Hill’s Vision Zero pledge, which aims to eliminate traffic-related deaths and serious injuries to bikers and pedestrians. But the initiative’s coordinator, Kurt Štolka, says they are quite intertwined since Commuter Solutions reduces the risk of collisions.
“Getting people out of their cars is safer and when you’re biking and walking, it makes it safe for people around you,” he says. “That’s kind of my main goal with Vision Zero, is eliminating the serious injuries and deaths throughout town. And that’s the best way to do it: getting people out of their cars with those solutions, giving people options not to drive – which, in this country, is a pretty tall order.”
Since making its Vision Zero resolution in 2021, Chapel Hill has implemented several traffic calming measures to slow drivers down and reduce the chance of fatalities. Those include installing flashing lights at crosswalks on four-lane roads to increase pedestrian visibility, bollards between lanes near crosswalks to prevent lane-switches, and medians in the bends of curves to prevent drivers from drifting.
And some of the earliest projects were improving bike lane safety. Not only did the town paint dedicated bike lanes along Franklin Street, but added flexible bollards in several areas to provide more of a visual delineation to drivers.
West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill sports bicycle lanes painted in green and white, with bollards helping provide a buffer. (Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.)
Štolka’s team has more short-term projects in the works, with the long-term dream of connecting Chapel Hill’s greenways to provide a fully off-road option for bicyclists. While the town has seen improvements since 2021, he says the goal remains the same at the halfway point to 2031.
“In this role, even one [death] is too many,” says Štolka. “So, we’re not satisfied. And even if there is a year where there’s zero deaths and injuries, the work’s not done. You want to make sure that’s a long-standing pattern and not just [say], ‘Look, last year we hit [zero], so we’re good.’”
While Chapel Hill has coordinated and hosted some Bike Month activities already in May, the biggest event is set for this weekend. The town’s first RollFest is set for Saturday at the Chapel Hill Community Center at 10 a.m. To help participants either get more comfortable on their wheels or celebrate their passion, the town is providing a traffic garden and training activities alongside a food truck.
“It’s not just for existing people that ride their bikes everywhere – but [meant] to get people interested in trying it or doing it more often,” said Stolka. “There are so many other people in this community that roll around…it’s not just for bikes, it’s all wheels. As we know, people love their scooters, roller blades… all of that kind of stuff [is] welcome.”
Beyond visiting with him at RollFest, Helms encourages people to call or email for help with their non-vehicle trip planning. Not only does he hope it will lead to more efficient trips on buses or bikeways, but achieve those broader goals and values held by the Chapel Hill community.
“It’s beneficial for a lot of reasons,” Helms says of biking and busing. “It cuts down on traffic congestion, the more people that are taking these modes – which also reduces carbon emissions in the air. It actually improves our air quality the more people that are taking these sustainable modes. And then, because of all of that, it just supports a healthier community.
“For Bike Month,” he adds, “it’s a really great way to go outside, get exercise, get around and also connect with people.”
Featured photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.
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