Convert them back to 2 way traffic? I know - will never happen. But it would reduce the racetrack feel of them.
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I couldnāt agree more Phil! I suppose the good news is that many of the DT roads are already fairly narrow, but those that are not should have some thoughtful redesigns that help shape the road for the speed that you want.
As for the area in which this is occuring, Iād actually expand it to the west to end at St. Maryās St., and include the western tentacle of downtown proper all of the way to the roundabout at Hillsborough and Morgan. Thereās a ton of pedestrian need there as well.
Iām curious how this is going to be enforced given some places that are not designed to be 25, especially where Capital Blvd dies into downtown on the north end of the city. How are they going to slow that stretch from 40 to 25 at Peace St., or keep those exiting downtown to Capital from speeding up after passing the last signal on the couplet heading north?
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Being discussed right now at council. Only additional item, to the ones mentioned earlier, is to add the leading pedestrian intervals at every signalized crossing.
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No real objections. Passes unanimously.
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Woohoo!!
I wonder how enforcement will go.
Cameras?
I wonder if there is a traffic signal similar to the āno right turn - trainā signal that says āno right turn - pedestrianā So that it really stands out.
Would love to see some pilot lane squeezing done with bollards
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Theoretically you probably could. Theyāre wide enough that you could make Dawson 2 lanes in each direction and then make McDowell a multimodal only street (transit, bike, ped)
Thatād be a multimillion dollar rebuild though.
@John Iām guessing coming down capital you probably wonāt have 25 mph signs until right before the curve and they just didnāt want to pull down that part of the map for simplicity sake. There will likely have to be a 35 mph buffer zone since typically you donāt want the speed limit going down more than 10mph at a time.
All things considered as far as mid to large size downtowns go, weāre pretty lucky that Dawson and McDowell / capital are really our only trouble spots as far as being busy race tracks. Still lots of work to do though.
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Im gonna make a request or suggestion the transit commute about signal priority.
My recommendation would be to have Capital change from 45 to 35 at the Wade Ave flyover, and then to 25 as one passes under the railroad viaduct after passing the exit to Peace.
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I donāt think it matters all that much what the speed limit signs on Capital say. People are going to go 60 until they have to slam on their brakes before the curve unless thereās a really compelling reason to slow down. With the āopen rangeā sight lines coming into downtown, thereās no incentive to slow down and no one cares at all about the current 40 mph step down. I nearly get run over doing 45 through there.
RPD used to do a speed trap after the old Peace Street exit on occasion. I bet they could make some serious money for the department by doing those again!
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Or they can just use speed cameras and print money.
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speed cameras are illegal in NC according to the legislature
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Iām late responding here, but you are not alone. Iām on BPAC and have been bringing up the Hillsborough St. bike lanes for more than a year with still no action on at least repainting the markings for the existing bike lanes. I brought this up again at the meeting on 9/19. We all recognize that the current design of the bike lanes in the door zone is dangerous and far from current best practice. However, itās going to be a long time before Hillsborough St. gets redesigned again. In the meantime we must get the bike lane markings restored so that some drivers get the hint that this is shared space and they need to look for bikes and scooters. Hereās what the lanes look like today:
West bound lane near Target. Yes, there is supposed to be a bike lane here.
East bound lane near Pogue St. Again, there is supposed to be a bike lane here.
The next BPAC meeting is Monday, October 17th at 6pm in city council chambers. Each of the meetings begins with a public comment period. I beg of you to come to the next meeting to voice your concerns. I beg of all who are concerned about this section of road to come and speak about it at the next meeting. I will buy you all a beer - Iām not joking.
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Iāll plan to do that! Thanks.
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My wife and I just bike in the car lane when thereās no striping. Much safer, though sheās been honked at for that before. Cars are too wide and donāt park as close to the curb as they could, so itās very common for the invisible lane to be obstructed, too. I do use it when thereās traffic to pass the cars, though.
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I understand what youāre saying but not everyone is comfortable with biking in a travel lane designed for cars. Part of the arrangement with NC DOT that allowed the city to redesign and renovate Hāboro St. was that the city had to take over maintenance responsibility from NC DOT. Letting the bike lanes fade away feels to me like the city not holding up its end of the bargain.
Also, there are three* Cardinal bike share stations along this section of Hāboro. The location of those stations is very intentionally chosen. It tells people that extensive use of biking infrastructure and resources is expected in this area. So on one hand the message is, we expect a lot of biking here, on the other hand the message is, good luck with the whole safety thing.
*there are currently only two bike share stations in this corridor because the one near the A-loft hotel was destroyed by a car crash. The destroyed station is supposed to be rebuilt at some point using insurance funds. The fact that a bike share station was destroyed by a car crash says all we need to know about the need for improved bike/ped safety.
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Totally understand the variation of an individualās personal comfort level riding in the street, but contrary to popular motorist opinion, I personally feel safer driving around cyclists when they feel empowered to take up the entire lane.
It takes out the anxiety-inducing guessing games of āDo i have enough space to pass without going into oncoming traffic?ā
and the classic hit, āAre they aware/letting me pass or will they veer left when I start trying?ā
As a motorist, I try to be respectful around cyclists and pass only when there is clear opportunity (oncoming, median, or secondary lane). Unless itās an unusually wide lane (like some in N.of540 Sprawleigh), I hate passing while maintaining the same lane because Iām super cool on not having āGrayson hit a personā on my driving record and being spared the mutual trauma bond with said victim. 
I wish more motorist were of the same mind.
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Agreed - I wish more motorists were as respectful and conscientious as you. Iāve found that doing my commuting, errands, and socializing trips by bike has made me a better driver. I do things like checking for bikes on my right before I make a right turn.
Most cyclists do not feel safe taking up the entire lane. Everyone has a story about being yelled at or worse when a driver believes theyāre taking up too much space in the lane. According to this research, only 1% of adults in the US identify as āStrong and Fearlessā cyclists. If we want to move the needle on mode shift we have to build and maintain infrastructure suited to the 60% who are classified as "Interested but Concerned.
With separated and protected lanes fit for all ages and abilities, roads are safer and more comfortable for all users. Less anxiety for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
I finally figured out what your username means. 
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Nosy Pirate (arrrgggggghhhhh matey!) ???
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Hey Brian - at the BPAC planning committee meeting last Tuesday, city staff mentioned that they were in the start of internal discussions about how to overhaul the Phase 1 section of Hillsborough Street (we all conveyed similar concerns about the section that you have). I guess stay tuned?
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Wow - very interesting! 
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