INC NEWS - Duke bus routes and Roxboro pedestrian access

[Melissa Rooney]

Extending Duke bus routes is great news, John. 

Incidentally, I wrote the NCDOT and Gov Easley
regarding the turn lane on Roxboro and the lack of
consideration for pedestrian access and neighborhood
input.

The NCDOT responded as follows: 

"Once our I-85 project is completed, pedestrians will
be able to cross Roxboro by walking via sidewalk to
the ramp area where they will be able to cross Roxboro
by way of a signalized crosswalk. This adds about
800-900' to get to Duke Park but is much safer than a
mid-block signalized crossing would be that would
allow you to go straight across Roxboro.

NCDOT does an excellent job seeking public citizen and
municipality input into our projects such as this one.
Public hearings are held well in advance of the
project (probably 8 years ago). At that time citizens
and the City of Durham were given the opportunity to
give input/requests in the project.

I hope you will find the finished product will serve
your neighborhood well.

Brandon Jones
Division Operations Engineer"

In my response, I noted that he said nothing of the
turn lane that Frank Hyman stated the neighborhood did
not think was necessary.

Ah well. Just thought I'd pass on the response of the
NCDOT.

Melissa

Melissa Rooney
mmr121570 at yahoo.com



--- John Schelp <bwatu at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Editorial: Expanding buses into Durham a good move
> Chronicle, 23 Jan 2007
> 
> So you want to go to Erwin Square apartments to
> visit
> some friends, but you live in Edens Quadrangle and
> you
> don't have a car. You're looking at a half-hour
> commute at least, with a walk to the bus stop, a
> ride
> to East Campus and a walk from the bus stop to Ninth
> Street. And it's not much easier to call and take a
> cab, or to wait on Safe Rides or Charlene's.
> 
> But have no fear; soon you will be able to hop on a
> bus and arrive at some of the most popular Durham
> destinations around the Duke campus.
> 
> After years of students talking about expanding the
> Duke University Transit bus service off campus, new
> routes to Ninth Street and Brightleaf Square will
> finally launch in a pilot program this Thursday.
> 
> Duke Student Government should be commended for
> finally following through on an idea that is likely
> be
> very popular with students, based on expressed need
> and interest.
> 
> Citing student safety and bridging some of the Duke-
> Durham divide as potential benefits of the program,
> student leaders have finally delivered a practical
> solution that will provide students with another way
> to access the city around them. Truly, offering
> students a consistent option for getting off campus
> and around Durham reduces the temptation to drive
> once
> they've had a drink (or far too many), thus placing
> themselves and others in danger. Moreover, the
> bussing
> program has the potential to allow more students
> regular access to local businesses-an apparent plus
> for town-gown relations.
> 
> DSG also gets points for starting the service as a
> pilot program, instead of jumping in with long-term,
> full-service (not to mention expensive) plans. Such
> an
> immediate, complete program would run the risk of
> wasting money without leaving room for working out
> kinks in the system.
> 
> But as this pilot program goes forward and is
> evaluated in the next three weeks, those assessing
> its
> success should also realize that the upcoming period
> of the semester is not necessarily the ideal time to
> start, and thus fairly assess, the initiative. With
> the onset of personal tenting checks in K-ville,
> pledging and semi-formals galore, students may
> demand
> the bus service less than they would at another time
> in the year. 
> 
> Additionally, it might take students a little while
> to
> learn how the bus system works and to trust that it
> is
> reliable and on time-all adding up to what could
> appear to be less interest than DSG and the
> administration hopes. To help ameliorate this
> potential problem, the onus is on DSG to publicize
> the
> availability and details of the service to students.
> 
> Indeed, it's important to note that even if the
> buses
> aren't full all the time, it is still undoubtedly a
> worthwhile initiative, and one this board hopes to
> see
> perpetuated in the future. Just as the Robertson bus
> is not always packed with students, it still serves
> the practical and symbolic purpose of connecting the
> campuses of Duke and the University of North
> Carolina
> at Chapel Hill. Similarly, this new bus route will
> physically and symbolically connect members of the
> Duke community with greater Durham.
> 
> In combination with other auxiliary services
> connecting Duke and the surrounding community (such
> as
> the expansion of Safe Rides to off- campus housing
> locations) this new program is a positive step
> toward
> making Durham more accessible and safe for Duke
> students. Let's hope it's a success. 
> 
> 
> 
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> 



 
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