Comments for “Duke/Gregson Corridor Study”
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There needs to be a sidewalk from Shepherd to Hill St to make the school and park safely accessible to children. There needs to be crosswalks with call buttons at this intersection so traffic will be aware of pedestrians.
Liked 14 times -
Since Arosa built this, I have witnessed multiple cars exiting their parking lot on Vickers and go NORTH to Morehead to avoid having to go around the block and, once, witnessed a car drive all the way to Parker to get on the highway. Poor signage and thoughtfulness in how the streets would be used in a residential neighborhood have created this confusion and lack of care by drivers.
Liked 5 times -
So much speeding and lack of mindfulness that this is a school zone (at least for another year or so). There need to be sidewalks on both sides of the street.
Liked 6 times -
Many people cross the street here going to their jobs after parking in the West Pettigrew Deck. Because of the curve, the train tracks, speed of cars, it is a very tricky place to cross for walkers. The sidewalk abruptly ends on the west side of Duke just after Memorial Dr. and there is no defined sidewalk over the tracks on either the west or the east side. Creating defined walking spaces and crosswalks would improve the walkability here. Pettigrew is about to be one of the streets that is going to get paved from being a rock road, so car traffic will increase, causing more issues for pedestrians and bikers.
Liked 5 times -
This highway crossover needs a more pedestrian-friendly railing that would not allow for small children and dogs to easily slip underneath. There should be footlights or overhead lights for pedestrian safety as this is a thoroughfare for walkers to downtown. A reduction in the size of the lanes would be significant to reduce speed.
Liked 12 times -
It's very dangerous to try and cross the street here. Speeding and the curve make it almost impossible for people, bikes, and cars alike to see one another. There should be a blinking crosswalk call system for cars to be aware of pedestrians and bikers crossing the street here.
Liked 9 times -
There's a school here, there should be a crosswalks here. Proctor is about to be one of the roads that is getting pavement from being previously gravel, so Hill St a block down, more cars will be traveling in this area after that work is contructed as through traffic will be easier. Several car accidents have already happened at this intersection from speeders on Vickers.
Liked 7 times -
On multiple occasions while waiting to cross the street going west across Vickers/University from Forest Hills Blvd, cars that were stopped on University waiting on the light, have come down to Forest Hills, swooped into the street as though they were going to turn right on red, only to swoop back out onto University as though they had made a right on red from Forest Hills Blvd. Blatant disregard for pedestrians and for the rules of the road.
Liked 4 times -
This entire intersection of entrance ramps for 147 on Parker and off of Duke, along with the exit onto Duke, needs to be reconfigured. Parker St entrance ramp should be eliminated. An exit from 147 South to Duke should be constructed. Then an entrance ramp from Duke to 147 South should be constructed to the east of Duke on the south side. These should terminate at a lighted intersection with pedestrian crosswalks. Additionally, exiting 147 North to Duke and entering 147 North from Duke should terminate at a lighted intersection with pedestrian crosswalks. With turning Duke into a two-way street, this would improve traffic off the very congested Chapel Hill entrance/exit, allowing for more options when leaving the city after a baseball game, DPAC, or Carolina Theatre events and giving citizens who live south of Morehead a way to easily access the highway without having to travel north to Chapel Hill or east to Roxboro. Creating two entrances and two exits from Duke would create a more reasonable flow and would feel more traditional from a highway entrance/exit strategy.
Liked 4 times -
Dangerous intersection with multiple car accidents - visibility is poor, speeding along both Gregson and Chapel Hill and that this a crest-point for both roads, means cars do not see one another with enough distance.
Liked 4 times -
Previously, sidewalks were constructed along this area to accommodate large trees, which are now gone. The sidewalk is hazardous with missing concrete sections that were once taken up by those trees, resulting in a trip and fall hazard that could put a pedestrian squarely into traffic if they tripped.
Liked 5 times -
Pedestrians walking north on Vickers cannot cross the street safely. There are no call buttons at the intersection for pedestrian walking, and the traffic lights are hung in such a way that a pedestrian needs to actually step about 4-5 feet into the intersection to see the light signal, which only faces the northbound traffic. There needs to be crosswalks, call buttons, and ADA-compliant traffic signaling in all 4 directions of the intersection.
Liked 8 times -
Trying to cross Gregson anywhere along this section is very dangerous for walkers. There are no crosswalks and the speeding traffic coming from Main and Gregson cannot see pedestrians until they are around the corner from the new Can Opener Park. The fence surrounding the Public Parking along this corridor has been torn apart many times due to cars plowing into it. Additionally, the sidewalks are broken and in places non-existent making foot travel for those with disabilities or children in strollers difficult, some times resulting in needing to roll into the street.
Liked 5 times -
Walkers are unable to cross this intersection on the south side. There are only sidewalks on the north side of this intersection. Unless Vickers becomes two-way, this will continue to be a dangerous intersection for people on foot.
Liked 6 times -
There is no shade cover or regular cleaning of the sidewalks, handrails, or street in this area. Walkers crossing the 147 on Chapel Hill are already being assaulted by an ugly, car-centric overpass that seems unsafe with no lights at night and a guardrail that seems unsafe of any walker (especially small dogs or children who could easily go under the lowest rail without issue) and a homeless population that has tents raised on state land; then there is the added injury of gang graffiti that seems to be permanent.Graffiti on the overhead signs for 147, telling all walkers on Chapel Hill that some gang is in charge, has been a problem for many years. The city cannot remove the graffiti, and the state won't replace the signs.
Liked 6 times -
This is where I have lived on Duke St since 2016. I love our home but we barely use the front yard due to traffic noise and fear of being hit by a speeding vehicle. We've had multiple black-outs due to cars hitting utility poles. Multiple times a day I hear honking from drivers on Duke getting angry as slower traffic turns onto Duke from side streets with poor visibility due to hills and/or shrubs, or due to cars slowing to make a turn off Duke onto one of these side streets. These honking cars are always going well over the speed limit, which they seem to believe they have the right to do due to the road design. Duke is designed for speed, not safety. It should be the other way around. I'd like to see Duke changed from one-way to two, and/or traffic circles added. A bike lane would also make it safer when my husband and son go out for rides.
Liked 2 times -
Return these to two-way streets with lots of traffic calming measures. We live right off Gregson - cars FLY down this neighborhood street. my kids can't cross the street safely to see friends on the 900 block, even I am afraid crossing sometimes. At the hospital I've taken care of people who have been struck and seriously injured by cars going way too fast.
Liked 8 times -
I live on Duke St. We like to walk and just today we were almost hit (AGAIN) by a speeding car at Duke and Club. Cars speed up to get through a yellow light that turns red, and then disregard pedestrians with the walk signal. We've almost been killed on Gregson, too. The other problem is left turning lights. Why can't there be left turn green arrows so pedestrians and cars each have a designated time to move? Both Duke and Gregson need to be 2-way streets to mitigate speeding. We have too many accidents on a regular basis. It's just a matter if time before someone is killed.
Liked 6 times -
My children and I have crossed at this intersection for years to get to school. I am nervous every time. Cars move at very high speeds (per what I have seen, higher speeds since the completion of 885, which seems to have reduced number of cars here but also then led cars that are on this road to feel they can move faster). It is also hard for pedestrians to see what's coming with the trees on the north corners of this intersection. I am am not clear how the bump-outs added here have helped (it does not seem they have). I am aware a traffic light is planned her and hope to see that happen very soon.
Liked 7 times -
I concur with other comments that I have seen many accidents or near-accidents at this intersection. It is difficult for cars to see when they are going from east to west.
Liked 4 times -
I will echo others that I have seen many accidents here. Cars move down quickly due to the hill; I have seen cars going 50 mph+ based on the speed tracker just before this intersection.
Liked 6 times -
I will echo others that I have seen many accidents here. Cars move down quickly due to the hill; I have seen cars going 50 mph+ based on the speed tracker just before this intersection.
Liked 3 times -
Currently, Duke and Gregson Streets function as mini-highways, creating a very dangerous situation for our families. We have experienced multiple accidents that have caused material damage, but at some point, a real tragedy involving loss of life will occur if these streets are not improved to provide safety for pedestrians. Durham became one of the first cities in North Carolina to pass a Vision Zero resolution in September 2017, aiming to end traffic deaths and serious injuries. On average, Durham experiences 22 crashes a day, with a pedestrian involved in a crash every 3 days. These statistics highlight the urgent need for public safety improvements in our neighborhood. It is time to take action and improve the conditions. Thank you for the continued work on this issue.
Liked 4 times -
I live on Ruffin Street with 2 small children. We prefer to walk places instead of drive, especially to neighbor's houses in the area. But I refuse to cross Duke or Gregson with my children, especially at Knox where cars are going incredibly fast and visibility is poor. It's too scary and it's not worth the risk. There are too few lights and crosswalks, and even where there are sidewalks, the cars zoom by so fast that it's not safe to walk near them. The traffic cuts us off from walking to the surrounding areas. It must be slowed by any means necessary--speed bumps, traffic lights, traffic circles--I really don't care the method, it just must be slowed!
Liked 7 times -
I live near this intersection and every single journey across or near it is a risk to my life. People are going significantly over the speed limit, will speed up instead of slow down on a yellow light to try and "beat" it only to miss it and rip through as other cars/pedestrians have already entered the intersection. Routinely see people running the red light, turning left on red, turning the wrong way down north duke street, drag racing up North Duke street at night, and generally treating it as a highway. This is unacceptable for a road that runs through a neighborhood with high amounts of pedestrian, pet, bicycle, and vehicle traffic. There needs to be something done to slow down traffic and make this route safer for cars, people, and bikes as well as generally a more pleasant place to live. Our house has been hit by a vehicle that was involved in a crash at the Markham/Duke intersection that led to tens of thousands of dollars in damage to our home as well as two totaled vehicles. There have been several instances when I've been biking or driving where I would have been hit by a vehicle running a red light if I hadn't slowed down/stopped when I had a green light to cross Markham and have been told the same by others who have been in the area. Please address these issues with all the urgency you possibly can.
Liked 7 times