Following a recent string of pedestrian injuries, hit and runs and other motor vehicle incidents, the Town of Chapel Hill said it will increase its monitoring of busy roads.

The local government shared a release Tuesday saying town planning staff and police officers will conduct speed and pedestrian crossing enforcement this weekend as part of a monthly public education campaign around pedestrian safety. The town said enforcement efforts will focus on “high-injury-risk areas” with high-visibility efforts several days through each month, beginning with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

“Targeted traffic enforcement in these high-injury-risk areas,” said the release, “is one important way that we discourage and prevent behaviors which injure and kill people on the road, and ensure all road users are aware of and following road safety laws.”

The announcement comes after several recent instances of motor vehicle collisions with pedestrians. On Saturday, a driver struck and hospitalized a 14-year-old riding a skateboard on Ephesus Church Road, according to WRAL. Earlier this month, Chapel Hill Police responded to a pedestrian with non-life threatening injuries who was hit while walking on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near the Town Hall building. In February 2020, a vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian near MLK’s intersection with Homestead Road and a motorist struck a pedestrian near Perkins Drive a few months earlier. In December 2020, a motorist struck and severely injured a young bicyclist on Homestead Road. She has since appeared in court on a felony hit and run charge.

Chapel Hill also reported 139 pedestrian-involved crashes within town limits from 2014-2019.

The town government has taken similar steps in the past to address such collisions and protect those on foot. In 2018, the town joined the Road to Zero program, an initiative through the National Safety Council aiming to eliminate traffic-related pedestrian deaths. The town also released a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan in 2019, which incorporated several goals from Road to Zero to lay out directives for improvement of pedestrian safety and accessibility. The plan aims to create policies and programming to examine community concerns through data analysis and public engagement.

The town implemented one of the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan’s goals in 2019, prohibiting turning right turns during red lights at several high-traffic intersections in downtown Chapel Hill and around the UNC campus.

 

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

 

Related Stories
‹
Chapel Hill Police: Pedestrian Dies After Being Hit Along Fordham Boulevard
Chapel Hill police officers responded at 7:41 p.m. to a report of a pedestrian hit by a driver in the 1800 block of Fordham Boulevard.
Striving for Zero: The Struggle to End Pedestrian Deaths in The Triangle
The rate of pedestrian deaths is increasing nationwide, and NCDOT data shows that both Chapel Hill and North Carolina fit that trend.
Chapel Hill Details New Intersection for MLK Boulevard, North Street; Work to Begin in January
Major changes are coming to a Chapel Hill intersection to improve pedestrian safety and connection to the town’s future parking deck, with work set to begin within the first week of 2024. The Town of Chapel Hill shared a release with the community on December 21, saying the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard […]
Top Stories of 2022: Chapel Hill Aims to Improve Bicycle, Pedestrian Safety After Tragedies
To reflect on the year, Chapelboro.com is re-publishing some of the top stories that impacted and defined our community’s experience in 2022. These stories and topics affected Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the rest of our region. In 2021, the Town of Chapel Hill adopted its “Vision Zero Commitment”: a global strategy advocating for policies and […]
Police: Driver Charged After Pedestrian Struck in Chapel Hill Crosswalk
The Chapel Hill Police Department reported a pedestrian collision along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on Friday afternoon. A release from the town said police officers responded to a report of a struck pedestrian just before 4 p.m., who was crossing in a crosswalk toward Longview Street. The person was transported to UNC Hospitals for […]
Estes Drive Community, CHCCS Push for Improved Pedestrian Safety After Collision
Emails sent to the Chapel Hill Town Council in the last week detail several stories from residents along North Estes Drive about long-standing concerns around pedestrian safety on the road. The news of two teenage girls being struck while using a crosswalk on New Year’s Eve led to all those stories being shared — as […]
Chapel Hill Adding New Traffic Signs to Laurel Hill Road After Recent Injury
The Town of Chapel Hill will soon update some of the traffic signs on Laurel Hill Road following a recent injury to a minor. The residential street, which is two lanes and runs between Fordham Boulevard and Country Club Road near UNC’s campus, will see new signage installed in the next week, according to the […]
Chapel Hill Council Approves Affordable Workforce Housing Community Along MLK Boulevard
The Chapel Hill Town Council recently unanimously approved a proposed affordable workforce housing community close to downtown.
Chapel Hill Transit to Celebrate 50th Anniversary With Upcoming Events
August 1 marked 50 years of Chapel Hill Transit, and the town is planning to celebrate with community events.
Draft Agreement with DEQ Lays Out Land Use Restrictions for Chapel Hill's 828 MLK Boulevard Site
After months of review through taking samples, conducting research and cooperating across governments about the levels of coal ash at 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the state Department of Environmental Quality released a draft Brownfields Redevelopment Section agreement with the Town of Chapel Hill describing development possibilities on the property. Since the fall of […]
›