Changes coming to make Durham's streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists

Driving in Durham will soon look different. The city is constructing eight miles of new bike lanes and buffers, which means some roads could be more narrow or lose lanes.

The city is dedicating hundreds of thousands of dollars to new bike lanes and other improvements.

Bike lanes are going in on Fayetteville Street, where the city says there have been a high number of crashes. On Wednesday, the evidence of a recent crash was still visible – a fallen street sign.

Adding bike lanes will reduce the number of driving lanes in some spots, but also provide a buffer to protect cyclists.

"Speed kills. We need to be both slowing down the speed on our streets that are shared streets where people live and do business, and also we need that physical separation," says Bike Durham Executive Director John Tallmadge.

He says buffers and protective flexposts make a difference for cyclists.

"Especially for people that are not that comfortable bicycling, it makes it feel like you have more space and that you're not having to worry about the speeding cars clipping you as you're going past," he says.

The city is also adding seven miles of Neighborhood Bike Routes downtown, creating a connected community.

"We have multi-modal needs. People get around in more than just their cars and trucks," says Durham City Councilor Leonardo Williams.

He says safety is a priority with this construction.

"I look forward to getting an e-bike," he says. "Just parking my truck and getting on a bike or scooter to get around, but I don't want it to be a life-or-death matter."

Construction on all of this will start this summer, and it's scheduled to be complete by the fall.