Welcome to the weekend, readers.
Residents will have the chance to share their concerns about pedestrian safety with Durham’s city staff at the first of three upcoming open houses regarding the resurfacing of Roxboro Street and Mangum Street. The first meeting takes place on March 12 at Global Scholars Academy.
High speeds and poor street design are major concerns, area neighbors and business owners say. Chris Perelstein, a Durham resident, has been capturing photos of speeding vehicles on the section of Roxboro Street in front of his house. He posts them to X (formerly Twitter) under the account @RecklessRoxboro in the hopes of sounding the alarm about pedestrian safety.
On nearby Mangum Street, residents have seen a resurgence of activity in the last year. New apartments and condos have popped up, and new businesses have taken root. But the precarity of walking down the block, says Lindsey Andrews, owner of Night School Bar on North Mangum Street, is a deterrent for potential customers.
“We don’t see that much foot traffic even though there are people in the neighborhoods all around,” Andrews says. “I think having a street that feels safer to walk up and down, with more greenery and bike lanes, would really increase foot traffic which would be nice for the businesses.”
In February, residents and local officials gathered at the downtown Durham Bus Station to discuss the future of local transit in the region. City and county staff members shared budget overviews and details on specific initiatives that the transportation departments are investing in to make public transit safer and more accessible.
Residents will have the opportunity to follow-up at the March 12 open house and learn more specifics about the possible outcomes for Roxboro and Mangum specifically, including converting the prominent one-way streets back into two-way, a request many transit safety advocates have made in the past.
How will the city choose to incorporate the community feedback into its future transit designs? No matter what the final plan looks like, it will be years before meaningful change is visible on the streets themselves, according to the city’s timeline.
Have a good Friday.
—Justin
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Cloudy with a high of 66 degrees.
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