Town of Chapel Hill, NC
Home MenuTraffic Calming: Hargraves Community Center
Pilot Traffic Calming Project at Hargraves Community Center
Over the summer of 2023, the Town of Chapel Hill worked with Hargraves Community Center to address concerns about speeding and school bus drop-off safety on North Roberson Street between West Rosemary Street and Mitchell Lane.
UPDATES OVERVIEW
- Town Staff & Community: Town staff and community leaders discussed potential traffic calming improvements in front of the Hargraves Community Center in Spring 2023.
- Town Council Approval: Town Council responded to a petition for traffic calming improvements on N. Roberson Street and approved the use of traffic calming installations at their June 21st council meeting.
- Traffic-Calming Improvements:
- New Street Structures (Summer 2023): The Town has installed a pilot project of plastic bollard chicanes (street narrowing structures) on both sides of the school bus drop-off area at Hargraves Community Center to calm traffic. **These structures are Town-approved alternatives to speed humps/tables, due to Town fire regulations.
- A speed study will evaluate the effectiveness of the installations and the Town will adjust the design as needed.
- New Signs/Markings: The Town has upgraded several signs and markings at Hargraves Community Center:
- Existing speed limit signs were cleaned, vegetation was cut back to make them more visible, and moved underneath streetlights to improve nighttime visibility.
- Recently painted pavement markings and updated one-way signs at parking lots will help to improve afterschool program pick-up
- School bus loading zone signs will be installed this summer
- New Street Structures (Summer 2023): The Town has installed a pilot project of plastic bollard chicanes (street narrowing structures) on both sides of the school bus drop-off area at Hargraves Community Center to calm traffic. **These structures are Town-approved alternatives to speed humps/tables, due to Town fire regulations.
- Neighborhood Slow Zone
- Town staff plan to create Chapel Hill’s first Neighborhood Slow Zone at Hargraves Community Center and later expand the zone throughout the Northside neighborhood.
- “Neighborhood Slow Zones” are a pilot project that is part of the Town’s Vision Zero effort, lowering speeds to 20 mph and increasing fines for speeding (Ordinance 21-11.9).
- Town staff plan to create Chapel Hill’s first Neighborhood Slow Zone at Hargraves Community Center and later expand the zone throughout the Northside neighborhood.
For additional information or to share feedback, contact:
Roger Henderson, Traffic Engineering Manager at (919) 969-4999 or traffic@townofchapelhill.org
Installing the Pilot Traffic Calming Bollards