A research team from the UNC Highway Safety Research Center will be surveying pedestrians and bicyclists in April and May at Chapel Hill and Carrboro parks and greenways, shopping centers and other public spaces, including the university campus.

The study, which is being conducted for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), will identify, prioritize and conduct on-site assessments of roadway locations that present safety problems to bicyclists and pedestrians. Once the most serious problem locations are identified and assessed, potential treatments will be suggested.

In addition to evaluating pedestrian-motor vehicle and bicycle-motor vehicle collision locations, the study team seeks input from the traveling public about locations that are perceived to be risky to bicyclists or pedestrians. The intent is to proactively identify locations that may be unsafe but have not necessarily experienced a pedestrian or bicycle crash problem yet.

Surveyors will seek input from willing survey participants aged 18 years and older.
A final report documenting the study’s findings and recommendations will be prepared for NCDOT and is expected to be available to the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro in January 2008.