The Town of Chapel Hill seeks public input on the design of bicycle and pedestrian improvements along Estes Drive between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Caswell Road.

The Town of Chapel Hill seeks public input on the design of bicycle and pedestrian improvements along Estes Drive between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Caswell Road.

The public input meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, February 9, 2016 in the 1st Floor Conference Room, Town Hall.
The Estes Drive project – construction funded with $1.87 million in federal funds and $468,000 in local funds – is anticipated to include bike lanes and sidewalks on the north and south sides of Estes Drive and an off-road multi-use trail on the north side. Construction is expected to begin in late-2016. The pending improvements will address public priorities expressed in the Chapel Hill Bike Plan and the 2013 Central West Small Area Plan.

Town staff and representatives from Stewart engineering design firm will be available to receive comments from the public, and provide visuals of bike lanes and pedestrian accommodations that are being considered. The input gathered from this meeting will help guide athe design of the bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

For more information, contact David Bonk, the Town of Chapel Hill’s Long Range and Transportation Planning Manager, at 919-969-5064 or dbonk@townofchapelhill.org.

Go Smart Release – January 14, 2016

How are your New Year’s resolutions going? Have you saved money? Gotten organized? Using your time to get more out of life? On your way to getting more fit? There is one option that has all of those goals in common – and you may not have thought about it yet. Have you thought about your commute lately?

It’s a new year – consider a new commute to save money. Use the time to get more organized, read books, plan a trip, or just get to work on time. And you don’t have to bike or walk to work to lose weight – even transit riders in North Carolina have experienced weight loss. Add in tracking one of these smart commute options and you can enter into $500 in monthly prize drawings for gift cards through GoPerks!

Don’t know how to find a smart commute that fits your schedule and travel needs? We’re here to help. Check out http://www.GoSmartNC.org/NewYear for more details and assistance to plan your trip. Even just one day a week can make a difference in achieving your goals in 2016!

Congratulations to Triangle J Council of Governments!!!

According to a January 13, 2015 news release by TJ COG:

Durham, NC — Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG) was one of 29 nationwide employers to win a Gold Medal for Best Workplaces for Commuters, a program designed to encourage sustainable transportation innovation. The award recognizes the steps the organization has taken to facilitate alternative transportation and telework programs for employees regionally. In addition to offering exemplary commuter benefits for its own staff, TJCOG coordinates the Best Workplaces for Commuters program, which provides national recognition to businesses that provide holistic transportation options for their employees. Triangle J Council of Governments is committed to upholding the values it espouses in the region, focusing on transportation, planning, development, and sustainability. This award underscores TJCOG’s commitment to the region to help provide the highest level of commuter and employer benefits.

“The Triangle J Council of Governments’ Triangle Best Workplaces for Commuters Program is proud to be recognized for the work we do regionally to help commuters get out of their cars, and into our buses, onto our sidewalks, and riding along our bike lanes. The businesses we work with are truly leaders nationally and are advancing quality of life amenities for their staff every day. The Best Workplaces for Commuters program is a great way to recognize this dedication, and communicate the importance of these benefits to both staff considering these work locations, and the broader business community” says Mary Sell, Best Workplaces for Commuters Coordinator.

About Triangle J Council of Governments
Triangle J Council of Governments is a non-partisan cooperative of local governments among seven counties – Durham, Wake, Orange, Chatham, Lee, Moore, Johnston. The Council operates as a liaison between local and state and federal governments to ensure resources are used wisely to benefit our citizens and businesses. TJCOG promotes collaboration among local governments, stakeholders, and partners, tackling challenges that cross jurisdictional lines.

About Best Workplaces for Commuters
Best Workplaces for Commuters ™ is a program of the National Center for Transit Research at the University of South Florida (CUTR). CUTR is funded by Florida Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Transportation. The theme of CUTR is to make public transportation and alternative forms of transportation, including managed lanes, safe, effective, efficient, desirable, and secure.

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Tar Heel Express shuttles begin at the park and rides located at Friday Center, Southern Village, Airport Drive (103 Airport Drive, Chapel Hill) and Jones Ferry.

Shuttles are sometimes available from the Carolina Coffee Shop located at 138 East Franklin Street (no parking provided). The shuttles will provide continuous and fully accessible service, running every 10 to 15 minutes between the park and rides and the Dean E. Smith Center. The shuttles will operate for approximately forty-five (45) minutes following the game.

Shuttles drop off and pick up on Bowles Drive in front of the Dean E. Smith Center. Shuttle rides are $5 for a round-trip or $3 for a one-way trip.

Due to construction and development activity, shuttles will not operate from University Place (formerly University Mall) this year.

For additional information on Tar Heel Express, please visit Chapel Hill Transit’s website at http://www.townofchapelhill.org/tarheelexpress, email chtransit@townofchapelhill.org, or call a customer service representative at 919-485-7433.

Information for game days can also be found at Go Chapel Hill Facebook.