The Chapel Hill Police Department is planning an enhanced number of pedestrian safety enforcement operations again this month in addition to normal patrols. Officers will watch for driving violations including failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, and turning right on red where it is not allowed. Scheduled special operations include – but are not limited to – the following dates:

• Wednesday, May 4, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• Saturday, May 7, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 10, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• Friday, May 13, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 18, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, May 21, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Monday, May 23, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Saturday, May 28, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

*Dates and times are subject to change

Each effort will focus on areas with heavy pedestrian and bicycle traffic, including downtown, and mid-block crosswalks (ex. along the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Estes Drive corridors). We encourage everyone traveling, regardless of your mode of transportation, to remember that community safety is a shared responsibility.

The Chapel Hill Police Department is also planning at least four speed enforcement operations in May – in addition to normal patrols – with the main goal of improving safety for everyone who shares roads.

• Tuesday, May 10, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 17, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• Tuesday, May 24, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
• Tuesday, May 31, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

*Dates and times are subject to change

Please use the following tips to improve safety for everyone on and near the roads:

• Limit distractions
• Phones down; eyes up (this is true for people driving, walking, riding a bike, and rolling)
• Keep your music at an appropriate level to hear what’s happening outside your car or around you
• Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks 
• State law says all vehicles must yield to pedestrians once they have safely entered a crosswalk
• Please use designated crosswalks to cross roads
• Walk against traffic; ride with traffic 
• People walking who don’t have access to sidewalks should walk in the opposite direction as traffic
• People riding bicycles should ride in a bike lane or in the same direction as traffic if there isn’t a designated path
• Bicycles are permitted to ride on the sidewalk except downtown (Franklin and Rosemary streets). Bicycles are permitted on sidewalks along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard outside the Chapel Hill Police Department as long as they are going in the same direction as traffic.

The Town will utilize its variable message sign (VMS) boards throughout Town to alert people driving of the events as well as encouraging them to limit distractions and watch out for people walking and people riding their bikes.

Vision Zero

On October 13, 2021, Chapel Hill’s Town Council adopted a Vision Zero Resolution, which states that traffic injuries and deaths are not inevitable “accidents” but preventable crashes and commits to eliminating them on Chapel Hill streets. To view the resolution, click here.

May 1 – I Love My BikeCarrboro Ride: 1 p.m.  Carrboro Town Hall 

May 4 – Bike & Roll to School Day:  7 a.m.   -Chapel Hill – Carrboro Schools

May 4 – May the Wheels Be With You!: 11 – 1 p.m.   -UNC Polk Place 

May 4 – Beginner Road Ride:  6 p.m. – 7 p.m.   – The ReCYCLEry

May 10 – Cycling With Carrboro’s Mayor: 8 a.m.   -Carrboro Town Hall

May 14 – Bicycles, Sweet-Ice & Bike Rack Art   :  1 – 3 p.m.   -Chapel Hill Community Center

May 14 – Bike On Bus Demo Workshop:  9 a.m. – Noon   -Carrboro Farmer’s Market  

May 17 – Bike Breakfast:  7 a.m. – 10 a.m.  -Carrboro Libba Cotten Trail          

May 21 – Bike On Bus Demo Workshop:  9 – Noon  -Chapel Hill Farmers Mkt

May 25 – Children’s Bike-to-Market Day:  3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.   -Carrboro’s Farmer’s Market (Free Tune Up)

May 26 – Driving with Cyclists Workshops:  11 a.m. & 2 p.m.  -Attend to receive a 1-Yr Bike/Walk NC Membership Register at goch@townofchapelhill.org

JUNE 10 – Vets on the Move Salute: 6 p.m. -Hargraves Community Center – The Huegerich Ride                         

May 1-31 – No Charge  Bike Inspections:  Daytime    -All CH-C Bicycle Shops   

Ongoing Events

Bike Movie Nights: Saturdays 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.   -The Beer Study

Open Bicycle Workshops: 1st & 3rd Sat/Sun    10 a.m. – 2 p.m.    -The ReCYCLEry