Bicycle Friendly Community

Durham, NC | Bronze Level

Community Highlights: Durham puts on a number of great bicycle related events and the Smart Commute Challenge held for four weeks throughout the Triangle region (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) is just part of it. Other events include the Bull City Summer Streets, The Habitat for Humanity Bull Moon Bike Ride and The Habitat Halloween Bike Ride. The city also hosts city wide commuter breakfast with three additional neighborhood commuter breakfasts, while bike shops performed free maintenance work. Durham has 21 miles of bike lanes and 11 miles of shared use path including the widely used American Tobacco Trail. Hundreds of new bike racks have been installed and NCDOT's Complete Streets Policy was adopted in 2009. Durham has numerous bicycling groups which are growing in number and influence: the Durham Bike-Ped listserv has more than 500 participants; the Durham Bike Co-op; and the Durham Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission - a successful and highly influential citizens advisory panel that has been a model for other communities.

Recent Accomplishment: Durham recently completed the 23 mile American Tobacco Trail, connecting Durham, Chatham and Wake Counties.  The city has increased bike parking with additional bicycle racks at parks, schools, and public sidewalks as well as bicycle lockers at two transit stations.  Three road diet projects improved bicycle facilities and will change a four-lane roadway to a two-lane road with center turn lane and bicycle lanes. Finally, the city completed a bicycle and pedestrian bridge to connect a neighborhood divided by an urban freeway built in the 1970s.