As outlined in quick-read, bullet form 2024 BikeWalkNC Transportation Summit Summary, Part 1 and Part 2, this year's BikeWalkNC summit in Chapel Hill focused on "Safe Systems Approaches" with attention-getting and proven improved traffic safety results as presented by 4 highly accomplished professional leaders from across the country: Barkha Patel, Ryan Sharp, John Bauters and Anna Zivarts.
Next year, Hickory will be the site of our BikeWalkNC Transportation Summit 2025 and all for good reasons. Hickory is a freshly revitalized city of 40,000 with plenty to offer, which is clearly borne out by the fact that everyday, on average, 4 times our population, or 160,000 people, come into our city for work, shopping, entertainment, restaurants, and more. And though those numbers are entirely positive for our local economy,...
...they are also a contributing factor to the increased rate of traffic crashes we're experiencing on our roads. As just one point of reference, particularly regarding cycling safety, PeopleForBikes ranked Hickory 2154 of 2300 surveyed US cities for bike safety in their 2024 Best Places to Bike city ranking. You'll see more crash data in an infographic further below.
Then there's the compounding, double-edged sword, factor of Hickory's notoriety over the past couple years as one of the most affordable cities in the US.
Here's what that publicity has prompted regarding both immediate downtown population density and...
...single family home development just outside downtown.
And that's just tip of the iceberg with much more housing development underway - but it gives you an idea.
Regarding the complexity of problems mentioned above, here's what Hickory is doing on multiple fronts to improve traffic safety for all road users.
On a broader scale, our 4-county region, comprised of Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba Counties, recently received North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) grant funding to develop a comprehensive Transportation Safety Plan, meaning a safety plan for all road and sidewalk users. That plan will be administered by the Western Piedmont Council of Governments (WPCOG), Greater Hickory Metropolitan Planning Organization (GHMPO) and NCDOT through the contracted hired help of world-renowned traffic consultants VHB (Vanasse Hangen Brustlin) with the purpose of identifying and making "high incident (crash) intersections" safer through evidence-based design and use improvements.
Here's an infographic that outlines the plan's challenges, scope and purpose. For more information click this link or scan the QR code in the bottom right of the graphic.
And please, if you live in the Hickory area, complete the short survey you can access by clicking the same link or scanning the QR code above. Your input is much needed to help guide infrastructural improvement priorities. Here's a sample of some of the survey questions and how I answered.
At the same time that the above regional plan is being developed, the City of Hickory just got US Dept. of Transportation (USDOT) Safe Streets For All (SS4A) grant funding to put together its own transportation safety plan also with the help of VHB. And, though I don't yet have the details of the scope and purpose of that plan, having VHB onboard to draft both our 4-county plan and Hickory city plan will go a long way toward ensuring that both plans are coherently aligned.
Regarding those not using cars, trucks or motorcycles, Hickory has nearly completed a stunningly gorgeous and practical network of multi-use trails designed to connect major destinations in our city limits, as shown in this graphic.
This year alone, the city extended the first completed trail section, the downtown City Walk (light blue), to run down 11th St. and completed both the Riverwalk (dark Green) in May and Aviation Walk (light green) in July.
The Historic Ridgeview Walk broke ground almost exactly a year ago and will be completed in early 2025. The last and most important trail section regarding connectivity is the OLLE (Old Lenoir Rd.) Art Walk (dark red). That broke ground this year and will take about 2 years to complete.
Finally, for now, we as citizens in Hickory, in conjunction with the WPCOG/GHMPO/NCDOT safety plan effort and VHB's support, will soon implement a pilot business/community-led Safe Streets For All initiative to supplement current rules, regulations and enforcement polices in place. The purpose of that initiative is to reinforce individual responsibility and elevate mutual accountability to help bend the curve down on the steadily increasing rate of traffic crashes in our city and surrounding area.
Yes, it's an exciting time here in Hickory. Best of all, regarding road safety, is that those responsible for policy making, infrastructure design and law enforcement recognize that maintaining the status quo is not acceptable, and that recognition has prompted significant efforts to make positive change. That, in itself and much more, are great reasons to host our BikeWalkNC Transportation Summit 2025 in Hickory.
I'll keep you posted on progress across the board. Next up: road bike safety tips from an outstanding expert's point of view.