Chapel Hill, NC

about

The GO! Chapel Hill partnership promotes physical activity among children and the community. The Town of Chapel Hill was selected as lead agency because of its support for alternative transportation, such as public transportation and biking. Organizers envision that GO! Chapel Hill will help catalyze a healthy and active community in which children routinely walk and bicycle to school, employees are active during the work day, and the environment supports safe, convenient and active choices.

GO! Chapel Hill's primary activities include launching an Active Routes to School program at three elementary schools - Ephesus, Estes Hills, and Scroggs - and at Phillips Middle School. For each school, the partnership formed parent action teams, conducted parent/teacher surveys of their children's walking/bicycling behaviors and barriers to active travel to school, assessed the street environment around schools, and mapped appropriate walking routes to school. The partnership also initiated the "Walking Wednesdays" walking groups and advocated to the town council for capital improvements. In addition to the Safe Routes to School program, GO! Chapel Hill focuses on helping businesses provide support for employees to be physically active through the Active Business program, which provides employers a toolkit of ideas for promoting active living in the workplace.

The partnership hopes to encourage active forms of transportation and improve the safety of the current network of roads. The town council established the GO! Chapel Hill Active Living by Design Advisory committee.

The GO! Chapel Hill committee consists of citizens, a town council member, and representatives from the Orange County Health Department, WCHL Radio, the Chapel Hill YMCA, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Transportation Board.

our story

Many families in the community surrounding Estes Hills Elementary School and Phillips Middle School enjoy the morning stroll to school with their children. One involved mother, Diana S., attended a national Safe Routes to School pilot workshop last April to ensure that parents and children in the community could continue enjoying the benefits of walking to school. The workshop, sponsored by Go! Chapel Hill Active Living by Design, attracted over forty participants from the town, school, and community. As part of the workshop, participants conducted a walkabout to survey the walk zones around schools. Students from Estes Hills helped by mapping out safe routes and identifying zones that were unsafe from a child's perspective. After the morning portion of the workshop, Diana was so enthusiastic about what she was learning that she recruited other parents to participate in the afternoon session.

Following the workshop, Diana joined the Go! Chapel Hill Active Living by Design Advisory Committee, where she has been able to focus her enthusiasm and hard work in the Active Routes to School working group. After many walkabouts, meetings with Town staff, and parent recruitments, Diana's hard work paid off. Shrubbery was trimmed and/or removed, sidewalks repaired, stop signs added, crosswalks painted, and a flashing signal "School Ahead" light was posted on a state road (which required higher approval for changes). Even more changes are in the works.

When asked about next steps, Diana smiles happily and comments, "Why of course Walking Wednesdays are next. The Go! Chapel Hill motto is Let's Get It Moving. We are not only going to get our students moving, but also be instrumental in helping all of the school system's students get moving where they are able to walk to their schools!"

opportunities

Chapel Hill, home to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a small college town with a population of 52,000. The town's residents are a mixture of white- and blue-collar families, with a large contingent of college students living on campus and in surrounding neighborhoods. Chapel Hill faces many of the same challenges to active living as other small towns, namely automobile orientation with a network that favors motor vehicles over walking and bicycling. This road system has left many parents unsure about letting their children walk and bicycle to school; therefore, car and bus rides are the predominant mode of transportation to school. The town is also under significant development pressure and must determine how best to accommodate new commuters.

Despite these challenges, town leaders and elected officials have prioritized active transportation with advisory groups for active living, pedestrian/bicycle transportation, and greenways. In addition, the town has a fare free transit system, which serves the campus and surrounding community.

In the future, the partnership will continue organizing parental engagement in improving neighborhood environments to promote active living. GO! Chapel Hill will encourage walking to school in the four schools and will continue to develop relationships with local employers. In addition, the GO! Chapel Hill Advisory Committee will maintain its relationship with the town council and mayor to ensure that active living is considered in public decisions.

accomplishments

Appointed by the Town Council to serve as an official advisory board. The partnership provides input on relevant town plans and policies that could impact active living, e.g., capital improvements, ordinances, master plans, design guidelines.

Worked with the Town of Chapel Hill to implement various street improvements around Ephesus, Estes Hills, and Phillips schools, including crosswalks at street crossings and school entrances, stop signs, a sidewalk connection, an ADA ramp, resurfacing an asphalt path, and removal of a damaged power pole obstruction.

Launched the Active Businesses program for employers.

Completed an assessment and summary reports of a major commuting corridor for physical activity, and presented an active transportation options report to the town council on behalf of the partnership to prioritize capital improvements. The council approved funding for a study to guide implementation of the recommended pedestrian and safety improvements. Secured $250,000 to fund the recommended improvements.

Completed an assessment and summary report of the Northside neighborhood, which was presented to the town council on behalf of the partnership to prioritize capital improvements.

Implemented a Walking Wednesdays Gathering Points program at 6 Chapel Hill - Carrboro City Schools

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