All that the activists of Bike Durham wanted for Christmas was a safe, walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly city.
So this year, in a bit of holiday-themed tactical urbanism, they granted their own wish — if only on one block, for one hour — by buffering a downtown bike lane with a merry row of gift-wrapped boxes.
On a sunny late afternoon, cyclists could ride a block of downtown — West Chapel Hill Street between Duke and Willard — with confidence, thanks to seasonally appropriate vertical lane separation. City officials caused no interference and no boxes were harmed by Grinchy drivers — though one motorist pulled over to steal a gift and drive away. (He soon learned two things: petty larceny lands you on Santa’s naughty list and that the box was in fact filled with sand — the ultimate lump of coal.)
The Xmas Present-Protected Bike Lane echoed a similar stunt five years ago, when activists buffered a bike lane on Halloween with a row of jack-o-lanterns (as detailed on Streetsblog). At that time, Bike Durham was a small, scrappy, all-volunteer crew; since then, it has grown into a much more formidable organization, with an executive director, more paid staff, and expanded programs.
The group was even named “Advocacy Organization of the Year” by the League of American Bicyclists in 2022.
But success, defined as fostering visible change on the streets, has been a challenge. Larger peer cities such as Raleigh and Charlotte have install many miles of new, protected bike lanes, while Durham’s streets have barely changed. A big stumbling block has been coordination with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, which controls many of the larger streets and prioritizes car travel.
In 2013, the state Legislature passed a law barring state funds from being used for standalone bicycle or pedestrian improvements; such infrastructure can only be tacked on to car upgrades.
In light of these challenges, Bike Durham has focused on staying local and working with city government. In November, the group released a report, Delivering Durham, with 10 recommendations for speeding up project delivery. That same month, cyclists got help from Durham voters, who approved a $115-million bond for street and sidewalk improvements.
But for now in the Bull City, bike riders still have to give themselves their yuletide gifts.
Here’s a video to show how much fun safety can be:
