Walking and bicycling along Airport Road becomes difficult as noise and traffic increase, and town officials say they are working to resolve the problem using results from a study released Monday.
Among the suggestions in the report are creating larger trail networks, increasing pedestrian access by narrowing lanes and making vehicles slow down.
There were 484 vehicle crashes, eight pedestrian crashes and 27 bicycle wrecks on the road between 1998 and 2002 - a particularly alarming number considering that for many people, the road is the only way to get from the University's campus to northern Chapel Hill.
"It's dangerous," said David Bonk, principal transportation planner for Chapel Hill Transit. "I think that's one of the main reasons the (Town Council) asked us to look at it."
In fall 2003, the town received a grant to conduct a study to look at safety barriers along the road and suggest solutions.
In addition, the study was aimed at identifying ways to promote bicycling and walking - popular ways for many students to get to and from campus.
"The student population at the University is one of the subgroups that would be most affected by this (report)," Bonk said.
Among the specific areas the study examines is the end of the Bolin Creek Trail. Claire Millar, a member of the town's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, said the area was important to address because of the large number of people who use the trail.
"I ride a bike, and I hardly ever ride near Airport Road because it's such a mess," Millar said. Improving access to the trail would make the trail safer and increase the number of people who use it, she added.
