Greensboro Department of Transportation Annual Report 2022-23

2022-2023 Annual Report Department of Transportation TRANSPORTATION

Projects Exploring Battleground-Lawndale Corridor Options In the spring, Greensboro Department of Transportation (GDOT) and NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) reached out to the public to solicit input on a future reconfiguration of the Battleground-Lawndale-Westover corridor. The project, which is currently unfunded, aims to improve mobility and safety for all users along the corridor. More than 350 participants provided feedback both online and at an in-person public meeting. Residents said they wanted safer intersections, improved traffic flow, slower speeds, and access for pedestrians, cyclists, bus riders and greenway users. The public input will be valuable in developing the initial designs for the corridor.

Gateway Project Earns Federal Funds For the second year in a row, the City of Greensboro was awarded a federal earmark for street improvements as part of the Congressionally Directed Spending program. The City was awarded $4 million for the South Elm-Eugene Street Gateway Complete Streets project, which will improve the corridor by incorporating street resurfacing, gateway median treatments, bus stops, sidewalk and accessibility enhancements, and bike lanes. Urban Loop Opened The last section of the Urban Loop, from US 29 to Elm Street, opened on January 23. The 49-mile loop around Greensboro has already shifted travel patterns. The department is monitoring its impact to future transportation projects. Horsepen Creek Roadwork Completed GDOT completed the widening of Horse Pen Creek Road from New Garden Road to Battleground Avenue in April. The roadway was widened to four lanes with curb and gutter, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and a raised landscaped median. The project was funded by 2008 transportation bonds.

1 New Crosswalk Flashing Beacon 2 New Traffic Signals 3.7 New Miles of Bike Lanes or Sharrows 8.77 New Miles of Sidewalk

60 Speed Studies Completed 113 Intersection Traffic Counts 408 LED Light Upgrades 4,557 Work Orders 171,583 Access GSO Rides 2.09M Bus Rides

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Provide Greensboro safe, seamless and equitable transportation choices. MISSION Collaborative | Equitable | Innovative | Integrated | People-Centered | Safe VALUES

2023 By the Numbers

2022-23 Highlights

Planning Creating Safe Streets for All Users

protect rights-of-way, determine future locations of major roads, and prevent new developments from being built in the paths of future freeways and thoroughfares. The new plan is consistent with the 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan and reflects changes in the roadway network. It is now available is a more user friendly digital format. Setting Project Funding Priorities NCDOT’s formal, needs-based process for identifying Transportation Improvement Program projects began this year. All modes of transportation compete under this quantitative process, with some exceptions. In the Greensboro area, the MPO represents its member jurisdictions in this process to identify potential candidate projects and then determine which projects to submit to NCDOT for funding. The MPO is limited to 23 submittals per mode. Following a public review, the recommended and final project lists will by shared on the MPO’s website at www.guampo.org. Workgroup Seeks to Improve Development Process GDOT convened a workgroup with City staff, NCDOT, and members of the development community to

The City and the Greensboro Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) have been awarded a $755,500 US Department of Transportation grant to develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan for Greensboro, the towns of Summerfield, Sedalia, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden and Stokesdale, and much of unincorporated Guilford County. MPO will use the funds to: • Study traffic crash patterns and safety conditions • Develop a plan for preventing traffic fatalities and serious injuries by redesigning roadways, educating people about traffic safety, and enacting safety focused policies. This work will build upon and expand partnerships and work of Vision Zero Greensboro. Thoroughfare and Collector Street Plan Updated GDOT developed an updated and combined Thoroughfare and Collector Street Plan for Greensboro. The plan is used to establish street design standards,

Hanna Cockburn appointed to federal transit advisory board.

January 2023

February 2023

December 2022

GDOT begins long-range transit planning process.

January 2023

Greensboro Transit Agency celebrates Black History Month with bus wrap.

Urban Loop opens.

2022-2023 Year in Review

streamline the process for Traffic Impact Studies, an analysis that shows potential impacts of new developments and a requirement for proposed projects above a certain size. While important for planning, the process can create unexpected delays and expenses for developers. The workgroup identified several options to improve the process, including additional staff to assist with reviews; allowing data collection during summer off-peak periods; providing checklists for complete submittals; and creating more documentation to explain the process. Transit Transit Planning Underway Greensboro Transit Agency (GTA) and GDOT kicked off two planning processes in early 2023: a zero emission fleet transition plan and a long-range transit plan, called GoBORO. The emissions plan will guide the agency’s transition to zero emissions vehicles by 2035. The process includes deploying new technology and battery charging infrastructure, workforce training, and exploring funding opportunities.

GoBORO will be GTA’s plan to make Greensboro car optional, one of the “big ideas” of the City’s comprehensive plan. Downtown Trolley Planned The Hopper Trolley, a pilot program funded through Participatory Budgeting and the American Rescue Plan, began service July 2023. The free service runs four days a week, every seven minutes. The trolley seeks to improve downtown mobility and enhance connectivity beyond the car, and will run through the end of 2023. Transit Agency Replaces Buses GTA recently received eight new “clean diesel” buses to replace buses that were well beyond their useful life. With this addition, the fixed route fleet is now in a state of good repair after years of being behind on bus replacements. The buses were paid for with federal congestion mitigation funds. Director Appointed to Federal Board US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg appointed Greensboro Transportation Director Hanna Cockburn to serve a two-year term on the federal Transit Advisory Committee on Safety (TRACS).

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March 2023

Residents give input on future Battleground Lawndale-Westover Corridor updates.

June 2023

GDOT hosts public engagement sessions on Downtown Parking Plan.

June 2023

April 2023

Ballinger Road bridge project completed.

City sets July launch date for downtown trolley pilot program.

2022-23 Highlights (continued)

The committee provides information, advice and recommendations on transit safety issues to the Federal Transit Administrator and secretary. The primary issues being discussed include cyber security, rider and worker safety and reducing bus collisions. Parking Parking Plan Under Development In September 2022, GDOT began a comprehensive assessment of parking in downtown Greensboro to create comprehensive, long-term strategies for parking management. The goals are to make downtown parking easier to understand, efficient, effective, equitable and sustainable. Consultant Kimley-Horn has documented the state of the parking system, reviewed industry best practices to identify opportunities for improvement, and benchmarked Greensboro against five other parking systems in both peer and aspirational cities. The consultants have held a series of public meetings

with stakeholders and received more than 950 responses from a survey of parking users. Kimely-Horn will take a deeper dive into the financial conditions and develop recommendations regarding the overall management of the system by fall 2023. Oversized Vehicle Rules Enforced Over the past year, Parking Enforcement has worked to curb illegal parking of oversized vehicles, especially tractor trailers. One strategy has been to dedicate an officer to respond to residents’ concerns and focus enforcement in problem areas. In FY 23, Parking Enforcement responded to 327 complaints and issued 379 citations related to oversized vehicles. Seventeen oversized vehicles were towed.

These bicycle, highway, roadway, and sidewalk projects were under construction in 2022-23. See www.greensboro-nc.gov/projects22-23 for full project details.

Projects Under Construction