Protect Families, Pedestrians, Cyclists & Pets on Birch Hollow Road
The Issue
We need your voice to help make Birch Hollow Road safer.
Our community has raised ongoing concerns about pedestrian, cyclist, and roadway safety along Birch Hollow Road. This petition is an important first step toward action. Your signature will help demonstrate community support for a formal Birch Hollow Road Pedestrian & Roadway Safety Request that will be submitted to NCDOT, Chatham County, and other appropriate officials.
The posted speed limit is 25 mph, yet concerns about vehicle speeds persist. A significant portion of the road has no continuous sidewalk or protected pedestrian space, requiring children, families, runners, cyclists, and pets to share the roadway with vehicles. Curves, hills, and elevation changes can further limit visibility.
These conditions are compounded by a designated Briar Chapel trail crossing without marked pedestrian protections and a narrow residential roadway that must accommodate two-way traffic, pedestrians, cyclists, and normal on-street parking. Together, these conditions create multiple points of potential conflict.
The community should not have to wait for a serious injury or fatality before these conditions are comprehensively evaluated.
WHAT WE ARE WORKING TOWARD
Petition signatures will help support a formal request to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), in coordination with Chatham County and other responsible parties, asking to:
- Conduct an on-site pedestrian and roadway safety assessment of Birch Hollow Road.
- Collect and evaluate objective traffic-volume and speed data.
- Assess roadway design, geometry, sightlines, and visibility conditions.
- Evaluate pedestrian and bicycle conditions, including gaps in pedestrian infrastructure.
- Assess the designated Briar Chapel trail crossing and current crossing conditions.
- Evaluate roadway constraints, including the interaction of two-way traffic, pedestrian and bicycle activity, and residential street parking.
- Identify appropriate safety countermeasures based on the findings.
- Provide written findings, recommendations, and next steps for addressing identified safety concerns.
We are not prescribing a single solution. We are asking for an objective professional evaluation of the conditions, identification of appropriate improvements, and a clear path toward action.
The goal is simple: Make Birch Hollow Road safer for everyone who uses it—children, families, pedestrians, runners, cyclists, pets, and drivers.
Add your voice. Sign the petition and help demonstrate the community support needed to move this formal safety request forward.
Location: Birch Hollow Road | Briar Chapel Community | Chapel Hill, North Carolina
91
The Issue
We need your voice to help make Birch Hollow Road safer.
Our community has raised ongoing concerns about pedestrian, cyclist, and roadway safety along Birch Hollow Road. This petition is an important first step toward action. Your signature will help demonstrate community support for a formal Birch Hollow Road Pedestrian & Roadway Safety Request that will be submitted to NCDOT, Chatham County, and other appropriate officials.
The posted speed limit is 25 mph, yet concerns about vehicle speeds persist. A significant portion of the road has no continuous sidewalk or protected pedestrian space, requiring children, families, runners, cyclists, and pets to share the roadway with vehicles. Curves, hills, and elevation changes can further limit visibility.
These conditions are compounded by a designated Briar Chapel trail crossing without marked pedestrian protections and a narrow residential roadway that must accommodate two-way traffic, pedestrians, cyclists, and normal on-street parking. Together, these conditions create multiple points of potential conflict.
The community should not have to wait for a serious injury or fatality before these conditions are comprehensively evaluated.
WHAT WE ARE WORKING TOWARD
Petition signatures will help support a formal request to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), in coordination with Chatham County and other responsible parties, asking to:
- Conduct an on-site pedestrian and roadway safety assessment of Birch Hollow Road.
- Collect and evaluate objective traffic-volume and speed data.
- Assess roadway design, geometry, sightlines, and visibility conditions.
- Evaluate pedestrian and bicycle conditions, including gaps in pedestrian infrastructure.
- Assess the designated Briar Chapel trail crossing and current crossing conditions.
- Evaluate roadway constraints, including the interaction of two-way traffic, pedestrian and bicycle activity, and residential street parking.
- Identify appropriate safety countermeasures based on the findings.
- Provide written findings, recommendations, and next steps for addressing identified safety concerns.
We are not prescribing a single solution. We are asking for an objective professional evaluation of the conditions, identification of appropriate improvements, and a clear path toward action.
The goal is simple: Make Birch Hollow Road safer for everyone who uses it—children, families, pedestrians, runners, cyclists, pets, and drivers.
Add your voice. Sign the petition and help demonstrate the community support needed to move this formal safety request forward.
Location: Birch Hollow Road | Briar Chapel Community | Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Petition Updates
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Petition created on September 19, 2026