County, city and DPS highlight micro-transit usage and bike‑and‑walk plan as part of wider school-access strategy

GoDurham and county transportation staff told the joint meeting that efforts beyond cameras and crossing guards are part of a larger approach to school access. Sean, speaking for GoDurham, summarized a micro‑transit pilot that operates two zones and reported it had about 8,000 total trips with roughly 700 trips to DPS locations, helping students and families in areas that are hard to reach by fixed-route service.

Ellen Beckman, Durham County transportation director, described the bike‑and‑walk plan now in final stages. She said staff identified 25 locations for new sidewalks, 25 corridors with gaps and 25 intersections needing safety improvements; several prioritized projects are adjacent to schools (for example, Riverside High School and the Chapel Hill Road corridor). Beckman cautioned that legal questions about sidewalk maintenance responsibility still need to be resolved before the plan can be advanced for adoption.

Officials discussed funding trade-offs: GoDurham staff noted the micro‑transit pilot costs about $700,000 per year (roughly the cost of operating a single 40‑foot bus for a year) and suggested the city and county explore multiple funding tools, including bond funds, proffers from development approvals and possible enterprise funds tied to citation revenue if implemented. No funding reallocation or bond actions were approved during the meeting.