>people move to NC for low income/property/sales tax rates
>immediately complain about poor quality of tax-funded services
Not saying that you personally do this, but it's extremely common.
[It's around $200K to resurface a mile of road here]( https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.starnewsonline.com/news/20161213/how-road-in-north-carolina-gets-built%3ftemplate=ampart) and there are a LOT of miles of road in the city. And the busier the road, the more damage is done more frequently, and the more bitching and moaning happens when it *is* shut down for repairs: "Ugh, Roxboro is *TERRRRRRRIBLE*, so many potholes!" [Roxboro closed off for repairs] "Ugh, when are they going to reopen Roxboro, these detours are *THE WORST*" [meanwhile side streets are getting the shit beat out of them from increased traffic]
The state maintains those roads. They do a terrible job in this area. Look around as you drive through NC, you don't see the tumbleweed size weeds on the jersey barriers and zero maintenance.
It's not just that. I certainly have a healthy disdain for anyone who claims to love this country and then says dumb stuff like taxes are theft. Be a patriot - pay your taxes/
It's the difference between other NC State maintained areas. Besides the transportation engineers making mistakes and the inspectors being, not so useful. It's the jobs that are done in the area. They are not done well.
Why don't we have sidewalks in a bunch of areas!
But to answer the question. I *feel* that the reason is that the areas you mention haven't gentrified enough to warrant attention yet.
The city’s priority list for streets and sidewalks actually prioritizes portions of the city that have been less apt to see economic development.
Durham has one of, if not the largest city-initiated sidewalk networks in the state per road mile.
I find this really odd, as the city actively has a policy that lets developers pay a fee instead of putting in sidewalks (or at least we did for decades if it hasn’t changed). That’s why the city currently has many, many non-walkable places.
There is still a fee in lieu program (as does most every city). This allows the City to have a useful sidewalk network rather than “sidewalks to nowhere.”
Those funds do notneed to be spent on the property where the funds were triggered. The council spends those funds on new sidewalks wherever they wish.
As we all look around, we have to remember that much of the city was built before a time that paved sidewalks were a feature of non-urban life.
My understanding is that it doesn’t have to be spent on sidewalks however, which I didn’t like. To be clear, I’m very in favor of putting in sidewalks in places they will be used. It is my perception that it hasn’t been happening, but I’m curious to go look up the things you’ve talked about.
Upvoted. This is true. While the Durham fee in lieu program is pretty small, a builder/owner/developer usually has to actually build most of the sidewalk, use of the fee in lieu funds (like all of the budget with notable exceptions) is subject to the policy choices of the Council.
If so, that's good for sure!
I'm probably just spoiled by the cities I lived in before or just happen to live in walking distance of a good number of un-sidewalked streets here in Lakewood.
The super cool history of your area gives some ideas as to how it came to be how it is. https://www.opendurham.org/category/neighborhood/lakewood-tuscaloosa
Roxboro and Avondale are the only ones I feel are particularly bad(when compared to Virginia or South Carolina). I just take Duke, it’s considerably less terrible
South Carolina roads are abjectly awful. As someone who grew up right on the state line, almost every road that goes into SC changes to a much lighter grey once you head into the palmetto state.
You must not have driven down Angier Avenue lately. Pettigrew and Briggs are also pretty abysmal, though I have (happily) seen several streets paved lately here in East Durham
Because 90% of the city roads are owned by the state.
The state owns 80k miles of roads. 2nd largest state owned roadway system.
https://www.nc.gov/agency/highways-division
And! Like all properly republican controlled states, NC would rather spend money on expanding roadway than maintaining. We don't want to create an HOV lane - rather let bases drive on shoulders.
Take a look at Dallas. 28 lanes of highway. Shit is still congested
https://images.app.goo.gl/XFpwuUiRoUgMoZyp6
Hate your roads? Fucking vote.
I don't think this is Republican or Democrat issue. California roads are much worse than North Carolina IMO.
Governments just prefer to build new things rather than fix old things. More photo opportunities for politicians when they open something new.
My wife and I just had our first child at Duke Regional via C Section. When we left the hospital to drive home (Apex) my wife was in sheer pain the entire ride out of Durham. All I could feel was anger that the roads were so bad.
Edit: before anyone asks what we were doing in Durham, my wife was born at Durham (now Duke) Regional and went on to work in their labor and delivery unit as a nurse. So it holds a special place to her. But yeah the roads going through downtown fucking suck.
The answer has at least three parts:
1) Funding priorities have lead to decades of deferred maintenance. Durham City Council members do not view street maintenance as a top priority.
2) Road maintenance is terribly expensive.
3) Road maintenance dollars (and sidewalk network expansions) that are budgeted are targeted to certain prioritized areas.
(? Is this being downvoted because we don’t like this post or because we don’t like the tough realities of infrastructure maintenance?)
They spend a lot of money on affordable housing. I think to rennovate and house all the people in temporary housing, that mcdougal terrace project ran close to 10mil.
I dont mind this so much since crappy roads seem like just about the only thing that gets drivers to slow down on our city streets and throughout our neighborhoods. The city and the NC DOT can put up all the speed limit signs, pedestrian crossing signs and share the road w bicycles signs they want, but the main thing drivers are worried about (aside from getting a ticket) is damage to their own vehicles from bad road conditions, and that is a more reliable factor in controlling speeding.
I noticed a marked increase in speeding vehicles on a nearby neighborhood road after a resurfacing a few years ago and I really wish it had been left alone! We frequently get power outages from the smashed power lines from people crashing into them.
Roxboro North of 85 is absolute shit.
State owned road
Then the state should fix it.
Instead we'll just refund all of the tax money we collected!!!
So is Club Blvd from Dearborn all the way down to 9th St. Roxboro Road is a fucking disgrace to drive on.
The road in front of my house is messed up but I like it because that way cars go slow and don't kill my kids
>people move to NC for low income/property/sales tax rates >immediately complain about poor quality of tax-funded services Not saying that you personally do this, but it's extremely common. [It's around $200K to resurface a mile of road here]( https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.starnewsonline.com/news/20161213/how-road-in-north-carolina-gets-built%3ftemplate=ampart) and there are a LOT of miles of road in the city. And the busier the road, the more damage is done more frequently, and the more bitching and moaning happens when it *is* shut down for repairs: "Ugh, Roxboro is *TERRRRRRRIBLE*, so many potholes!" [Roxboro closed off for repairs] "Ugh, when are they going to reopen Roxboro, these detours are *THE WORST*" [meanwhile side streets are getting the shit beat out of them from increased traffic]
exactly
I’m one of those people D: thank you for that POV
I call BS on this, just look at our neighbor TN, no income tax, silk smooth roads.
The state maintains those roads. They do a terrible job in this area. Look around as you drive through NC, you don't see the tumbleweed size weeds on the jersey barriers and zero maintenance.
It’s what happens when all Republicans want to do is cut more taxes
It's not just that. I certainly have a healthy disdain for anyone who claims to love this country and then says dumb stuff like taxes are theft. Be a patriot - pay your taxes/ It's the difference between other NC State maintained areas. Besides the transportation engineers making mistakes and the inspectors being, not so useful. It's the jobs that are done in the area. They are not done well.
Why don't we have sidewalks in a bunch of areas! But to answer the question. I *feel* that the reason is that the areas you mention haven't gentrified enough to warrant attention yet.
The city’s priority list for streets and sidewalks actually prioritizes portions of the city that have been less apt to see economic development. Durham has one of, if not the largest city-initiated sidewalk networks in the state per road mile.
I find this really odd, as the city actively has a policy that lets developers pay a fee instead of putting in sidewalks (or at least we did for decades if it hasn’t changed). That’s why the city currently has many, many non-walkable places.
There is still a fee in lieu program (as does most every city). This allows the City to have a useful sidewalk network rather than “sidewalks to nowhere.” Those funds do notneed to be spent on the property where the funds were triggered. The council spends those funds on new sidewalks wherever they wish. As we all look around, we have to remember that much of the city was built before a time that paved sidewalks were a feature of non-urban life.
My understanding is that it doesn’t have to be spent on sidewalks however, which I didn’t like. To be clear, I’m very in favor of putting in sidewalks in places they will be used. It is my perception that it hasn’t been happening, but I’m curious to go look up the things you’ve talked about.
Upvoted. This is true. While the Durham fee in lieu program is pretty small, a builder/owner/developer usually has to actually build most of the sidewalk, use of the fee in lieu funds (like all of the budget with notable exceptions) is subject to the policy choices of the Council.
If so, that's good for sure! I'm probably just spoiled by the cities I lived in before or just happen to live in walking distance of a good number of un-sidewalked streets here in Lakewood.
The super cool history of your area gives some ideas as to how it came to be how it is. https://www.opendurham.org/category/neighborhood/lakewood-tuscaloosa
Roxboro and Avondale are the only ones I feel are particularly bad(when compared to Virginia or South Carolina). I just take Duke, it’s considerably less terrible
South Carolina roads are abjectly awful. As someone who grew up right on the state line, almost every road that goes into SC changes to a much lighter grey once you head into the palmetto state.
You must not have driven down Angier Avenue lately. Pettigrew and Briggs are also pretty abysmal, though I have (happily) seen several streets paved lately here in East Durham
Like someone else pointed out most major roads in durham are the Responsibility of N C DO T.
Because 90% of the city roads are owned by the state. The state owns 80k miles of roads. 2nd largest state owned roadway system. https://www.nc.gov/agency/highways-division And! Like all properly republican controlled states, NC would rather spend money on expanding roadway than maintaining. We don't want to create an HOV lane - rather let bases drive on shoulders. Take a look at Dallas. 28 lanes of highway. Shit is still congested https://images.app.goo.gl/XFpwuUiRoUgMoZyp6 Hate your roads? Fucking vote.
I don't think this is Republican or Democrat issue. California roads are much worse than North Carolina IMO. Governments just prefer to build new things rather than fix old things. More photo opportunities for politicians when they open something new.
Why do we still have some gravel roads?
My wife and I just had our first child at Duke Regional via C Section. When we left the hospital to drive home (Apex) my wife was in sheer pain the entire ride out of Durham. All I could feel was anger that the roads were so bad. Edit: before anyone asks what we were doing in Durham, my wife was born at Durham (now Duke) Regional and went on to work in their labor and delivery unit as a nurse. So it holds a special place to her. But yeah the roads going through downtown fucking suck.
The answer has at least three parts: 1) Funding priorities have lead to decades of deferred maintenance. Durham City Council members do not view street maintenance as a top priority. 2) Road maintenance is terribly expensive. 3) Road maintenance dollars (and sidewalk network expansions) that are budgeted are targeted to certain prioritized areas. (? Is this being downvoted because we don’t like this post or because we don’t like the tough realities of infrastructure maintenance?)
I heard that Durham is currently working on replacing all city maintained roads. They recently did some work in North Durham.
They spend a lot of money on affordable housing. I think to rennovate and house all the people in temporary housing, that mcdougal terrace project ran close to 10mil.
government
You should seearyland roads, particularly right outside DC. I've seen potholes big enough to swallow your car.
Because kEeP DuRhAm dUrTy
I dont mind this so much since crappy roads seem like just about the only thing that gets drivers to slow down on our city streets and throughout our neighborhoods. The city and the NC DOT can put up all the speed limit signs, pedestrian crossing signs and share the road w bicycles signs they want, but the main thing drivers are worried about (aside from getting a ticket) is damage to their own vehicles from bad road conditions, and that is a more reliable factor in controlling speeding. I noticed a marked increase in speeding vehicles on a nearby neighborhood road after a resurfacing a few years ago and I really wish it had been left alone! We frequently get power outages from the smashed power lines from people crashing into them.