Featuring Riverside High School
In the summer of 2022, GoTriangle staff received a special request from a student at Riverside High School for seating at bus stop 6607, located on Rose of Sharon Road in front of the high school. Collaborating with Durham Public Schools, staff from the bus stop improvement team at GoTriangle identified an optimal location for seating and future amenities and decided to relocate the bus stop in front of the baseball field. The team visited the site and determined the type of seating that could be provided, considering the limited sidewalk width.
After coordinating with various internal and external departments, two two-seat benches were installed in front of the school during the first quarter of 2023. The attached image shows the current state of the bus stop. Our team continues to work on enhancing this location and will be adding a landing pad and a trash can in the near future.
What We Do
Bus stops play an important role in how our riders experience transit. GoDurham is working closely with GoTriangle and the City of Durham to continuously improve our bus stops by providing the best amenities for riders as they board and depart the bus. Listening to what riders, businesses, churches, and other community institutions need is a significant part of the process for choosing which bus stop improvements to make.
GoDurham is actively improving stops in its system to meet Durham’s standards for accessibility, shelter, seating, security, and lighting. Local funding is dedicated each year to bus stop improvements throughout the city. A combination of funds dedicated to transit – a half-cent sales tax, vehicle registration fees, and a vehicle rental tax – along with the city’s Participatory Budgeting program will pay for the improvements.
Bus Stop Improvement Map Last Updated: March 16th 2023
Bus Stop Selection
Choosing the next bus stops that qualify for improvements is based primarily on the number of boardings at a stop and how easily the improvements can be made.
- To qualify for a shelter in Durham, a stop must have at least 20 boardings a day.
- To get a bench, it should have at least 10 boardings a day.
- Other amenities include concrete pads, trash receptacles and solar lights
- We also improve bus stops based on community requests
Once a bus stop is chosen, there will be a notice placed notifying riders and nearby residents of its upcoming construction.
Here is an example of a bus stop with a Bus Stop Improvements Notice:
Cost of improvements
The process for improving a bus stop can involve design work and a need to acquire property in addition to the actual construction. After installing amenities, accounting for design costs and building sidewalk connections, the total cost to build a bus stop often ranges between $35,000 and $50,000. The Durham Transit Plan includes funding for design, real estate acquisition and construction for improvements at 75 GoDurham bus stops per year.
Since 2020, the Durham Transit Plan has included funds for access and safety improvements near bus stops. Those improvements include completing sidewalks where there are gaps and adding new or enhanced crosswalks and signals. These projects will be designed and constructed by the city as a complement to bus stop improvements underway through the Better Bus Stops program.
Tactical Transit Amenities
GoDurham and GoTriangle continue to collaborate with each other and the City of Durham on evaluating bus stops for quick improvements. Funds for such ‘tactical’ improvements are included in the Durham Transit Plan. Tactical improvements include adding two-seat benches and other seating, solar lights and/or shelters without any major physical modification to the site.
City of Durham Solar Light Pilot Program and Public Art
As part of the Participatory Budgeting initiative, the City of Durham’s Cultural and Public Art Program is partnering with the Budget and Management Services Department to hire professional artists or artist teams to create public art that will enrich new solar-powered bus stops. Through the Participatory Budgeting process, the community chose nine bus stop locations to receive shelters and other amenities across the three wards of Durham. For more information on this project, visit: https://durhamnc.gov/4281/Public-Art-for-Bus-Shelters
Adopt-A-Stop
Bull City residents have the opportunity to improve the appearance and safety of our community by partnering with Keep Durham Beautiful to "adopt" a bus stop. The Adopt-A-Stop program allows residents to help keep Durham litter-free. Volunteers should clean their bus stops once a week. Getting on board with the Adopt-a-Stop program is as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4!
- Choose a bus stop then contact Keep Durham Beautiful to set up an Adoption Agreement.
- Sign the agreement and pick up work logs, safety materials and supplies from Keep Durham Beautiful.
- Keep your stop clean. Volunteers should clean their stops once a week, four times a month. In exchange for completed work logs, adoptees will get 10 day passes per month to use on GoDurham routes.
- Contact Keep Durham Beautiful at 919-560-4197 to find out how you can help.
Share your thoughts
GoDurham continues to welcome input from members of the community about where possible bus stop improvements are needed. Submit a stop by filling out the form found here.