A half marathon race returns to downtown Asheville on Saturday, the first in a series of race events this weekend known as the Asheville Running Experience. South Coxe Avenue between Hilliard and Banks avenues will be fully closed Saturday from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Half Marathon race starts at 7:30 a.m. Additional events on [...]
Asheville’s downtown throngs with many activities that collectively create a unique and vibrant sense of place. Balancing its many uses is an ongoing process in an ever-changing downtown. Discussion at the Aug. 24 Public Safety Committee centered on three high-impact areas downtown, places where many uses intersect, including street performances, pedestrian traffic, sidewalk amenities and brick [...]
Passing a stopped school bus can be a costly mistake. A motorist convicted for passing a stopped school bus in North Carolina can face a fine of up to $200. The result is also 5 points on your license. A significant increase in your car insurance often follows. In 2013, a bill passed the North Carolina General [...]
Asheville’s multimodal mindset is one of its assets. But as we move toward environmentally and healthy practices of bicycling and walking to our destinations people sometimes find themselves in the crosshairs at intersections. Add to that equation the brisk tourist traffic and a vibrant busking scene in downtown Asheville. Sometimes our sidewalks appear to be spilling [...]
The Asheville Police Department (APD), Asheville Fire Department (AFD), and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) will host a local National Night Out (NNO) event 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville. National Night Out is a nationwide outreach program brings neighborhoods together to strengthen community spirit and promote [...]
Asheville area law enforcement officers recently received special training about enforcing bicycle and pedestrian safety laws as part of the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Watch for Me NC campaign. Representatives from the Asheville Police Department’s Downtown Unit and the Traffic Safety Unit attended a one-day seminar July 22 at Asheville-Buncombe Community Technical College. The training [...]
Drivers heading down Kimberly Avenue will encounter a new stop sign at Hampstead Road, recently installed as part of a pedestrian enhancement. Walkers and joggers crossing at Hampstead Road will notice wide crosswalk margins painted on the roadway at all four points of the intersection. Overall pedestrian and multimodal safety along Kimberly Avenue was the focus [...]
The City of Asheville will launch a Watch for Me NC pedestrian, bicycle safety program in August. Watch this video for a preview of the program.
According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, an estimated 17,000 mopeds are being operated on North Carolina roads. Beginning July 1, 2015, a new law, G.S. 20-53.4, requires moped drivers to register their mopeds and pay the same fees as motorcyclists. A moped, by definition, cannot exceed 30 miles per hour on a level surface and [...]
Christina Hallingse, Asheville Police Department’s new Public Information Officer, sees her role as equal support for the APD and to the public, and says that the two roles go hand in hand. She brings a broad perspective to public safety planning and how it plays out in different environments. Hallingse comes to Asheville following a role as [...]
Like many streets in Asheville, Macon Avenue has a speeding problem. The corridor through the Grove Park – Sunset Mountain Neighborhood sees some 7,000 vehicles from a combination of residential, cut-through and tourist traffic each day. Unfortunately, many of these drivers exceed the speed limit through the residential area, a dangerous practice magnified the presence [...]
Community interaction between police officers and the public they protect is crucial to creating positive relationships. That was the message from Asheville Police Department Deputy Chief Wade Wood at a February 13 talk on the UNC Asheville Campus. Wood and Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan spoke and took questions at the “Policing in Minority Communities” [...]