Biking from Carrboro to UNC (Raleigh, Durham: apartment, renting, chapel) - The Triangle Area - City-Data Forum

victor20 · 04-21-2009, 06:48 PM

I am moving to Chapel Hill from the West Coast to join the UNC faculty. Carrboro seemed like a really nice little town next to Chapel Hill. I was thinking of renting an apartment in Carrboro and commuting to work every day. Other than in summer I was thinking of biking from Carrboro to work everyday. Is that doable? Are there proper bike lines. I don't think I'd like to bike on the highways. Any advice is welcome. Thanks so much for your help!

sbanawan · 04-21-2009, 06:53 PM

Totally doable. There is a bike/walking path through Carrboro directly to campus.

toot68 · 04-21-2009, 07:08 PM

As long as you live north of NC-54, very easy.

needcaffeine · 04-21-2009, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by victor20

I am moving to Chapel Hill from the West Coast to join the UNC faculty. Carrboro seemed like a really nice little town next to Chapel Hill. I was thinking of renting an apartment in Carrboro and commuting to work every day. Other than in summer I was thinking of biking from Carrboro to work everyday. Is that doable? Are there proper bike lines. I don't think I'd like to bike on the highways. Any advice is welcome. Thanks so much for your help!

Yes! Real short ride. Most of your ride is going to be through very bike friendly roads throughout. Both Carrboro and Chapel Hill are very bike friendly. If at any time you get tired of riding, take the bus home and you can hang your bike to the front of the bus.

That way, you can ride your bike to school in the morning even in the summer and just take the bus back.

Francois · 04-21-2009, 09:34 PM

Some parts of Carrboro are WALKABLE to campus (technically, though I wouldn't do it regularly). Absolutely bikeable. Also, the bus system in the area (rainy days, etc) is very thorough, and free.

CHTransplant · 04-22-2009, 06:25 AM

You can get a map of bicycle trails in Chapel Hill and Carrboro here:

Map (http://www.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us/common/modules/documentcenter2/documentview.asp?DID=196 - broken link)

victor20 · 04-22-2009, 11:23 PM

Thanks so much for all your advice! I feel sooo welcome already..

ksabbeth · 05-20-2009, 09:57 PM

I'm also moving to Chapel Hill to join the UNC faculty this summer/fall, and I don't own a car because I've been living in cities where I've gotten around on public transportation. Would it be possible to continue to do that in Chapel Hill? In case it's relevant, I'll be living for the first year in Meadowmont and after that looking to buy in another location, hopefully also right on the bus lines. Thanks for any suggestions.

CHTransplant · 05-21-2009, 07:00 AM

True urban walkability does not exist here, even in mixed use developments like Meadowmont. Yes, you can ride the free CH bus system to the campus (or bike), and you can probably walk to the grocery and a few shops in Meadowmont. But getting anywhere else will be extremely difficult without a car.

orulz · 05-21-2009, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHTransplant

True urban walkability does not exist here, even in mixed use developments like Meadowmont. Yes, you can ride the free CH bus system to the campus (or bike), and you can probably walk to the grocery and a few shops in Meadowmont. But getting anywhere else will be extremely difficult without a car.

Actually I'd say downtown Carrboro is pretty close to "true urban walkability" - or at least it's the closest thing the triangle has to it. My wife (then girlfriend) lived in Cedar Court just north of the Harris Teeter/Weaver Street Market and it was pretty awesome. Very bikeable to UNC. There is a bike path which connects to Cameron Street, which has bike lanes all the way into campus. My brother did it every day for 5 years as a grad student - except during poor weather when he rode the bus.

The only downside, if you're thinking of going car-less in Carrboro, is that the regional buses (Triangle Transit) only serve Chapel Hill - so it's more of a hassle to get anywhere outside of the CH/Carrboro area. You can't get anywhere in Durham, Cary, Raleigh, ETC. without first riding CHT to Chapel Hill and then transferring to a Triangle Transit bus.

Meadowmont is indeed an interesting possibility - and the transit is more convenient since the Triangle Transit bus goes right by it. You can get directly to Southpoint or Target at any time of the day, and also have pretty quick access to Raleigh, Durham, etc. in addition to frequent free service on the Chapel Hill bus. It will certainly be possible to live there without a car. Try it out for a year or so while you're renting there. You won't starve and won't go crazy from boredom for lack of a social life. You will have to make some sacrifices, but it might work out for you, depends on your personality and expectations.

I do, however, suspect you will feel somewhat "isolated" at Meadowmont. It's nice, but unlike downtown Carrboro, it's not the "heart" of the community, or really the "heart" of anything - more of a little enclave.

I actually tried going carless for a while in the Triangle. Worked great while I was a student, but once I graduated I eventually gave in and decided to buy an old, small used car for cheap, and just not use it very much. What sealed the deal was that it was actually very hard to go on dates without a car. It seemed like it would be lame always ask my GF to do all the driving, even if I paid for the date and the gas.