RPD is making speeding a chief priority—and cracking down to save lives.
Better late than dead on time. It’s a chilling reminder of what we see playing out on the Raleigh streets. “Speed is a killer,” said Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson in a sit down interview with Raleigh Magazine. “In the month of October alone, we had 12 fatalities.” Twelve—which is more than double what we had last December. Certainly a sobering statistic that makes you stop and think—and, hopefully, slow down. Which is exactly what the Raleigh Police Department wants you to do. But in case you don’t heed the warning, tickets are coming.
Enter the rollout of its speed reduction enforcement (see “What You’ll See”). Key word: Enforcement. RPD—in full transparency—wants you to know speeding is a chief priority. “We want to let people know that we’re serious about speed and that you need to slow down,” said Patterson. “We’ll be running radar, and if a car is speeding, then we’ll stop them. The goal is for them to see us out there. This isn’t a secret. They’re going to see highway patrol vehicles, RPD vehicles, motorcycles… and they’re gonna know we’re doing a big speed enforcement.”
If you’ve been through Five Points recently, perhaps you’ve noticed the new trio of fixed electronic speed monitors, starting near the high wreck zone that is the NoFo bookended shopping center (like the July wreck that saw a car careen into those storefronts at 80mph) and ending on the other side of the bridge.
“Coming into Raleigh, I didn’t identify speeding as one of my big things. But I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Once I got here and saw people driving recklessly, the number of fatalities and wrecks… many of which are due to speeding or inattentive drivers, it became a priority for me.”
–RPD Chief Estella Patterson
So why the crackdown? Well, besides the obvious grave October statistic, since joining RPD this summer, speed is the No. 1 complaint Patterson hears—a problem that she acknowledged seems to have accelerated with more drivers back on the road post-pandemic.
These are not hidden cop cars and police officers in bushes trying to trap you. This will be in plain sight citywide—but with a focus on problem areas. Glenwood is a popular complaint, as are Creedmoor and Millbrook, she said. “It’s the long corridors, especially when there’s no lights and people can really just speed on those roadways. So, because of that, we’re not just focusing on one particular area. The big driver for us is the data. We are targeting areas where we’re seeing multiple fatalities—where people are dying as a result of speed.”
To spread a wider net—and because other jurisdictions are seeing the same concerns and complaints—RPD is working in conjunction with partners like the highway patrol, as well as local police agencies (Apex, Morrisville, Holly Springs, etc.) in its speed reduction enforcement.
And now, as we enter December, when we tend to see, anecdotally at least, more traffic, collisions, drinking and driving, and speeding… education and transparency are crucial for Patterson. It’s a message she has reiterated at every community meeting, at every opportunity—including this interview—with plans of putting it on blast on RPD social channels.
The Chief acknowledges that while the October fatality stat may be an anomaly, “nonetheless it was a very high number. And many of those were speed-related, and they were senseless,” she said. So it’s important now that RPD really pushes the needle on this, putting officers out strategically where they know people are driving at excessive speeds. “If we work collaboratively and people know that officers are out and that we’re cracking down on speeders, that will serve as a natural deterrent.”
This is RPD informing you up front to slow down to save lives—or there will be consequences. So, when you “do get a citation,” said the Chief, “you won’t say, ‘Well the police are setting up speed traps.’ No, we’ve been telling you that we’re gonna be out there and that we’re gonna be cracking down on speeding.”
What You’ll See
RPD’s speed reduction enforcement elements
HOW
Mobile Speed Trailers
Radar Guns
Electronic Speed Monitors
Motorcycle Units
UPCOMING DATES
12/3 Expect a saturated patrol (aka allocating large numbers of extra squad cars) with RPD, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and highway patrol.
12/8 A citywide school bus project (think RPD motorcycles following buses) in response to complaints of people speeding around stopped school buses
Gather is no longer a bad word—and we are ready to max the mingle this holiday season. Since we are all more thankful than ever for time together, this year, we suggest you swap those hours in the kitchen with memorable moments by outsourcing these holiday staples. We know—the Greatest Generation (circa early 1900s) instilled in us to cook every morsel of our own Thanksgiving meals—but women also kept the home… and times they are a changin’ (minus the meal staples).
A century since those days of post-World War I renewed hope and defined gender roles, where the turkey and all the trimmings were prepared by the woman of the house, in today’s myriad homes—dual-working, single parent, childless professional and so on—it’s become acceptable to not only potluck it up (nod to Friendsgiving, credited largely to Friends and millennials), but to reap the tasty triumphs of local chefs at the ready to prepare these holiday faves to delicious result.
And often the cost difference of buying up all the ingredients is a wash—plus, time is money, folks, and sweat equity is a thing. Translation? It’s not taboo any more to order out some fab dishes—and support local in the process—so you can focus on the fam instead. (And, yes, you can still make that legacy pumpkin pie or casserole, obv). So peep our shopping list, get your orders in—then pour yourself a cocktail and pull out the cornhole boards. This year’s for quality time.
“Truly” begging you to ask “White Claw, who?” is your newest boozy effervescent RTD (aka ready to drink) obsession, Ranch Water Hard Seltzer, rolling out in November. Brought to you by local spirits heavy weight Lonerider Brewing Company (clearly pushing the boundaries of that brewery moniker—and we are here for it), North Carolina’s first Ranch Water bev weighs in at a cool 80 calories and 3.6% ABV—meaning you can savor this refreshing hard seltzer’s tequila essence, agave, lime puree and sea salt sipper without getting sloshed on one (perf—because we dare you to drink just one). So, essentially Lonerider is at the forefront of the RTD revolution. “Craft breweries ushered in the revolution that the beer industry is in today,” says Lonerider CEO and “Chief Drinking Officer” Sumit Vohra. “The breweries now have to evolve as a next-generation beverage company. RTDs are a prime example. The next evolution in RTDs will focus on bringing cocktail flavors to the market. And that’s where our Ranch Water will bring the simplicity and refreshness of this classic cocktail to North Carolina.” We’ll drink to that. Oh, and stay tuned for a jalapeno pineapple version in the mix soon. Look for it at Lonerider, in grocery stores and loneriderbeer.com;ranchwaternc.com
Local podcasts you should check out to stay plugged in
Dirt NC
If you’re lookin’ for the latest dirt on all things “built environment” in the land of the pines, you’re gonna wanna tune in to this recently launched podcast about NC’s awesome places and spaces and the peeps behind them, hosted by Raleigh placemaker and business developer Jed Byrne. dirtnc.buzzsprout.com
We Get Real AF
Who run the world? Girls! And this female-led and -driven upbeat emerging tech and science podcast by co-founders Vanessa Alava and Sue Robinson is at the forefront. Launched June 2020 and featuring influential, super-cool high-tech females to educate, inspire and empower, “WeGRAF”—which stands for Women and Girls in Emerging Tech, XR, AI and Futurism—is already racking in best tech and best new podcast accolades, and top 25% download rankings. So just like Bey predicted… “My persuasion, can build a nation / endless power / with our love we can devour.” GIRLS! wegetrealaf.com
NC State ‘Stuff’
If you bleed red and white, then you know—the Law of the Wolf always creeps in: missed field goals, a triple-OT “knee down,” the 2021 College World Series send-home… heartbreaking failures, uncanny coincidences and so on. Is the Pack cursed or just down on its luck? 99.9 The Fan’s rad radio personality Lauren Brownlow digs into what’s been dubbed “NC State ‘Stuff’” in this year’s five-epipod series where she chats bewildered fans, former players, sports-sperts, psychologists and more to determine: Is State really doomed? Or is it just, well, NC State ‘Stuff’?wralsportsfan.com
Love Nature
If you’ve got 99 probs and a birch ain’t one then you’ll be stoked to learn North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ podcast has returned in its investigation of our inherent fascination with all-things nature via guest field experts (think science, research, art and more) who promise to inspire and stoke deeper understanding—naturally. love-nature.org
Flood-prone nuisance elevated to urban Waterfront District
If you’ve lived in Raleigh for any significant length of time, then you know on a rainy day the Crabtree Creek area floods to mind images of news anchors standing in rushing waters, submerged car lots and impassable roads. It’s also likely not lost on you that, shy of a few lakes, we live in a waterless town—dry of the waterfront draws of such cities as Chicago, Austin… even Richmond—and existing as one of the few capitals not built along water or a bay.
Now, making water out of, well, water (or lemonade out of lemons, if you will) is the emerging Midtown Waterfront District—one of seven “Big Moves” (see sidebar) the City of Raleigh is making as part of its Walkable Midtown plan (the name a nod to the huge emphasis on walkability and connectivity).
“The proposed Waterfront Park District is hugely ripe with potential for development.” —Tara Robbins, MRA Executive Director
Ever since the General Assembly swiped right on Raleigh in 1788 as the home of our state government over, say, the bustling little waterfront town of Fayetteville, city planners and citizens alike have dreamed up myriad ways to flow water into DTR—nod to the once in-jest concept of a Capital Boulevard Canal.
“People simply like to be close to water, and active urban waterfronts are beloved places in many cities across the globe,” says City of Raleigh Senior Planner Jason Hardin. And while Downtown water may still be a dried up idea… “what if we can bring an urban place to an existing waterfront?” adds Hardin—“a place that combines an active, lively urban district with an existing waterway that actually has higher flow than many rivers in the state.” Ergo, reconfiguring the northern edge of Crabtree Creek, adjacent to Creekside and Industrial drives just south of Midtown East—Wegmans, Costco, etc.—on Wake Forest Road.
Picture this. Riding your bike on rolling waterside greenways before propping up for a brew with views. Strolling with your partner or pup before popping into a hip retail spot. Perching with a book pre meeting friends for a bite on the banks. All positioned in a reimagined high-density residential area chock-full of 7- to 12-story mixed-use buildings with residential, retail and restaurants.
“Once we started looking at the area alongside the Crabtree, we realized the potential opportunity,” adds Hardin. “For most of the city’s history, it has turned its back on the Crabtree.” Hence, now you see parking, vacant lots, warehouses. Much of the current industrial area is past its usable life cycle—not to mention that floodplain.
Some of the pieces have already begun to fall into place, including a recent city land acquisition of property along the bank of the Crabtree Creek that can form the heart of the future Midtown Waterfront Park.
What’s next? The city is actively seeking private partners to help manifest this vision. “We had conversations with a number of property owners and builders during the planning process,” says Hardin. “There are major plans for two sites north of Six Forks Road along Industrial Drive, and similar projects closer to the waterfront seem likely as well.”
Adds Hardin: “I think people have been captivated by this vision for a Waterfront District.” Captivated, indeed.
