Position on DOT Graylyn Parking Ban

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As you may already know, the Department of Transportation has banned parking on Graylyn Drive off of Ebenezer Church Road in Raleigh.

Read the News & Observer’s November 20th article

Graylyn is a highly used entrance for Umstead State Park. Graylyn is currently a gravel road, but will be paved in the spring. Parking will no longer be allowed before nor after the paving is completed. The DOT cites several reasons for their action:

-Parking was creating erosion problems.
-Parking disrupted the private residences along Graylyn.
-After the road is paved, it will not be wide enough to accommodate parking.
-The Secondary Roads Program’s goal is to pave all gravel roads in Wake County.

But is paving Graylyn in the best interest of the community? While the DOT claims that it seeks to remedy the erosion problem, the DOT does not have a good track record of preventing erosion during its own projects (example: the Edwards Mill Road Extension where mud spilled into a Richland Creek tributary). Umstead State Park did not request paving Graylyn and was not even aware of the DOT’s actions until after the work had begun, so was there really an erosion problem? By banning parking, park visitors will have to drive further to the Glenwood entrance of Umstead or to the Harrison Avenue entrance in Cary (since parking has also been previously banned on Reedy Creek Road). When asked whether there was opportunity for citizens to provide input, the DOT responded that they typically do not ask for input for secondary road projects such as this one. Where is our say?

At a time when we are trying to encourage more outdoor activity and stewardship for our environment, should we really be making it harder to access one of our largest, most popular state parks?

Share your concerns or comments with Wake County DOT Maintenance Engineer Steve Halsey: shalsey@dot.state.nc.us