Skip to content
Triangle Local

Raleigh, Wake County

Raleigh: City will try rubber turn-calming wedges on Glenwood South

The city's project page says installation begins in November. WRAL, citing an Oct. 26 update, independently reported the $200,000 pilot and the switch away from flexi-posts.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

Downtown Raleigh buildings under a blue sky

File photo: James Willamor (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • The City of Raleigh's Glenwood South Safety Pilot page, last marked 3:22 p.m. on Oct. 26, 2026, says the project is meant to improve pedestrian safety on Glenwood Avenue from North Street to Johnson Street and lists a $200,000 budget.Confirmed by City of Raleigh, Glenwood South Safety Pilot project page (fetched Oct. 28, 2026)
  • That page says turn-calming wedges, described as mountable rubber wedges similar to speed bumps, will be placed in the roadway to slow turning vehicles while still allowing larger vehicles and trucks to turn. Installation of those wedges "will begin November 2026."Confirmed by City of Raleigh project page
  • WRAL, posted Oct. 28, 2026, at 10:08 p.m., independently reported the same $200,000 pilot, the North Street-to-Johnson Street stretch, and a November start for the wedges, citing an Oct. 26 project update.Confirmed by WRAL (Oct. 28, 2026)
  • The city page says staff installed vertical delineators, or flexi-posts, in painted corner extensions in November 2025 to tighten corners, and that after a month most of those posts were struck, dislodged, and missing. Staff are exploring the wedges as a more durable and cost-effective treatment.Confirmed by City of Raleigh project page
  • WRAL wrote that city staff installed 10 flexible posts at Glenwood Avenue and Johnson Street in November 2025, and that a city project update said only three of the 10 remained after a month because of repeated impacts. The Oct. 26 public page we read does not print those two numbers.Confirmed by WRAL, citing a city project update
  • A July 7, 2026, Transportation staff memo in the city manager's update said staff tested flexi-posts at Glenwood Avenue and Johnson Street in November 2025 and that of the ten installed, only three remained after one month due to repeated impacts.Confirmed by City of Raleigh, Manager's Update 2026-27, memo dated July 7, 2026
  • The city page says painted curb extensions are expected to be completed in Fall 2026, and that a six-month observation period for Phase 1 will begin after the wedges are installed. An online survey will collect community feedback.Confirmed by City of Raleigh project page
  • More than 750 people took part in the city's January and February 2025 community engagement, the city page and WRAL both wrote. More than 90 percent of participants said they walk while in Glenwood South.Confirmed by City of Raleigh project page; WRAL
  • The city page says Phase 2 will explore raised crosswalks on the west side of each intersection. It says steep grades make raised intersections unsuitable at Johnson Street and North Street, and that a raised intersection at Tucker Street was not selected because drainage, resurfacing, and curb-ramp work would consume most of the budget.Confirmed by City of Raleigh project page
  • WRAL independently reported those same limits on raised intersections and wrote that the pilot will not widen sidewalks or fix tree pits.Confirmed by WRAL (Oct. 28, 2026)
  • The city page says a material loading zone at Glenwood Avenue and West North Street will be removed, with similar loading at a commercial loading zone on the northwest corner, and that a valet loading zone at Glenwood Avenue and Tucker Street will shift 20 feet east.Confirmed by City of Raleigh project page

Still unknown

  • The exact November date when wedge installation starts
  • How many wedges will be placed, and at which corners
  • Whether the Fall 2026 painted-curb work is already finished
  • Results from the six-month observation period, which has not started

What this means for you

Roads
The city says turn-calming wedges will be drilled into Glenwood Avenue starting in November 2026, and that painted curb extensions are expected to be finished in Fall 2026. A material loading zone at West North Street will be removed and a valet zone at Tucker Street will move 20 feet east.

Instructions from City of Raleigh, Glenwood South Safety Pilot project page

This site is not the City of Raleigh. For the project, use the city's Glenwood South Safety Pilot page. This is not an emergency service. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Raleigh, the city plans to install rubber turn-calming wedges on Glenwood Avenue starting in November, according to its Glenwood South Safety Pilot page.

That page, marked 3:22 p.m. on Oct. 26, puts the work between North Street and Johnson Street and lists a $200,000 budget. WRAL, writing Wednesday night and citing an Oct. 26 update, independently reported the same stretch, budget, and November start.

The wedges are mountable, the city wrote, and are meant to slow passenger cars while still letting trucks complete the turn. Each one is to have a black-and-white pattern and reflectors and will be drilled into the street.

Staff first tried flexi-posts in painted corner extensions in November 2025. The public page says most of those posts were later struck, dislodged, and missing.

WRAL wrote that 10 posts went in at the Johnson Street corner and that a city update said only three remained a month later. The Oct. 26 page we read does not print those two numbers. A July 7 staff memo in the city manager's update does: of the ten installed at that corner, only three were left.

Painted curb extensions are expected to be finished in Fall 2026, the city wrote. After the wedges go in, Phase 1 enters a six-month watch, with an online survey.

More than 750 people joined the January and February 2025 outreach, the city and WRAL both wrote. More than 90 percent said they walk in the district.

Phase 2 may add raised crosswalks on the west side of the intersections. The city said steep grades rule out raised intersections at Johnson Street and North Street, and that Tucker Street was dropped because drainage and curb-ramp work would consume the budget. Sidewalks will not be widened in this pilot, and tree pits are a separate maintenance job.

A material loading zone at West North Street will be removed. A valet zone at Tucker Street will move 20 feet east.

This site is not the City of Raleigh. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What we don't know yet

The November start day. How many wedges will be placed. Whether the painted-curb work is already done.

What happens next

The city says installation begins in November, then a six-month observation period. We will update this story if the project page posts a start date.

Photos

Text-only. No city diagrams or WRAL photos are used here.

Why it matters

Glenwood South is a walking district. The city is changing a $200,000 safety pilot after flexi-posts did not last, and drivers and pedestrians need what the project page says will be installed and when.

Updates

  1. Oct 28, 2026, 8:06 PM

    The city's Oct. 26 project page says rubber turn-calming wedges will start going in during November on Glenwood Avenue from North Street to Johnson Street. WRAL independently reported the $200,000 pilot and the switch away from flexi-posts.

Sources

  1. Glenwood South Safety Pilot (City of Raleigh project page, marked 3:22 p.m. Oct. 26, 2026: Glenwood Avenue from North Street to Johnson Street; $200,000; Mobility Development Group / Transportation; turn-calming wedges described as mountable rubber wedges; installation will begin November 2026; November 2025 flexi-posts in painted corner extensions; after a month most were struck, dislodged, and missing; painted curb extensions expected Fall 2026; six-month Phase 1 observation after wedges; online survey; January 27-February 28, 2025 engagement; over 750 participants; over 90 percent walk; Phase 2 raised crosswalks; no sidewalk widening; no tree-pit work in this pilot; loading-zone changes at West North Street and Tucker Street. Project lead Monique Gyant.)

    Official sourcePublished by City of Raleigh · Checked Oct 28, 2026, 8:00 PM

  2. Raleigh tries new approach to pedestrian safety on Glenwood South after posts fail (WRAL, Bailey Stamos, posted Oct. 28, 2026, 10:08 p.m.: $200,000 Glenwood South Safety Pilot; North Street to Johnson Street; Oct. 26 project update; rubber turn-calming wedges; November installation; November 2025, 10 flexible posts at Glenwood Avenue and Johnson Street; city update said only three of the 10 remained after a month; more than 750 people in January and February 2025 engagement; more than 90 percent said they walk; painted curb extensions; Phase 2 raised crosswalks; steep-grade and Tucker Street budget limits; no sidewalk widening or tree-pit work. WRAL commuter quotes and the station photo of a city diagram are not used here. Text-only.)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 28, 2026, 8:00 PM

  3. Glenwood South Safety Pilot: Phase 1 Update (City of Raleigh Manager's Update 2026-27, staff memo dated July 7, 2026, from Monique Gyant to the city manager: Phase 1 at West Johnson Street, Tucker Street, and West North Street; November 2025 flexi-post test at Glenwood Avenue and Johnson Street; of the ten installed, only three remained after one month; turn-calming wedges described as low-profile, mountable rubber wedges; six-month observation after installation. This memo is from July, not from the Oct. 26 public page. Used for the 10-and-3 count that WRAL also printed.)

    Official sourcePublished by City of Raleigh · Checked Oct 28, 2026, 8:00 PM

Related stories