feedback on mount pleasant bike plan

7/30/2019 Feedback on Mount Pleasant Bike Plan

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November 2, 2012

During the last several decades The Town of Mount Pleasant, like many municipalities,

swelled in size, its growth and planning predicated almost overwhelmingly upon use ofthe automobile. But we (planners, politicians and a large percentage of the public)now understand that this auto-centric planning came with a price tag: our bodies,

minds and budgets are paying the price of physical inactivity. Altering our course

means huge changes in our built environment.

The Town is to be commended for taking an aggressive position on re-thinking

transportation, retrofitting roads and streets to make them bicycle and walkingfriendly. Most notable are Coleman Boulevard, Johnny Dodds Boulevard. We are

thrilled about your enthusiasm for the Battery2Beach Route concept. The B2B Route,we feel, will be transformative not only for Mount Pleasant, the Ben Sawyer Causeway,

Coleman Boulevard and other streets. It will set a great example for the entire

Lowcountry. And Mount Pleasant has taken the lead!

Now, we applaud Mount Pleasant for taking the next logical step drafting acomprehensive bike and pedestrian plan. The early draft is a good start, addressing

many of the most obvious problems on specific roads. Now comes the task ofpolishing it, improving it. We suggest a more holistic, coherent approach.

The guiding precept for this process should be adopting an entirely new vision fortransportation: people first no matter which mode of transportation they choose

for each of their trips.

Complete Streets cannot fully succeed without universal connectivity for people onfoot, on two wheels as well as those behind the wheel. It means bike lanes and

sidewalks (or multi-use paths) that link all neighborhoods. It means safe-for-everyoneintersections and crosswalks. And though achieving such a vision may take years, acoherent plan now will lead to success. The lack of a coherent plan will inevitably lead

to more slipshod, ad hoc, reactive and inconsistent changes over time.

The philosophy is If you build it they will come, but if you build it really well, theyllcome in droves.(Think of the Ravenel Bridge.) From what we see and hear from the

public, there is not only a growing appetite for this, but also a latent, silent pent updemand. Bike and pedestrian provisions should be made not with the intrepidcyclist

in mind, but with an eye toward making it comfortable, safe and pleasantfor any and

all users to take advantage of these alternative forms of transportation for even theshortest, most mundane trips (i.e. two blocks to a friends house, three blocks to thestore for a loaf of bread, daily trips to and from school).

What follows is a compilation of the thoughts of a number of people associated withCharleston Moves. The weakness of this approach is that once again, it identifies

specific streets, roads and intersections even though it counsels the coherent, holistic

approach. Nevertheless, the streets, roads, intersections and bridges are cited in theTowns plan, and must be addressed.

FEEDBACK:

MT. PLEASANTS

COMPREHENSIVE

BIKE/PEDESTRIAN PLAN

7/30/2019 Feedback on Mount Pleasant Bike Plan

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JOHNNY DODDS BOULEVARD:

The town should insist upon Full, continuous bike lanes along the new frontageroads.

Safe connections linking neighborhood side streets to the JDB business corridorhave not been drawn.

Connections to other roads (and the Ravanel Bridge) at the ends of JDB are notdrawn.

There is weird connection for one side only at Bowman Rd.BOWMAN ROAD:

Bowman Road is one of the very few connections from the Coleman Blvd. side of town

to the JDB corridor. It is a critical link both because of the paucity of such links andbecause of its central location.

The Bowman Road Bridge over Shem creek is poorly conceived andinconsistent with the Towns aims to become more bike and pedestrian -friendly.

There are no bike lanes, and sidewalks are narrow and unsafe. This was to have been a major bicycle/pedestrian connection through town

leading from JDB to Watermark/Sweet Grass Basket Blvd., northbound JDBeast side,

Although the bridge may have been designed and permitted earlier, we cannotescape the observation that it fails to live up to the Towns stated goals ofbecoming more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly.1

COLEMAN BOULEVARD: Coleman Boulevard has been the subject of copious

amounts of planning and discussion stretching over more than a decade, and the workshows signs of paying off. Were happy to have taken part in many of those

discussions. But, we continue to believe that all steps necessary to make it truly the

Main Street of Mount Pleasant should be taken. Lowering the speed limit, we feel,would contribute much to achieving this objective. And, the subject of on-streetparking still needs attention.

The intersection of Coleman and McGrath-Darby, we feel, must be re-designed. Bothcyclists and pedestrians are in danger given the no yield turn available to motorists

descending into Mt. Pleasant and making a right turn onto MGrath Darby. And totally

inadequate provisions are made for bike/ped traffic approaching the bridge fromColeman. Cyclists must either accelerate to get into the auto left-turn lane, ordismount and cross on foot.

We also sincerely hope that the Town can influence SCDOT soon to consider replacingthe bridge over Shem Creek whose width has produced the dangerous narrowing of

the roadway and the disappearance of bike lanes.2 Until the bridge is rebuilt andwidened to accommodate multi-modal traffic safely, we think the speed limit bedecreased to 30mph and the car lanes lanes should be narrowed over the bridge in

order to accommodate continuous bike lanes.

1NOTE: A number of months ago, Chris Tullmann of Charleston Moves discussed some solid ideas for modifyingthe Bowman Road plan, but construction went ahead with no bike/ped provisions,. 2We have referred to this phenomenon as the now-you-see-em-now-you-dont bike lanes which force bicyclistsinto the auto lane where they are otherwise not anticipated on these stretches of Coleman. Inconsistencies such

as this breed danger for both cyclists and motorists.

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ROUTE 17 NORTH OF THE IOP CONNECTOR: The plan calls for shared use (autos& cyclists) even though the speed limit is posted at 50 mph. Alternatively, we wouldsuggest narrowing the auto lanes to ensure adequate space for a multiuse path (for

which there is adequate ROW space). This would create a safer route that many more

people would actually use.

MATHIS FERRY ROAD: Roundabouts provide good evidence of the towns vision, butfor the most part, the design of this road is behind the times, and fails to provide

equitable transportation choice for the huge number of residents it serves, not tomention the schools it serves. Despite apparent adequate available right-of-way, the

road is totally unsafe for any use by bicyclists, and the meandering multi-use path isappropriate more for children than for adults intent on serious transportation.

RIFLE RANGE ROAD: This road is the spine for a growing number of neighborhoodsand two elementary schools. The entire character of Rifle Range Road is changing andits design should be reconsidered to reflect those changes. With a new park going on

line soon, and with SCDOT in early-stage planning for resurfacing, there may be huge

opportunities for improvements here. While we dont have all ROW widthmeasurements, we would hope to see Rifle Range widened and its posted speed limit

reduced to reflect the long-established trend toward denser housing occupancy as wellas to provide for multi-modal access bikes, pedestrians AND cars). Alternatively, weare aware that there has been discussion of multiuse paths under the power lines andon utility easements, and we believe this option might be a viable even though such a

path would necessarily cross Rifle Range in some places. Careful ROW measurements

will also provide an answer to the question of whether continuous sidewalks arefeasible.3

The Hassell Tract, 96 acres fronting on Rifle Range Road across from Mamie

Whitesides school stretching a half mile Rifle Range to Watermark Blvd., will further

force re-evaluation of the design of both Rifle Range Road and Hungryneck Blvd. Theoccupants of up to 719 housing units (a mix of single family, townhouse &apartments) and perhaps a 200 room hotel, there will be a large demand for walk-

ability and bike-ability. 4

HUNGRYNECK BOULEVARD: This boulevard sees fairly frequent use by intrepid

bicyclists and is another prime candidate for better bike lanes. Its adjacency to

numerous developments and neighborhoods as well as Town Center and other

3We are aware that there are also a few narrow ROW sections of ROW where it will be difficult to find space forsidewalks. In fact, in places the edge of ROW is on front steps of houses. In such narrow places, it may still be

possible to create space on the road for bicycles (shared use with sharrows?) Chris Tullmann was advocating

bike lanes and a wide sidewalk (good for kids on bikes to get to school), then sharrows or wide shoulder for the

sections where ROW is too narrow. In the meantime, the Town might acquire additional ROW when homes are

sold ...or pre-buy the homes pending improvement in the economy and municipal finances.

4The developer is charged with building a "connector" road through the middle of the property by next year. PatSullivan, a Charleston Moves Board member and Mount Pleasant resident, has inquired about the design of this

road recently. Originally, 5' sidewalks were planned. At her suggestion, 5-wide bike lanes were added on both

sides. Later, the plans were amended again, eliminating the bike lanes and replacing them with an & put in an 8'

multi-use path on just one the north side of the road. Further review by Charleston Moves finds no fault with this

plan as long as 10' buffer separates it from the road and optimal access to it is created from adjoining properties

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shopping districts constitute a compelling case for bicycle and pedestrianimprovements, as well as better intersection (and other) crossings.

ROUTE 41: The character of Route 41 is also changing rapidly as developmentproliferates and more and more people also utilize it for access to recreational pursuits

in and around the Francis Marion Forest.

We suggest that a careful review be initiated to determine where crosswalkswould be warranted.

We suggest a review of bicycle and pedestrian connections to and from the newLaurel Hill Park.

The largest single Route 41 issue is the replacement of the bridge to Cainhoy.By failing to make long-term bike/ped provisions, this new bridge will prove abig, long-term disappointment for the Town because it will not take into

consideration the huge promise of recreational activities in the Francis Marion

Forest and elsewhere in the immediate region.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS:

CROSSWALKS: The lack of crosswalks town-wide, and modern crosswalk technology,

is a critical element of our town's ped-bike safety plan that should be considered andevaluated now, and included in the strategy and budget prior to this plan's

implementation.

They are woefully inadequate at many intersections. Without well-marked, safe,crosswalks equipped with pedestrian-actuated lights and the new audible "chirps."

This problem may be particularly acute on JDB, where pedestrians are regularly seen

on US 17 standing in the median, totally at the mercy of vehicular traffic, and, for themost part, the signals that control vehicular traffic. But it is a serious issue

throughout the Town.

Both the traffic and police departments could easily list numerous records of accidentsand complaints throughout the town One such was a well-known incident in Park West

that prompted citizens to describe their own lack of safe crosswalks.5

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Another example is the following letter to the editor published in the Moultrie News:Ihave lived off Coleman Boulevard in old Mount Pleasant for more than 15 years and have witnessedfirsthand the tremendous increase in both the speed and number of vehicles on this main artery. My question

comes from the fear of school children or adults trying to cross this roadway on foot. I cannot believe the

town has never addressed the fact that there is no way to cross this street between Fairmont and McCants

/Rifle Range, or, Fairmont and Myrick. There is not a safe place to get across anywhere, especially anywhere

near the split in front of Royall Ace Hardware. With the grand plans the town has for Coleman, has there

been any thought to improving this situation for pedestrians? Does the town even acknowledge that this is a

problem? (signed)Dan Finley, Mount Pleasant

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BUILD TO ENCOURAGE KIDS TO BIKE OR WALK TO SCHOOL: Streets and roadsshould be conceived and built in such a way that school children can once again use

them to bike or walk to schools.6

OTHER:

Monitoring re-pavement schedules and careful planning and coordination with SCDOTand Charleston County Roadwise may help bring wider roads that can accommodatebicyclists and pedestrians.

Gutter pans should be 5 feet, not 3'. The edge seam is still an issue as the road isrepaved, buses and trucks compress the edge causing gaps and potholes.

BIKES AND SIDEWALKS: Generally, bicycle riding on sidewalks is to be discouragedboth in terms of legislation and in terms of how we design and retrofit streets and

roads. (Why? Bicycle-pedestrian collisions can be very dangerous because of the

higher speeds of bikes. And motorists emerging from side streets or driveways tendto focus on entering the road ahead and fail to anticipate sidewalk traffic.)

SHARED LANES? The plan mentions wide shared highway lanes of 12 feet. Sharing a12 lane on a high-speed multi-lane highway isnt a good idea because it would bedangerous and discourage use by cyclists. (As an alternative, wed suggest putting all

lanes of the road on a road diet to create lanes for bikes.)

LANE WIDTH: Bike lanes must be designed to the AASHTO standard of 4 width (not

including gutter clearance). And, 5' bike lanes along parking puts most cyclists in thedoor opening zone: dangerous. As an alternative, consider narrowing the parkingspaces and drawing a paint-line defined buffer space to give cyclists a wider margin o

safety. ...or put the space into a cycle track instead :)

MULTI-USE PATH WIDTHS: The draft plan shows multiuse paths at 6' in width forone-way traffic and 8' for two-way traffic. The 8 two-way width could be too narrow

to be safe where higher volumes of multi-use traffic are anticipated. It could beadequate if traffic remains low. Bikes, typically, achieve speeds of 10+mph whilewalkers are at 3mph. Building something narrow where greater future traffic is

possible could prove to be shortsighted.A Waterfront Trail is mostly possible from Old Village's Mount Pleasant Academy toIOP connector. Six Mile and Hamlin Roads connect, and have an easy access into

Hamlin Plantation if the politics can be worked out. (NOTE: We feel that inclusion

of water facilities is not necessarily appropriate within a bicycle and pedestrian plan.)

6One of our contributors, a resident of Park West, observes as follows:Sidewalks and propercrosswalks are woefully inadequate along business and school routes in large north endsubdivisions. Park West substitutes sidewalks with one bike trail on only one side of theroadway. There are small stretches of sidewalk in the business corridor. Children can use thelighted crosswalk to reach the other side of Park West Blvd. opposite the schools. However, theymust travel a distance, in the opposite direction, and once crossed, have no sidewalk to safelywalk alongside Park West Blvd. toward the businesses. Children often have doctorsappointments or other activities scheduled in the business corridor of Park West. Yet, there isnot a crosswalk (or crosswalk light) near to/for the business corridor. So, students risk injury ordeath by crossing in the business corridor without a crosswalk. Business owners have expressedserious concerns about this issue. Sidewalks do not exist on either side lining Park West Blvd.except for stretches in the business corridor, and from the Gates to the Summerlin crosswalk.To say that Park West is a strong point in pedestrian and biking accessibility and safety isntaddressing the realities that residents and families face in this PUD.