The Charleston area continues to be one of the deadliest places in the country for those who walk and cycle. But political support for pedestrian safety projects is improving, according to its supporters.
Transport authorities at the municipal, state and municipal levels are carrying out new studies and construction projects to make pedestrian crossings, bike lanes and bridge crossings safer for people who are not in cars or trucks.
Groups pushing for more pedestrian safety measures argue that the region has made great strides in recent years with regard to public awareness of the issue.
“The importance of making the streets work for more than just drivers has increased significantly,” said Katie Zimmerman, executive director of Charleston Moves.
But there is still more work to be done to make roads and intersections easier and safer for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, she said.
Zimmerman, who also sits on the Charleston City Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee, said the biggest problem was that spending on pedestrian safety measures did not reach public support for these improvements.
“We are not investing enough in connected, usable and comfortable spaces for people to walk or cycle safely,” she said.
A good example, said Zimmerman, is the intersection of Azalea Drive and Cosgrove Avenue in North Charleston. She and her team at Charleston Moves recently watched how people who are walking or cycling manage to pass this intersection by firing in traffic.
Most people who need to cross this big intersection, she said, do not use the crosswalks, which are faded and can hardly be seen by drivers.
Instead, they cross the road even further, where they can get a better view of the approaching vehicles. This puts these people in more dangerous situations that could be avoided with better signs and well-identified passages.
“This example is happening in many places,” said Zimmerman. “People are doing the best they can. The situation on the ground is simply not safe.”
Situations like this also help explain why the Charleston region continues to record a significant number of pedestrian deaths each year.
A new report released this month shows that more than 188 pedestrians died in road traffic accidents in the Charleston-North Charleston metropolitan area between 2010 and 2019.
The half-yearly report, entitled Dangerous by Design, is published by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition.
This year’s findings showed that the Charleston region was ranked among the top 20 metropolitan areas in the country between 2009 and 2019 for the pedestrian death rate per 100,000 people. And South Carolina was ranked the fourth worst state in the country for pedestrian death rates in that period.
The Charleston region ranked better than other cities, when the study tracked the number of people in the metropolitan area who actually walked or cycled to work. He ranked the area as the 41st most dangerous for pedestrians on the country’s 100 largest subways.
Important projects are already underway in the region that can serve as great examples of how to make walking and cycling easier and less risky.
In downtown Charleston, the city and the SC Department of Transportation are in the process of building the first protected bike path along Brigade Street.
Charleston County transport officials are planning to add better sidewalks and pedestrian paths along Folly Road on James Island.
And, in one of the region’s most ambitious efforts, the city of Charleston is already preparing to build a $ 18 million pedestrian bridge that will connect the peninsula to West Ashley.
Projects like this can make a big difference for people trying to get to work, the supermarket or another destination. And investments will also reduce the number of cars on the roads.
Keith Benjamin, director of the Traffic and Transportation Department for the city of Charleston, said he is excited about the larger projects his team has been able to carry out in conjunction with the state and county.
But the most important improvements for pedestrians are not always the big projects that are announced with great fanfare, said Benjamin. In some cases, it can be as simple as adding flashing signs or newer pedestrian crossings, he said.
Benjamin and his team pursued some of these changes through efforts such as the 700 Crosswalks Project, an initiative that has enabled the city to work with state transport authorities to improve crossings at traffic lights.
Almost all projects in the transportation sector in South Carolina, said Benjamin, require collaboration between city, district and state officials.
“We have a lot of work to do,” he said, “but we are moving the needle.”
Catch up Andrew Brown at 843-708-1830 or follow him on Twitter @andy_ed_brown.