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January 2013
We are a member supported non-profit working to improve bicycling access, safety and education in South Carolina. |
 Wondering what rides, races and rodeos are happening this weekend? Check out our calendar.
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We are only as strong as the members that support us, so please donate and be a part of our efforts today! |
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Register Now for the 2013 National Bike Summit!
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One of the main difficulties facing bicycle advocates in our nation's capital is that our representatives and senators often see bicycling as a frivolous expense rather than the fiscally sound policy that it is. The 2013 National Bike Summit is looking to correct this misconception by bringing the message that "Bicycling Means Business." The bicycling industry pours billions of dollars into our economy while also creating jobs and encouraging community development across the country, and our united voice- event directors, riding clubs and advocacy groups- speaks out as a powerful constituency. The issues we face are not just those in South Carolina, but all across the country.
The 2013 Summit will be posted at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington DC and will run from March 4-6. Programming will start on Monday, and the final day of the Summit will be the Lobby Day, allowing for advocacy to meet with their representatives, senators and staff. The Summit Bike Ride is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, March 7 to allow you a chance to hit the roads with Congress. Registration is now officially open with an early bird discount, but if you're one of the first 100 registratns to use the promo code "50BUCKS," you will save an additional $50 off the already low registration fee.
We hope you will join us in March. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact either Amy or the League of American Bicyclists' Katie Omberg. Either way, let us know you're going!
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We are still working with SCDOT to determine the best way to deal with the problem of rumble strips in our bike routes. The new design policy for the strips, known as EDM-53, is still in the works and will be used next fall. At that time, DOT should begin using a new and narrower width for all rumble strips, but they are now studying just how narrow the strips can be while still functioning effectively to notify drivers who are drifting off the road.
Once this minimum is established, it will become the baseline for rumble strips across the state. DOT will then filter their list of roads to be rumbled through the Bike Master Plan database- and hopefully will also run it through a larger collection of recreational routes collected by the Coalition from bike clubs around the state. We are still working on compiling this collection, but once it is completed, we hope it will give DOT a better picture of where bicyclists are riding than the decades-old state plan. When there are conflicts between high run off the road rates and recognized bike routes, DOT will notify the Coalition and our partners, who will then work with the agency to resolve the issue. This is our plan with SCDOT, as we work in the interests of bicyclists.
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Tell SCDOT to Preserve Bike Funding!
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SCDOT is accepting public comment on the Transportation Alternatives Program. Concerned residents of our state need to tell SCDOT that funding for bicycling and walking projects is not something we can allow to fall by the wayside. The Department has made investments in alternative transportation infrastructure, and we must keep those investments growing and building if we are to see real returns in improved bicycling and walking in South Carolina. We are starting 2013 with the possibility of severely reduced funding for this vital infrastructure in favor of more funding for the most expensive mode of transportation: cars. Bicycling projects in the long run are cost effective, improve safety and quality of life, advance community growth and development, and create 47% more jobs than projects focused on cars. We believe that SCDOT should recognize the importance of bicycling and walking projects, and we hope you will stand with us.
These are tough times, so it makes all the more sense to focus on where we can spend our money most effectively; the community, health, safety and economic benefits of these programs shows us they deserve to continue receiving equitable funding. While state law caps the mileage of our roadway system, there is still work that must be done in maintenance, widening, adding of safety features- and biking and walking infrastructure can easily be included in these retrofitting projects through road diets, to name one example. Join with us in a united voice to tell SCDOT that we want bicycle funding preserved and included rather than dismissed as unaffordable expenses!
Public comment on this issue will be accepted until this Friday, January 11. Take action and let SCDOT hear your voice today. Together, we can make South Carolina more bicycle friendly!
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Complete Streets & Bicycle Friendly State Application
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Our Bicycle Friendly State ranking has historically gone up and down over the years. Our highest ranking was right after we passed our new bicycle laws, and we have dropped since until we created the Safe Streets Save Lives campaign, which pushed us back up. However, we're looking at another drop for the new ranking. This will be the first year that the National Complete Streets Coalition will include the quality of a Complete Streets resolution or policy into their analysis. The NCSC thinks that our Complete Streets Resolution is weak and unenforceable, which is true. Unless we begin to work on a comprehensive policy, our ranking will go down.
We need a policy that addresses all bike facility treatments when opportunities to retrofit a road arise, not just adding bike lanes to existing roads. Real bike infrastructure is more complicated and involved than simply painting some bike lanes, and we hope to use the NCSC ranking to convince SCDOT of the importance behind considering these issues. We know that the state has limited funds, but it is vital to address all users when using those funds. |
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Rock Hill Recommendations & Accomplishments
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We were thrilled to announce that Rock Hill was named our 6th Bicycle Friendly Community a few months ago, an status that is definitely deserved considering the amount of work the city has put in to improve bicycling: the Rock Hill Outdoor Center and new Giordana Velodrome, a network of recreational trails, and the work the city has done on a new bicycle master plan come to mind. There is room to grow, and we are confident that Rock Hill can meet the challenge.
Among the League of American Bicyclists' key recommendations to improve their bronze ranking are:
- Appoint a staff member as Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator to build partnerships and provide leadership to implement facilities and programs that will increase biking and walking.
- Adopt the bicycle master plan that is being developed (accomplished Nov. 12, 2012).
- Ensure all buses accommodate bicyclists, especially during peak hours.
- Reduce traffic speeds to encourage alternative transportation and improve safety.
- Provide protected bicycle infrastructure along arterial roads to overcome barriers to bicycling.
- Implement Safe Routes to School in all schools to include bike safety educations in schools and make the neighborhoods surrounding schools especially safe for biking and walking.
- Encourage Winthrop University to promote bicycling and to seek recognition in the Bicycle Friendly University program.
We look forward to seeing what Rock Hill can become and working with them to become even more bicycle friendly! |
Mount Pleasant Takes Public Comment
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Our friends over at Charleston Moves have been reminding their public of an important and interesting opportunity in the Lowcountry: the town of Mount Pleasant held a public, drop-in style feedback session to allow the public to have real influence on their comprehensive bicycle/pedestrian plan. We commend Mount Pleasant for allowing its residents this opportunity; the town recognized both that more people would like to walk and bike for transportation and recreation and that understanding exactly what people want and how they use the roadways for alternative transportation can better shape the plan.
Charleston Moves has been working closely with the town, providing feedback and commending the town for working to become more bicycle friendly. Charleston Moves' main suggestions to improve the plan are: making the Coleman Blvd. bike lane continuous, redoing the intersection of Colemanand McGrath-Darby at the foot of the Ravenel Bridge Bike/Ped lane, and improving safety for biking and walking on both Rifle Range Road and Mathis Ferry Road. We hope to see more cities and town follow Mount Pleasant's example by seeking this sort of open public input on bike master plans in the future. To view the bicycle/pedestrian plan, please click here. |
Columbia Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee
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In its first year, Columbia's Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee has done a lot for the capitol city to improve bicycling and bring the community together. The opening of the Vista Greenway was easily the largest accomplishment, and was the first step to provide a new way to connect the Vista and several neighborhoods. Columbia's first bicycle corrals were installed in Five Points, Main Street, and the Vista, serving not only as convenient bicycle parking but also as a visible reminder that the city of Columbia supports and encourages bicycling. Each month, the BPAC has been hosting the Handlebar Happy Hour events at Publick House to allow the bicycling community to meet and mingle while also hearing from speakers on a variety of bicycling topics.
We are proud of the work the BPAC has done so far and look forward to what they can do in the future. The Committee has monthly meetings that have grown consistently and are open to the public. For more information on the BPAC and how to get involved in the city's work to become more bike friendly, contact Natalie. |
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Your share the road license plate supports our bicycle programs and initiatives. If you don't already own one, and are looking for an easy way to support our work and bicycling in South Carolina, then please purchase a plate at your local DMV office today!
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Thank you for your support!
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