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Making South Carolina more
bike and walk friendly, since 1995.
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The new SCDOT Departmental Directive for Complete Streets will install 4' shoulders on South Carolina's 6 Bicycle Routes, linked here, during repaving opportunities (when roads need repair), according to the updated ED-22. Those routes were mapped long ago, in order to connect to and between South Carolina's State Park System. These are on road, cross state, bike friendly routes, and the 4' paved shoulders will create a safe space to the right of rumble strips.
Additional routes that will receive 4' paved shoulders include the interim East Coast Greenway Route and others as determined by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and Councils of Government (COGs) throughout South Carolina. If you want 4' shoulders on routes in your area, contact us to inquire how you can work with your MPO and COG to get those into regional plans.
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SCDOT Funding Increases
for Ped/Bike Projects
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The new federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the bipartisan infrastructure bill, is now law. We have been tracking this with national partners, and we are now following up with SCDOT as they move forward.
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South Carolina's Senator Lindsey Graham voted for the IIJA. Thanks to those responding to PCC's Action Alert urging him to do so. Please THANK HIM here.
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Much of this bill is great, especially programs to invest in greenways, remove freeways that fragment downtown areas, and develop and fund complete streets programs.
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The bill could have potentially negative effects if simply used to widen roads.
- Above is the SCDOT's updated graph of their projected funding, which reflects IIJA changes.
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South Carolina's use of federal highway safety money for non-motorized users must increase to at least 15% of their total. The PCC and our SC Livable Communities Alliance already successfully advocated (a few years ago) for SCDOT's decision to allocate 10% of its highway safety money for pedestrian and bike safety, so the existing $5Million Non-Motorized program could double or more, given the IIJA increases this funding pool.
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Increasing Safe and Accessible Transportation Options: sets aside 2.5% of State and MPO planning funds that can be used for Complete Streets policies and standards, prioritization plans, plans to increase transit, or plans to ID alternatives to highway capacity.
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Accessibility data will be provided to states, regional planning bodies and local governments, as required now from the USDOT, to measure access across all modes to improve accessibility across all demographics and transportation modes, through a new Transportation Access Pilot Program.
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A new network program called the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program, will fund the building of active transportation networks within and between communities, as a network or spine instead of project by project.
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Urban heat island effects will be addressed in low income communities, in a new Healthy Streets Program.
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Safety Action Plans and project implementation, will be funded through a new Safe Streets and Roads for All Discretionary program for local governments.
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SCDOT has started this already as their Ped/Bike Safety Action Plan (which was a rollout of their new Complete Streets policy), but the IIJA will require them to do so, including: complete a safety assessment or a quantitative analysis of vulnerable road user fatalities and serious injuries including 1) location, roadway functional classification, design speed, speed limit, and time of day, 2) demographics of the locations of fatalities and serious injuries, including race, ethnicity, income, and age, 3) a list of areas identified as ‘high-risk’ to vulnerable road users, and 4) a program to reduce risks to to vulnerable road users in areas ID'd as high-risk. This is a Safe Systems approach.
The Build Back Better reconciliation bill is not law yet and remains in the US Senate. This bill would give tax incentives for e-bike purchases and enable a Neighborhood Equity and Access program.
As a result of the IIJA, SCDOT's "Specialty Programs" budget will double (the purple bar), which includes some bike and pedestrian projects. In addition, projects for pedestrians and bicyclists, in regional plans (the light blue bar), will have twice as much capacity in 2027 as they did in 2017. This is good news for projects planned by cities and counties that can get approved by their regional planning bodies for regional funding, though they will still be competing with widening projects for increased vehicular capacity. PCC will be working with local and state partners to best leverage the increased funding.
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Hear our Story on the new SCDOT policy |
We presented at the Wholespire conference on the new policy we passed at SCDOT.
Open the linked presentation and hear the story how we built the coalition SC Livable Communities Alliance, and how the policy was achieved. Hear Wholespire's Phil Ford, Partners for Active Living Ned Barrett, and PCC's Amy Johnson Ely.
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PCC is working with agency and non-profit partners statewide to begin developing the framework for a State Trails Plan, which will integrate with our state parks, cities, and towns. We will report more as this proceeds. |
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SAVE THE DATE
Dec 2
Mar 19
Mar 27-30
May 15-17, 2022
Got a ride to share?
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We are only as strong as the members that support us. Donate today!
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Read how to get your own Share the Road plate here. By now, you should have received your updated Share the Road plate design, since all specialty plates were updated for greater conformity throughout SC. Thank you for the support!
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Local Spotight: Spartanburg awarded
$23Million BUILD grant for 15 miles of trails
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Spartanburg and local group Partners for Active Living can be credited with applying and being awarded the 5th highest BUILD grant in the USA of those awarded in 2021, to build 15 miles of trails through Spartanburg's neighborhoods of greatest need.
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Thank You
to Our Generous Sponsors
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Top of the Podium Sponsors |
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Interested in volunteering, working or interning for the PCC? Contact us here. |
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