CURRENT ACTIONS BELOW

City of Charleston E-Bike Ban + Bike Confiscation Program

Traffic & Transportation Committee
Thursday, April 23
Time TBD
City Hall (80 Broad St, 29401)
Livestream HERE

The City of Charleston’s Traffic & Transportation (T&T) Committee has been developing an e-bike ordinance since March. It bans e-bikes from multi-use paths, forcing those riders onto high-speed corridors (such as Highway 17 and Glenn McConnell Parkway), despite the existence of a bike/ped path running alongside them. Recently, it also includes prohibiting people from parking bikes anywhere other than on designated bicycle parking racks. Concurrently, the City removed designated bicycle parking racks along King Street (in preparation for the 2026 Bridge Run), and does not intend to reinstall them.

The T&T Committee will reconvene around the topic on April 23. In advance, we urge you to reach out to the Committee (see email addresses below), in addition to your council member (should they not be on the Committee). You can identify your council district by typing in your address here, then locate your council member’s email address by district number here.

T&T Committee members: cogswellw@charleston-sc.gov, greggb@charleston-sc.gov, mcbridej@charleston-sc.gov, bradyk@charleston-sc.gov, mike@seekingslaw.com, skardonl@charleston-sc.gov

Potential talking points you may want to consider including in your comments:

• E-bikes are often replied upon for commuting, and they offer people with disabilities and physical limitations a viable mode of transportation.
• True e-bikes (not e-motos) are capped at responsible speeds, and as such, should be treated like standard bicycles in this ordinance.
• Relying on “reckless operation” as a means of enforcement is sensible.
• It is dangerous to force people on bikes into lanes of travel along some of our region’s most high-speed corridors, such as Highway 17 and Glenn McConnell Parkway, especially when bike/ped trails exist adjacent to them.
• Prohibiting people from safely operating bikes and e-bikes on paths will contribute to our metro region’s staggeringly high rate of vulnerable road user serious injuries and fatalities.
• There are so few designated bicycle parking stations in the City of Charleston. Taking more away and expanding the confiscation program sends the message that people on bikes are not wanted in the city, and those who work or shop along King Street must do so by way of a motor vehicle.

Regional Safety Action Plan

» Online surveys here (open until April 23)

Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) is developing a Regional Safety Action Plan to identify high-risk locations and improvements to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries. Charleston Moves participates on the advisory committee. The BCDCOG has two surveys open right now; there is a targeted survey and a general survey. Please click here, then select the survey(s) you would like to take on the righthand column of your screen. Your feedback is important to the development of a useful plan.

From the project page: “Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and people with disabilities, face disproportionate risks. Missing sidewalks, inadequate lighting, and complex intersections make navigating our community not just a challenge, but a danger. It is time to shift our approach from reactive repairs to a proactive, regional strategy that prioritizes human life above all else.”

SC Bicycle Safety Stop Bill

The SC Senate passed bill S.812, which would make bicycle safety stops legal (these are also known as “Idaho Stops”). Big thanks to our senators! Now it goes to the SC House’s Education and Public Works (EPW) Committee. That meeting is TBD.

In the meantime, please let our Charleston-area EPW Committee members know you support this bill:

Rep. Tom Hartnett
Rep. James Teeple

The bill requires a person on a bicycle to come to a full stop at a red light, but allows them to proceed when the intersection is clear and safe.

The bill allows a person riding a bicycle to treat stop signs as yield signs, slowing down and yielding to traffic before continuing when safe to do so.

Why we like this bill:

• it simplifies existing SC bike laws (right now, we can proceed on a red light after two minutes)
• it’s backed up by data (Idaho adopted this bill in 1982 and has seen a 14.5% decline in injuries to people on bicycles; Delaware adopted a similar law in 2017 and has seen a 23% reduction in crashes and injuries at stop sign intersections; USDOT has documented the proven safety benefits)
• personal experience — we’re sick of motorists running us off the road when we are stopped at a stop sign, and sensors not detecting us at red lights

City of North Charleston Safety Action Plan

» Online survey + interactive map here (open through July 2026)

Over the next few months, the City of North Charleston wants to hear from you! The team just kicked off their safety planning process, and Charleston Moves is serving on the steering committee. We encourage you to take the City’s survey and use their interactive map to show where you feel unsafe walking, bicycling, driving or rolling, and suggest changes you’d like to see. This Plan will ultimately provide a data-backed set of priority projects, informed by public input, to address safety for all. It will be a valuable tool that enables the City to draw down the necessary federal dollars for implementation. On-the-ground improvements start here — please weigh in!

For those of you who have filled out our survey and petition over the past few years, don’t worry — we’re providing all of it to the City. If you have some time, please also fill out the City’s materials.

Sam Rittenberg Redesign Plan

» Petition HERE

If you were unable to attend the City of Charleston’s public information meeting in December 2025, you can review the conceptual designs and analysis report here, and provide comments via the project’s interactive map here. The concept uses existing right-of-way to create a more functional, welcoming and comfortable street through the use of landscaped medians, updated signalization, wide paths for walking and bicycling, and improved lighting.

The City’s next steps are to complete 30% of the design for two phases, from Charles Towne Drive to Ashley Hall Road, and Ashley Hall Road to Ashley River Road. At that point, the project will be a solid candidate for grants. We at Charleston Moves want to encourage continued forward momentum, so we have started a petition. Please add your name! We hope the City will be able to use this to demonstrate widespread support in their grant applications.

Highway 61 Safety Improvements

» Sign our petition

Following Road Safety Audits conducted by SCDOT in February and March of 2023, in partnership with stakeholders including Charleston Moves, the agency presented findings and recommendations for the public’s review and input. While the comment period has closed, our petition in support of separated bike lanes and an improved crossing at the intersection of 61 and the Maryville Bikeway is still open.

We submitted signatures received so far along with our comment letter to SCDOT. We will resubmit the signatures (as well as new ones) to the agency once SCDOT revises their concepts and brings them back for further review.

North Charleston Needs Safe Transportation Access

» Sign our petition

Where Do You Want To Walk + Bike In North Charleston?

» Take our survey

We want to know where you currently walk and bike in North Charleston, and where you want to see improvements made to enable more and safer multi-modal trips. Thanks in advance for your input!

Cross the Cut

» Sign our petition