THE LATEST

In September 2024, the City of North Charleston’s federal grant application to develop a comprehensive, citywide Safety Action Plan was approved! Stay tuned as they get started creating that plan, and to learn how you can participate.

In April 2023, Charleston Moves staff joined a multi-disciplinary team for a Road Safety Audit of Dorchester Road from Kent Avenue to the Dorchester County line. We’ve proposed various bike/ped improvements, including the likes of a multi-use path, better CARTA access, access management (eliminating driveways and slip lanes), people-oriented intersections, narrowed travel lanes, and more. In September 2024, the consultant hired by SCDOT to coordinate the audit completed their report, and scheduled a public input meeting. Postponed for weather, we will keep you posted on the rescheduled date. This meeting will be coordinated with Charleston County’s proposal for a segment of Dorchester Road from the Dorchester County line to Michaux Parkway.

Alongside a team of local leaders and community stakeholders, Charleston Moves is advocating for a road diet for Rivers Avenue, in tandem with the Lowcountry Rapid Transit project. Collectively, we want to see a reduction in the number and width of travel lanes, widened sidewalks, a multi-use path and landscaping. With state-level, regional, and local support during an October 2023 meeting, we’ve requested the BCDCOG assess the feasibility of this design in their forthcoming Transit Oriented Development, Phase III study.

DESCRIPTION

Roughly 10% of North Charleston residents do not own or have access to a motor vehicle. The City’s comprehensive plan (PRIME North Charleston) places an emphasis on dense, diverse land use practices and zoning policies which indicate that accessible and connected infrastructure is a priority — it’s also a matter of equity. There is great potential to connect people with places through a dedicated network that includes rebalancing major thoroughfares, off-road space for trails, and low-speed neighborhood routes. The Lowcountry Rapid Transit project will be transformative, and high ridership is contingent upon safe bike/ped connections to the stations. To create an impactful mode shift with this project, Charleston Moves is advocating for robust multi-modal connections via dedicated walk- and bikeways, road diets, people-oriented intersections and landscaping for a more inviting experience.

HISTORY

Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan

Safe and connected space for people walking, biking and riding transit throughout the City of North Charleston is vital for quality of life. When residents cannot easily travel to work, it jeopardizes housing and employment stability, education, mental and physical health, and so much more. Though each area of the City is unique, being able to access needs, safely and economically, is a common denominator.

Over 10% of the City’s households do not have access to a motor vehicle, and many more would opt to walk, bike and ride transit regularly should multi-modal infrastructure exist. Connections between neighborhoods, jobs, schools, parks, healthcare, houses of worship and shopping destinations are critical to a healthy, equitable and sustainable community. A Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan is an instrumental tool to guide priorities and facilitate implementation. A guiding document that identifies priority corridors and intersections, with a funding and execution plan, is a critical tool to protect citizens, provide equitable opportunities, and continue growing the desirability of North Charleston, for both long-time and new residents alike.

Since 2021, Charleston Moves has been collecting petition signatures, interviewing community members and collecting surveys to understand how people are choosing to travel, and where they would like to be able to safely walk and bike. In 2023, we interviewed students at North Charleston High School. In 2024, we met with North Charleston’s Mayor Burgess and staff leadership to talk through a federal grant opportunity to apply for funding to develop a Safety Action Plan. The City applied and was selected in September 2024. Stay tuned to details on how you can participate in the creation of this plan! 

Azalea Drive

The Azalea corridor is a key community connector for North Charleston, linking multiple neighborhoods with schools, community centers, the Lowcountry Food Bank, forthcoming Better North Bridge, forthcoming Lowcountry Rapid Transit spine, forthcoming bike/ped bridge adjacent to the I-526 Westmoreland Bridge into West Ashley, Charleston County government headquarters, and more. Throughout 2021 and 2022, Charleston Moves conducted multiple rounds of bike/ped counts to document existing vulnerable road user demand and survey the community. You can reference our report for a deep-dive into our findings. 

In working with the City of North Charleston, Charleston County and SCDOT, Charleston Moves successfully advocated for a road diet of Azalea Drive between Cosgrove and Leeds Avenues. 5’ bike lanes were installed from Cosgrove to Bonds Avenues in 2022, and from Bonds to Leeds Avenues in 2023. This infrastructure is a key connection to the future Better North Bridge. 

The City of North Charleston has a vision to install an off-road trail adjacent to Azalea Drive, along a power easement spanning Leeds Avenue to Cosgrove Avenue, then through the neighborhoods via sharrows and on-street bike lanes to King Street Extension to link up with Lowcountry Rapid Transit. 

Centre Pointe Drive

In September 2023, Charleston Moves staff joined a multi-disciplinary team for a Road Safety Audit of the Centre Pointe area, including Centre Pointe Drive, Tanger Outlet Boulevard, and a segment of International Boulevard. With the enormous amount of development underway in this area, in addition to regular activities at the Coliseum and trips to the Outlets, vulnerable road users are currently not being accommodated. We’ve proposed various bike/ped improvements, and are waiting on the consultant to put together a report. We will keep you posted!

This project also has the potential to link up with Charleston County’s Airport Connector Road, which spans International Boulevard from just east of the I-526 interchange to Michaux Parkway. The plans include a multi-use path.

Dorchester Road

In April 2023, Charleston Moves staff joined a multi-disciplinary team for a Road Safety Audit of Dorchester Road from Kent Avenue to the Dorchester County line. We’ve proposed various bike/ped improvements, including the likes of a multi-use path, better CARTA access, access management (eliminating driveways and slip lanes), people-oriented intersections, narrowed travel lanes, and more. The consultant hired by SCDOT to coordinate this audit has completed their report, and scheduled a public input meeting in September 2024. Postponed for weather, we will keep you posted on the rescheduled date. This meeting will be coordinated with Charleston County’s proposal for a segment of Dorchester Road from the Dorchester County line to Michaux Parkway.

Durant Avenue

In June 2023, Charleston Moves conducted bicycle and pedestrian counts at the Durant/Rivers and Durant/Mixson intersections to document existing vulnerable road user demand. We chose this corridor, as it is identified in SCDOT’s Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Action Plan for its higher-than-average crash history. We’ve also heard from multiple residents that they would like to see bike lanes installed. We are working to compile our report, and will make it public as soon as possible.

Remount Road

In December 2022, Charleston Moves conducted bicycle and pedestrian counts at the Remount/N Rhett and Remount/Rickett intersections to document existing vulnerable road user demand. We chose this corridor, as it is identified in SCDOT’s Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Action Plan for its higher-than-average crash history. You can reference our report for a deep-dive into our findings.

Ashley Phosphate Road

In January 2020, Charleston Moves staff joined a multi-disciplinary team for a Road Safety Audit of Ashley Phosphate Road from Dorchester Road to Rivers Avenue. Between January 2013 and June 2021, 35 people on foot and 16 people on bicycles were hit on Ashley Phosphate Road. On January 22, 2022, we lost another community member while walking. This corridor is ranked as one of the top ten most dangerous in the state for vulnerable road users, and within the top five in Charleston County. In 2022, SCDOT put improvement concepts in front of the public for input, which are based upon the January 2020 Road Safety Audit. You can read more about our stance in a joint commentary with Representatives Gilliard and Pendarvis.

Following the public comment period, during which Charleston Move and the City of North Charleston provided input, there has yet to be an update from SCDOT.