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THIS
IS
THE
PETITION
WE
CIRCULATED
TO
ASK
SCDOT
TO
STRIPE
BIKE
LANES
ON
MAYBANK
HIGHWAY.
ALMOST
2000
PEOPLE
SIGNED
IT,
IN
AROUND
FIVE
DAYS.HERE
IS
THE
ENGINEERING
DRAWING
CHARLESTON
MOVES
PROVIDED
SCDOT
SHOWING
HOW
IT
COULD
BE
DONE.
AFTER
CONSIDERING
OUR
REQUEST
FOR
SEVERAL
WEEKS,
THEY
TURNED
US
DOWN.
BUT
CHARLESTON
COUNTY
AND
COUNCILMEMBER
KATHLEEN
CONDON
HAVE
STEPPED
FORWARD,
OFFERING
TO
STRIPE
THE
LANES
ON
MAYBANK
AFTER
SCDOT
DECLINED
TO
DO
SO.SCDOT
HAS
SHOWN
AGAIN
HOW
DRAMATICALLY
OUT
OF
STEP
IT
IS
WITH
THE
PEOPLE
OF
CHARLESTON
AND
WHAT
A
PRICE
OUR
CITIZENS
PAY
BECAUSE
OF
IT.
SCDOT
MAY
BE
GOOD
AT
BUILDING
HIGHWAYS.
BUT
THEY
ARE
OUT
OF
THEIR
ELEMENT
IN
OUR
CITIES,
TOWNS
AND
NEIGHBORHOODS.LET’S
BE
CLEAR:
THIS
IS
NOT
ABOUT
BIKE
JOCKS
IN
SPANDEX.
THOSE
PEOPLE
WILL
ALWAYS
FIND
ROADS
TO
RIDE.
THIS
IS
WHAT
IT
IS
ABOUT:
IT
IS
ABOUT
OUR
TOWNS,
OUR
NEIGHBORHOODS,
OUR
HEALTH
AND
HAPPINESS.THIS
IS
ABOUT
THE
COUNTLESS
BICYCLES
RUSTING
IN
GARAGES
AND
BASEMENTS,
ABOUT
THE
COUNTLESS
SOUTH
CAROLINIANS
WHO
CHOOSE
NOT
TO
RIDE
OR
WALK
BECAUSE
THERE
IS
NO
PLACE
THEY
FEEL
SAFE.
THEY
ARE
THE
FORMER
BICYLISTS,
THE
BICYCLISTS
IN
THEIR
OWN
DREAMS,
THE
PEOPLE
FORCED
BY
HOW
OUR
ROADS
ARE
CONSTRUCTED
TO
DRIVE
A
CAR
ANYWHERE
THEY
GO.
A
LOT
OF
THEM
ARE
OVERWEIGHT
AND/OR
DIABETIC---EVEN
OUR
CHILDREN.
OUR
STATE’S
RANKING
IN
THESE
AREAS
IS
EMBARRASSINGLY,
DANGEROUSLY
HIGH.
ITS
ABOUT
YOUNG
PEOPLE
WHO
WOULD
RIDE
A
BIKE
OR
WALK
TO
SCHOOL
OR
WORK,
ABOUT
DADS
AND
MOMS
WHO
WOULD
LIKE
TO
GO
FOR
A
RIDE
WITH
THEIR
CHILDREN,
SOMEONE
WHO
WOULD
RATHER
NOT
START
UP
A
CAR
TO
GO
A
FEW
BLOCKS
FOR
A
LOAF
OF
BREAD.
ITS
ABOUT
SAVING
ENERGY.THERE
ARE
A
LOT
OF
PEOPLE
AROUND
WHO
“GET
IT.”
CHARLESTON
COUNTY
COUNCIL
MEMBER
COLLEEN
CONDON
IS
ONE
OF
THEM,
AND
WE
THANK
HER
FOR
STEPPING
FORWARD
ON
THIS
ISSUE
TODAY.
LIKE
HER,
MANY
OF
OUR
TOWNS
AND
CITIES
ARE
TRYING
TO
ADAPT.
LET’S
JUST
SAY
IT’S
A
LEARNING
PROCESS.
BUT
MORE
AND
MORE
PEOPLE
ARE
FOCUSED
ON
MAKING
NEIGHBORHOODS
MORE
VIBRANT,
PLACES
WHERE
PEOPLE
CAN
WALK
OR
BICYCLE.
SCDOT
DOESN’T
REALLY
GET
THIS.
AND
IT
STILL
CONTROLS
MANY
OF
OUR
URBAN
STREETS
AND
ROADS.OUR
TRANSPORTATION
NETWORK
MUST
ANSWER
THE
NEED
TO
MAKE
ACTIVE
LIFESTYLES
POSSIBLE:
WALKING
AND
BICYCLING.
THIS
REQUIRES
OPENNESS
TO
CHANGE,
DIALOGUE,
VISION.
WE
HAVE
CONCLUDED
THAT
IN
THIS
AREA,
SCDOT
DOESN’T
POSSESS
THESE
QUALITIES,
THAT
IT
IS
STUCK
IN
ANOTHER
ERA.FOR
EVIDENCE:
HOW
ABOUT
THE
BRAND
NEW
BEN
SAWYER
BRIDGE,
CONFIGURED
SO
IT
IS
NO
SAFER
FOR
BICYCLISTS
AND
PEDESTRIANS
THAN
THE
SPAN
IT
REPLACED,
BUILT
AT
THE
END
OF
WORLD
WAR
TWO.
HOW
ABOUT
THE
NORTHBRIDGE—COSGROVE.
SCDOT
HAS
REFUSED
THUS
FAR
TO
CONSIDER
ALLOWING
IT
TO
BE
USED
BY
PEOPLE
ON
BICYCLES.
NOW,
MAYBANK
HIGHWAY:
AFTER
BEING
INFORMED
THAT
ALMOST
2000
PEOPLE
ASKED
FOR
THEM,
AFTER
WE
PRESENTED
PERFECTLY
VIABLE
ALTERNATIVE
ENGINEERING
PLANS
FOR
RELEASE
9:30
AM
MONDAY
MAY
24
STATEMENT
OF
TOM
BRADFORD,
ACTING
DIRECTOR
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