featured community spotlights
Charleston, SC
about
The Lowcountry Connections partnership is led by the Berkeley-Charleston- Dorchester Council of Governments and was established to increase active living and encourage healthier lifestyles. The vision of this partnership is to reduce bicycle and pedestrian accidents and fatalities, decrease dependence on automobiles, and enhance the area's quality of life. The partnership is creating an accessible, regional bicycle/ pedestrian network that will link neighborhoods, commercial areas, parks, schools, and other destinations throughout the tri-county area. This project is a model for using a regional planning agency, such as a council of governments, to develop trails and promote an integrated approach to active living.
Lowcountry Connections recently completed a tricounty Bicycle/Pedestrian Action Plan that provides a framework for trail development. They also are promoting "Complete Streets" and Safe Routes to School initiatives, and advocating for more active living infrastructure. The partnership is coordinating with Charleston Moves, the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, and the League of American Bicyclists to conduct Complete Streets training for South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) engineers, developers, planners, and other interested organizations. The partnership also is seeking funds from the Environmental Protection Agency to promote better land use within the region and federal and South Carolina public safety funds to implement Safe Routes to Schools programs.
The partnership launched Bike/Walk to School Week, which included biking and walking with the students via their usual routes to school, with Charleston Moves and the Medical University of South Carolina's Trident Safe Kids Program. Over 200 students, parents, teachers, law enforcement officials, community leaders, and members of the media experienced the challenges and obstacles to walking and biking to school. As a result of the Bike/Walk to School Week, Lowcountry Connections funded bike rodeos throughout the region to provide students with more advanced training in bicycle and pedestrian safety. The bike rodeos have now trained over 650 students.
Additionally, three cities/towns in the region have been selected to participate in intensive bicycle/ pedestrian community awareness programs targeted at policy makers, school officials, and law enforcement. The partnership currently is working with Charleston Moves to complete several active living public service announcements and create a bicycle level of service map. Mayors of each town will sign a pledge promoting accessibility, and city/ town councils will receive sample ordinances.
The Lowcountry Connections partnership is led by the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments and includes the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Quality, Charleston Moves, the Citadel, the East Coast Greenway Alliance, the Medical University of South Carolina, the South Carolina Department of Transportation, Roper-St. Francis Healthcare, the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, the Coastal Cyclists, and others.
our story
Residents in the Lowcountry of South Carolina do not have enough sidewalks, bike lanes, greenways, or neighborhood connectivity for safe, active, and healthy living. In order to get to school, children must cross over busy intersections, take buses, or be driven by adults. To encourage parents, teachers, and students to bike to school and throughout the community, Lowcountry Connections partnered with Charleston Moves as part of Cycle Fest to bring Bike Rodeo safety programs to four area schools. Over 650 students, teachers, and parents were trained in the important safety rules for bicyclists.
One school participating in the all-day bike safety training was Mary Ford Elementary in North Charleston. Over 70% of the students at Mary Ford are African American and qualify for free lunch, and many of them walk or bike to school. Jaime was one of the students who spent his physical education period circling the obstacle course and learning the importance of braking with the brakes (not with his feet), stopping at stop signs, and wearing a helmet. He stayed on to assist with the next class and was given his own helmet. His teacher remarked that he was so proud of the helmet that he put stickers all over it and promised to wear it over the weekend.
opportunities
As of 2000, the Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester tri-county area had 549,033 residents. Health conditions in the area are similar to unhealthy statewide trends, with 58% of the population at risk for chronic disease from a sedentary lifestyle. The project area has significant health challenges, including high rates of cardiovascular disease and stroke, inactive youth, and a high pedestrian injury rate.
In Charleston, like many communities, it is difficult to walk or ride a bicycle to work, school, and other destinations. The partnership is addressing barriers associated with a lack of support from elected officials and inadequate funding for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. In a recent study, South Carolina ranked next-to-last in the percentage of federal transportation funds allocated to bicycle/pedestrian facilities. Furthermore, despite Charleston's historic downtown, recent development in the region has spread outward in the form of conventional, disconnected, auto-dependent suburbs.
In the future, Lowcountry Connections will focus on implementing the Bicycle/Pedestrian Action Plan, including establishing Safe Routes to School programs and securing funding for bicycle/pedestrian improvements as part of a recently-passed sales tax referendum. The partnership also will reach out to community organizations and neighborhoods to engage them in active living efforts. Upcoming events include supporting active living initiatives in the Cooper River Bridge Run, which will have over 40,000 participants, the Earth Day Festival, Tour de Tomato, Bike to Work Month, Cycle Fest, Festivelo, and Santa Cycles.
accomplishments
In Action
