"The Connector" Fight Makes USA Today (today)

What's it like to Ride a Bike in Holland??

My! How things vary around the world!

CHARLESTON MOVES APPEALS TO THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

Charleston Moves has appealed directly to Robert St. Onge, the Secretary of South Carolina's Department of Transportation to review (and overturn!) the ban on bikes and pedestrians issued Monday for the James Island Connector. You can read the entire letter by clicking here St Onge JIC Plea - Final Charleston Moves continues working on several fronts to overturn or amend this ban, and is cooperating with other organizations toward that goal.

Connector Bike Ban Official

The signs went up today on the James Island Connector..

Charleston Moves continues to work intensely behind the scenes to find a way around this.  Note that the state law has been in effect since before the James Island Connector was built approximately 18 years ago.  Aware of the law, officials in Charleston had been turning a blind eye to it and allowing its use by people on foot and on bikes, understanding that it remains the safest route between the peninsula and James Island.

The Charleston Police Department now will have enforcement responsibility but has indicated that intends only to issue warnings, at least in the immediate future.  We have had no indication whatsoever that the department intends to be "tough" on bicyclists.  

Charleston Moves and other organizations have been exploring possible remedies, including legislative changes in Columbia.  We understand that some people have limited transportation options and that use of bicycles in some cases is necessary.  We believe that people on bikes and on foot have every right to use our streets and roads. But we also would never recommend that inexperienced bicyclists use freeways, like the James Island Connector. 

We are working hard to find a solution!

Stay tuned.  Give us a hand.  Make a contribution.

Misery Loves Company??

Word of the threatened James Island Connector bike ban reached the 25,000-member League of American Bicyclists and nabbed a spot in their e-mail newsletter (giving Charleston some unwanted notoriety....and some company with another city in the negative spotlight.)

Here's their coverage:

Bike Bans in Bicycle Friendly Communities?      

Last week we learned of bike bans in two cities designated as Bicycle Friendly Communities - Albuquerque, N.M., and Charleston, S.C.Ironically, both come in the aftermath of tragic fatal crashes involving cyclists in those communities, and neither of the bans really does anything related to solving the causes of the crashes. In Albuquerque, "No Bicycling" signs appeared last week on Chappell Road - a popular connecting route for area cyclists - and in Charleston riders are threatened with enforcement of a ban on the James Island Connector, a critical link from downtown Charleston to the west. In both cases we are working with local cycling groups to resolve the issues and encourage League members to contact Bike ABQ, the Duke City Wheelmen, and Charleston Moves respectively. 

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Read 'Em!

Great letters to the editor today...
1.  on the commute from Summerville to Charleston (over the Route 17 bridge)
2.  the short-sightedness of banning bikes on the James Island Connector

for both, CLICK HERE