Public Called to Complete “Wikimapping” Survey
[CHARLESTON COUNTY] – A county-wide bike and pedestrian improvements plan in development since 2012 is now moving into its final phase. At this stage, area residents are encouraged to submit input towards an existing facilities satisfaction survey as well as a web-based wiki-mapping survey that will highlight potential bike/pedestrian routes.
The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) teamed up with representatives from the Town of Mount Pleasant, the City of North Charleston, the City of Charleston, Charleston Moves, Charleston County, and Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments to put the finishing touches on the Charleston County People to Parks Plan (P2P). The plan started in 2012 during CCPRC’s development of its comprehensive Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Trails (PROST) Plan. As CCPRC now has over 10,000 acres of parkland, the PROST Plan was intended to guide the development of parks and programs based on the future recreational needs of Charleston County residents. The national bike and pedestrian planning firm Alta Planning, who consulted on route analysis for the PROST Plan, also leads the objective bike/pedestrian route prioritization process for this current, more detailed planning effort.
P2P and its public input process will identify safe routes for on-street bikeways and separated bike/pedestrian paths. As its name suggests, the goal of this project is to connect people to parks – be it from school, home, work – by foot or by bike. CCPRC staff would like to receive as much public input as possible from residents of Charleston County and the surrounding areas (see links below), and a randomly selected contributor will receive a free Gold Pass for their efforts.
“We’re trying to build on the great local bike routes and bike-pedestrian plans already in place, while also recognizing gaps in that existing infrastructure,” said CCPRC Land Resource Manager Matt Moldenhauer. “P2P will propose a basic cross-county network of bike and pedestrian facilities that future community-level improvements can link to.”
CCPRC Executive Director Tom O’Rourke adds, “We, with our planning partners, think that individuals and families should feel safe walking or riding their bikes to their parks. The infrastructure doesn’t currently exist in many parts of our region, and funding for these amenities is limited.”
Communities throughout the southeast (e.g., Greenville, SC; Wilmington, NC) have similar plans to improve livability and accessibility for their residents. This plan is intended to serve as the ‘road map’ to guide future regional bike and pedestrian connections in the Lowcountry, while also linking together regional recreational facilities.
Area residents who desire improved bike and pedestrian facilities should visit the survey and wiki-map at www.surveymonkey.com/r/people2parks. Here the public can submit feedback on the quality and availability of existing facilities, and also draw in preferred destinations and routes. Map contributors will be able to review and comment on the routes mapped by previous respondents. Once sufficient public input has been received, representatives from Alta Planning, CCPRC, Charleston County, and their planning partners will weigh in and make further recommendations. The map and survey will be open through July 31.
