The Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina clearly sees the value of bikes and local infrastructure, taking steps to add more cycling access on area bridges. Earlier, the South Carolina state transportation officials added bike access to a federally funded bridge, a step ODOT refused to consider. The federally funded bridge has proven to be so popular, they have even hosted wedding groups. Building on the success, the Mayor announced more plans for bikes on bridges.
Here's the information:
Win for Charleston, SC: Old Bridge to Be Retrofitted: According to the Charleston Moves E-News, "Mayor Joseph Riley has announced the city's plan to add a cantilevered 10-ft wide bicycle and pedestrian lane to the southernmost of the two Ashley River bridges." The bridge is the primary conduit for travel between the downtown Charleston and West Ashley, but has been a roadblock to cyclists and pedestrians. Charleston Moves has actively championed access for cyclists and pedestrians to this important bridge. They report that the City of Charleston is now seeking funding for construction.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/may/14/create_better_bridge_links40740/
Kevin Cronin
ClevelandBikes : When ClevelandBikes, Cleveland Benefits!
www.clevelandbikes.org
Retrofitting bridges for bikes, pedestrians
GCBL staff Says:This is a very cool initiative, thanks for the information. It seems the wild popularity of the Ravenel Bridge in South Carolina has fostered a whole new culture of accepting cyclists and runners on bridges in that state. Apparently, the Cooper River or Ravenel Bridge is so popular with cyclists and runners that the state DOT had to add parking lots at either end (which sort of defeats the purpose, but at least it shows that the department of transportation was taking the idea seriously).
How can we inspire a similar revolution at the Ohio Department of Transportation, which is currently considering how to reform itself? With ODOT spending millions in emergency funds just to keep the Innerbelt Bridge in working order
(http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/1211531594200290.xml&coll=2) how can we lessen the burden on this and the future Innerbelt Bridge while simultaneously improving transportation options for the 25% of Clevelanders without cars? The answer: retrofit the Innerbelt Bridge (and build the next generation of bridges) with multi-purpose paths.
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