Mar. 13. 2020 (Rock Hill, SC) The Bike/Ped Coalition of York County submitted the below feedback in response to “SCDOT’s Public Notification of a New Interchange Project on I-77.”
The Bike/Ped Coalition of York County advocacy committee appreciates the opportunity to comment on the South Carolina Department of Transportation’s new interchange project on I-77 (mile marker 81 in York County near the planned Carolina Panther’s development).
We ask you to incorporate safe access for people walking, bicycling, and otherwise rolling (e.g., wheelchairs and strollers) into your planning. Your stated goal is “to support the increased traffic volumes as a result of the Department of Commerce’s economic development project associated with the new Carolina Panther’s development.” We urge you to incorporate not just “vehicle throughput” in your planning, but “people throughput” (which includes people on foot, bicycle, and public transit); minimizing vehicle-multimodal conflicts; and public health. You can add this into your “Project Purpose and Need Statement.” We also encourage you to solicit input from the Bike/Ped Coalition of York County as a full-fledged stakeholder.
We believe that public streets should be safe, convenient and accessible to everyone. For York County to be a safe, livable, workable and healthy community, we need a continuous and connected multimodal pathway system, including along arterials and collector roads. People need pathways for safe walking, cycling and wheelchair rolling; transportation, exercise and recreation; and transit use. This would benefit the community economically and improve the quality of life for our citizens. The mere existence of sidewalks, bike paths, and increased access to transit has positive effects on safety, physical activity levels, and access to economic opportunities. There has been a national and global trend toward increased bicycle and pedestrian activity, and we see the same increase in York County.
Therefore, we encourage you to expand and connect the pathway system throughout York County as a multimodal network as opportunities become available, including when new roads are built, roads are repaved, and interchanges are built or reconfigured.
Sincerely yours,
Elizabeth Duda and Ben Ullman, Co-Chairs, Bike/Ped Coalition of York County
Luther Dasher, Advocacy Chair, Bike/Ped Coalition of York County
About the Bike/Ped Coalition of York County
- Vision –An engaged York County where bicycling and walking are safe, accessible and preferred forms of transportation and recreation
- Mission – To support York County and its communities becoming more bicycle and pedestrian friendly
- Purpose –
Educate, advocate, and promote the health, economic, environmental and social
benefits of bicycling and walking.
- Share, generate and validate ideas and information amongst local governments, government entities and organizations on efforts, successes and challenges related to York County communities becoming more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.
- Equip York County residents with information to advocate for safer, accessible bicycling, walking and running.
- Engage decisionmakers and community members throughout York County on the health, economic, environmental and social benefits of bicycling and walking.
- Facebook page (@BPCYC): https://www.facebook.com/BPCYC/
#BikeWalkYorkCounty
The Rock Hill Herald covers this project in John Marks’ 02/27/2020 article at “Here’s the latest on the new I-77 exit coming for the Carolina Panthers headquarters.”