Everyday brings more and more pedestrian friendly events, goals to improve our infrastructure for drivers, walkers and bicyclist and committees formed to educate us on the importance of being given a choice of travel.
The City of Florence is continually researching ways to improve and expand our current Florence Trails System. The Eastern Carolina Community Foundation is constantly looking for grants and stakeholders to contribute to the health and wellbeing of all Pee Dee residents.
The Florence Trails Committee members are always brainstorming...
--where are the areas in need of connectivity to the trail system;
--where are new sidewalks or improvements to existing needed; and
--which roadways are utilized on a daily basis by residents to reach their
point of destination either on foot or by bicycle and what amenities are
needed for this road to make their trip as safe and pleasant as possible???
Of course, it takes money to achieve these brainstorming ideas, which we all know can be few and far between. But hey, at least the ideas are there when the 'green' is available.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has enhanced their regulations on transportation federal funding to promote sustainable, livable, walkable communities. The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is on the same page with FHWA, not only promoting these initiatives, but making safety and decreasing traffic congestion a top priority.
The Florence Area Transportation Study (FLATS) receives federal funding for transportation related projects. One of many documents FLATS is required to maintain and update on a regular basis is the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The FY2035 LRTP is in the final draft stages and will be presented to the FLATS Policy Committee on September 27th. The Policy Committee is the decision making body for FLATS. One of the ten chapters in this document regards bicycle and pedestrian facilities (Ch. 6). The entire document can be reviewed on the County Planning Transportation website. Look for more information on the adopted LRTP soon. Lots of information!
Florence County is fortunate to have numerous committees, businesses, schools, and stakeholders, just to name a few, jumping on the bandwagon with FHWA and SCDOT to promote safe, healthy, multi-modal options for us.
I thought you might be interested in learning of a recently formed committee in our area. Florence has just become a 'Certified Chapter' of Eat Smart Move More South Carolina (ESMMSC). The Eat Smart Move More Coalition is a result of a merger of the SC Coalition for Obesity Prevention Efforts (SCCOPE) and the SC Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (SCCPPA). For more information on ESMMSC, check out their website .
The Florence Chapter anticipates their webpage becoming live in the next couple of months. It will be accessible through the ESMMSC website. Make a note to keep visiting this website and check out the things your local chapter is doing in our area.
Showing posts with label trails. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trails. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 21
Monday, September 13
Planning for the Pedestrian
The latest Florence plan for transportation has a significant focus on alternative ways to get around including by foot!
See the urban area plan here and County plan here.
Recent news from the past two months aren't the only indications of conflicts between walkers and drivers. Oftentimes, I personally see pedestrians crossing Irby Street at various locations to access the library, convenience stores or drug stores. On larger roads like Lucas Street, pedestrians use the shoulders to get where they want to go. There are still other clues of pedestrian use just by looking at the worn path along roads such as National Cemetery Road, Pamplico Highway and Palmetto Street. I am making my own path along Cherokee Road!
There is little doubt that walking is an important mode of transportation.
Obviously, news reports on when pedestrian and car mix improperly usually result in a very bad outcome. Forty-five miles per hour and 3800 lbs. versus a 200 lbs person (I use my own weight, not yours) at 3 miles per hour has terrible odds when they meet. I hope I never find out what that feels like; and with those odds, I probably wouldn't. But I digress. There is a long list of issues that may not be readily apparent to a driver. Pedestrians are oftentimes walking in edges of unkempt yards and trash thanks to our faster transported cohorts (that's a whole other blog). Sometimes pedestrians walk uneven shoulders as is the case on Cherokee Road which has a steep side and a more flat side (although State Law says that you must always be on the left for two-lane roads). I opt for the flat side every time although I am not walking against traffic for half the time.
Other issues include the obvious. Why would someone walk when they have a car (that is, if they have a car): it's either a desire to enjoy a walk through the park over waiting for the light to change, or a necessity. I know I contend with speeding traffic whizzing by, hoping they had their cup of coffee and see to avoid me. I hope the grass is mowed and the sprinklers are off as I walk to work. I hope turning vehicles don't mind waiting a few more seconds so I may cross. I hope the sidewalks I find are in good repair. I hope the suicide lane on Irby Street doesn't morph into a merging lane. I hope the temperature is below 75, but I would be asking for too much by that time. I wish Cherokee Road was a bus route.
In fact, if you live in more rural areas of the county, your transportation options are ever more limited and I am sure you would have to deal with higher grass at the least. In order to live outside of municipal limits, one would certainly need access to a car (or a neighbor with a car!). The American Association of Highway Officials (AASHTO) recently reported that improvements are needed to the "rural transportation system to keep agriculture, new energy products, and freight moving; improve access for the travel, recreation, and tourism industries; connect new and emerging cities; and to ensure reliable access to key defense installations..." However, the lack of multi-modal options in the report stirred the National Rural Assembly (along with YouthBuild USA, the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL), Redwood Coast Rural Action and others.) to counter that "public transit, regional, and inter-modal systems" should be included.
Even through the recent planning process, it's hard to determine the solution of where to utilize limited funds for multi-modal projects. Without much feedback from rural residents, can the assumption be made that everyone has a car there. Or are rural areas among the only affordable locations to live with transportation continuing to take a bigger share of family income?
Individuals and government agencies consider many factors when planning on that next house to live in or road to improve. What is your perspective on transportation priorities?
 |
| Downtown Florence improvements that lend to pedestrian traffic. |
See the urban area plan here and County plan here.
Recent news from the past two months aren't the only indications of conflicts between walkers and drivers. Oftentimes, I personally see pedestrians crossing Irby Street at various locations to access the library, convenience stores or drug stores. On larger roads like Lucas Street, pedestrians use the shoulders to get where they want to go. There are still other clues of pedestrian use just by looking at the worn path along roads such as National Cemetery Road, Pamplico Highway and Palmetto Street. I am making my own path along Cherokee Road!
 |
| A road with limited pedestrian capacity. |
There is little doubt that walking is an important mode of transportation.
Obviously, news reports on when pedestrian and car mix improperly usually result in a very bad outcome. Forty-five miles per hour and 3800 lbs. versus a 200 lbs person (I use my own weight, not yours) at 3 miles per hour has terrible odds when they meet. I hope I never find out what that feels like; and with those odds, I probably wouldn't. But I digress. There is a long list of issues that may not be readily apparent to a driver. Pedestrians are oftentimes walking in edges of unkempt yards and trash thanks to our faster transported cohorts (that's a whole other blog). Sometimes pedestrians walk uneven shoulders as is the case on Cherokee Road which has a steep side and a more flat side (although State Law says that you must always be on the left for two-lane roads). I opt for the flat side every time although I am not walking against traffic for half the time.
 |
| Some shoulders show signs of heavy pedestrian and bicycle use. |
Other issues include the obvious. Why would someone walk when they have a car (that is, if they have a car): it's either a desire to enjoy a walk through the park over waiting for the light to change, or a necessity. I know I contend with speeding traffic whizzing by, hoping they had their cup of coffee and see to avoid me. I hope the grass is mowed and the sprinklers are off as I walk to work. I hope turning vehicles don't mind waiting a few more seconds so I may cross. I hope the sidewalks I find are in good repair. I hope the suicide lane on Irby Street doesn't morph into a merging lane. I hope the temperature is below 75, but I would be asking for too much by that time. I wish Cherokee Road was a bus route.
In fact, if you live in more rural areas of the county, your transportation options are ever more limited and I am sure you would have to deal with higher grass at the least. In order to live outside of municipal limits, one would certainly need access to a car (or a neighbor with a car!). The American Association of Highway Officials (AASHTO) recently reported that improvements are needed to the "rural transportation system to keep agriculture, new energy products, and freight moving; improve access for the travel, recreation, and tourism industries; connect new and emerging cities; and to ensure reliable access to key defense installations..." However, the lack of multi-modal options in the report stirred the National Rural Assembly (along with YouthBuild USA, the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL), Redwood Coast Rural Action and others.) to counter that "public transit, regional, and inter-modal systems" should be included.
 |
| A typical cross-section and traffic of rural roads. |
Even through the recent planning process, it's hard to determine the solution of where to utilize limited funds for multi-modal projects. Without much feedback from rural residents, can the assumption be made that everyone has a car there. Or are rural areas among the only affordable locations to live with transportation continuing to take a bigger share of family income?
 |
| PDRTA waiting at the Timmonsville greenway. |
Individuals and government agencies consider many factors when planning on that next house to live in or road to improve. What is your perspective on transportation priorities?
Thursday, July 16
Attention All Paddlers!
Anyone out there familiar with The Scenic Rivers Program, established by the SC Scenic Rivers Act 1989? I wasn't until I was fortunate enough to be asked to join the Lynches Scenic River Advisory Committee. The upper section of the Lynches River was designated a State Scenic River on March 24, 1994, while the lower section was designated on June 11, 2008.
Thanks to the efforts of SC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism and SC Department of Natural Resources a grant was received from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and a Lynches Scenic River Water Trail Guide has been created. The guidebook contains information on the portion which flows roughly 111 miles from U.S. Highway 15 Bridge in Lee County to its confluence with the Great Pee Dee River, which by the way, is another SC State Scenic River.
The guidebook is waterproof, however there are specific instructions on how to dry the sheets if the book gets wet. These instructions can be found on the DNR website under Managed Lands and Secenic Rivers. A pdf of the guidebook is also available at this site.
You can pick up a copy of the booklet (FREE!) at any of these locations:
- Florence DNR office;
- Florence County Planning Department;
- Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library;
(carded copies will also be available here and at each of the Florence County libraries)
- Naturally Outdoors;
- Two outfitters on the Lynches River (River Ratz & Swamp Fox);
- Lynches River County Park;
- Woods Bay State Park;
- Lee State Park; and
- The Cotton Museum in Bishopville.
Poster size signs with specific information will be placed at the following landings:
- Highway 15, Lee County;
- Highway 76, Sumter County;
- Highway 401, outside of Olanta;
- Half Moon Landing, above Johnsonville;
- Highway 41/51, Odell Venters Landing;
- Lynches River County Park @ canoe landing and @ Highway 52 landing.
Small blue "South Carolina Scenic River" tree signs will be posted visible by water or land at other landings available to the public. No signs will be posted on private landings.
Thanks to the efforts of SC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism and SC Department of Natural Resources a grant was received from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and a Lynches Scenic River Water Trail Guide has been created. The guidebook contains information on the portion which flows roughly 111 miles from U.S. Highway 15 Bridge in Lee County to its confluence with the Great Pee Dee River, which by the way, is another SC State Scenic River.
The guidebook is waterproof, however there are specific instructions on how to dry the sheets if the book gets wet. These instructions can be found on the DNR website under Managed Lands and Secenic Rivers. A pdf of the guidebook is also available at this site.
You can pick up a copy of the booklet (FREE!) at any of these locations:
- Florence DNR office;
- Florence County Planning Department;
- Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library;
(carded copies will also be available here and at each of the Florence County libraries)
- Naturally Outdoors;
- Two outfitters on the Lynches River (River Ratz & Swamp Fox);
- Lynches River County Park;
- Woods Bay State Park;
- Lee State Park; and
- The Cotton Museum in Bishopville.
Poster size signs with specific information will be placed at the following landings:
- Highway 15, Lee County;
- Highway 76, Sumter County;
- Highway 401, outside of Olanta;
- Half Moon Landing, above Johnsonville;
- Highway 41/51, Odell Venters Landing;
- Lynches River County Park @ canoe landing and @ Highway 52 landing.
Small blue "South Carolina Scenic River" tree signs will be posted visible by water or land at other landings available to the public. No signs will be posted on private landings.
The date, time and location of the Dedication has yet to be determined. I'll keep you posted.
I can't begin to elaborate on all of the great information this guidebook contains. So, run out and pick one up soon (limited supply of FREE books) and take it with you on your next outting on the Lynches River. I've got mine and my outting is in the works. See you on the river!
I can't begin to elaborate on all of the great information this guidebook contains. So, run out and pick one up soon (limited supply of FREE books) and take it with you on your next outting on the Lynches River. I've got mine and my outting is in the works. See you on the river!
Tuesday, March 17
Busy Thursday!
The public should feel very lucky to have two opportunities to hear what's going on around Florence:First, there is the second (rated a 'thumbs up' by Florence Morning News) meeting in the three meeting series to discuss the Future Land Use map at Eastside Christian Church, 3541 East Palmetto Street. County Planning staff will be there from 5-7PM with a presentation at 6:00PM. Feel free to drop in anytime.
Then, if that wasn't good enough, the Florence Trails Committee will be having a meeting at Naturally Outdoors (2519 W. Palmetto) from 5-6PM to discuss a grant opportunity from the State Parks and Recreation Department.
And best of all - visit both meetings and get a bonus - I'll hold off the 6:00PM Land Use presentation for 15 minutes so you may join in on both experiences. Florence County will have staff attending both meetings to answer any questions.
Two meetings, 60 blocks apart - this is your public meeting challenge of the week!
Have kids? The first child to ask a land use question (at the Future Land Use meeting) will get a large color area map to share with their school classmates.
Monday, December 22
Trails Documents
As I promised in my November blog, our Florence Trails Committee Mission Statement and By-Laws are posted for you. Check them out on our website.
I haven't heard from any of you about joining our group. It's an open invitation.
Our next meeting will be in February, so give me a shout.
I plan to have the Florence Trails Map and Master Bikeway Plan online for you sometime in January. I'll let you know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)