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.
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