PCC News, Jan 2024

January 2024 News

Do you have a Share the Road plate yet?!

Do you have this specialty license plate for your car? If not, use this link to get one easily.

For ONLY an additional $30 once every 2 years, you can get this specialty license plate on your car. This cost is simply added to your car's registration fee (tag fee). This is one of MANY things you can do to support PCC's work, as we advocate for everyone biking and walking in our state. Plus, getting a plate means you advertise your love of biking - so there you go.

PCC walks another Walk Audit in West Columbia on Hwy 378

PCC participated in another Walk Audit to provide safety recommendations on another dangerous road. This Audit, initiated by the Community Health Coordinator at Brookland-Lakeview Empowerment Center in West Columbia, was located along 378 around Lexington Medical Center where there were a significant number of pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries. The problem was identified by the new organization in West Columbia: Active & Accessible Community Transit. Also attending were representatives from SC Department of Public Safety, ABLE South Carolina (disability advocates), SCDOT, and City of Cayce planning department. This group was 1 of the 5 local groups in SC's Walkability Action Institute. SCDOT plans to fund some improvements soon.

SC Trails are awesome!

We love being part of the SC Trails Coalition and Healthy Palmetto! Share this video in the images below, from our partners at Healthy Palmetto, so more people know about this growing trails initiative in our state. SC Trails is one of a handful of focus areas of the larger Healthy Palmetto. SC Trails is comprised of members of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, SC Recreation and Parks Association, SC Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, and Kids in Parks.

Collectively, SC Trails is establishing a statewide trails community and a framework for mapping all the existing trails in the state. The organization is also creating a plan for connecting and maintaining trails and building new ones, advocating for increased trail use through programming and public outreach, and breaking down barriers to trail accessibility to all South Carolinians. Healthy Palmetto is the statewide collaborative focused on healthy eating and active living, where quality of life in South Carolina is a priority, and everyone has an equitable opportunity to thrive. By elevating the unique expertise of these unique partners, Healthy Palmetto is laying the groundwork for a sustainable model where other priorities can be added to over time.

DYK??

Crosswalk paint got the "O.K." from the feds

A recent op ed in the Washington Post tells us there's a new rule for painting crosswalks! SCDOT often cites the MUTCD manual, which governs intersection signage and crosswalk design among other bits, and it's important to know this manual received a recent update! Thanks to significant federal advocacy, crosswalk paint is now considered a permitted safety treatment that's even fundable with federal safety money. Need further proof to try this with your local planners? Just tell them this: "Bloomberg Philanthropies partnered ... to produce a study of 17 past arts-driven projects ... [and] found a 50 percent reduction in crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists and a 27 percent increase in drivers yielding to pedestrians with the right of way."