Do You Walk or Bike Columbia?

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “How do we get around in our town? How do we go from being a society and a community that has to get in our car to go anywhere to thinking about other ways of doing that?,” says Sheila Smith, Columbia resident That question is being raised by Columbia residents attending the Walk/Bike Columbia public input meetings. “One of the things we’ve heard the most about is connectivity,”says Jean Crowther of Alta Planning and Design. Some residents are here because they have a vested interest. “I walk for the same reason anyone else does. I go to work, I go to the library, I go to the store, I go to events. Sometimes, I just want some fresh air,” says Tolly Honeycutt, Columbia resident Other residents want to know how money for the project, stemming from the Richland County Penny Tax passed in 2012, will be spent. “We got 20 years, about a billion dollars coming in and it needs to be used wisely,” says George Crouch, Columbia resident Alta Planning and Design is working with the City of Columbia on the project. The company touts the 2013 award winning Walk/Bike NC plan on their website. “Columbia has the benefit of this really grid-oriented downtown, great sidewalk network in downtown, great business districts,” says Crowther Some agree. “The moment you cross the river, you definitely see a difference. It’s very spotty, some sidewalks but they aren’t very well maintained and lighting can be poor,” says Honeycutt Some residents say the city has a shining example in downtown. “The university took Assembly Street and made it more pedestrian friendly by increasing the median,” says Crouch The meetings give residents a chance to vote for things they want to see like, new side walks, cycle lanes, intersection improvements for pedestrians, bicycle-friendly intersections and more. “There are a lot of intersections and a lot of major roads I won’t cycle on because it’s too dangerous,” says Smith “This is a great running town, you see, and it’s a great family town. Where I live, lost of people have their children in their carriages,” says Crouch After the public input meetings wrap up, the ideas will go into recommendations that will be compiled over the next two months. From there, we’re told, cost estimates and ways to move forward will be announced over the next 1-3 years. The final public input meeting will be held Thursday, July 31, 2014 at Woodland Park Community Center on Olde Knight Parkway from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.