Installation of River Drive buffered bicycle lanes

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) began resurfacing River Drive in February 2024 as part of their regular maintenance schedule, and are now installing buffered bicycle lanes between Main and Sunset, as recommended by the City of Columbia’s Walk Bike Columbia Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. Councilwoman Herbert hosted a public meeting on May 29, 2024 with City of Columbia and SCDOT staff, where over 80 people attended and showed overwhelming support for the project.

• The striping will delineate 11’ wide traffic lanes, a 2’ striped buffer, and 5’ wide bicycle lanes on both sides.
• Reducing lane widths to a standardized width decreases speeding, which increases safety for all users (bikes, pedestrians, and vehicles)
• The proposed lane reconfiguration does not reduce the number of vehicular travel lanes.

This will be the first buffered bicycle lanes in the City as recommended by the Walk Bike Columbia plan. The route will provide critical connectivity between the Vista Greenway, currently in design, and neighborhoods in north Columbia as well as Broad River Road and the Three Rivers Greenway. Active transportation routes provide alternatives for shorter trips that reduce traffic congestion.

Changes for using River Drive

Per S.C. Code 1976, § 56-5-3425 Motor vehicles may not block the bicycle lane and shall yield to a bicyclist in the bicycle lane before entering or crossing the lane. Bicycles are required to ride in the bicycle lane except when necessary to pass another person riding a bicycle or to avoid an obstruction in the bicycle lane.

About Multimodal Transportation Planning

Multimodal transportation planning is a shared effort that involves a number of City departments, including Planning and Development Services, Engineering, Public Works, CPD, and Parks & Recreation (where linear parks, or greenways, are developed).  This collaborative approach is integral to implementing the City’s pedestrian and bicycle master plan, Walk Bike Columbia, as well as recommendations of Columbia Compass, the City’s comprehensive plan. You can access information about multimodal transportation planning efforts at https://planninganddevelopment.columbiasc.gov/