River Drive buffered bicycle lanes public input meeting
May 8, 2024
There will be a public information and input drop-in meeting on Wednesday, May 29th at the Earlewood Community Center from 4:00pm to 6:00pm, with remarks at 5:00pm. Councilwoman Tina Herbert, City Planning and Engineering staff, and SCDOT staff will be available for questions.
About The Project
SCDOT began resurfacing River Drive in February 2024 as part of their regular maintenance schedule. The City of Columbia’s Walk Bike Columbia Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan, adopted in 2015, recommends Buffered bicycle lanes on River Drive between Sunset and Main Street.
The current resurfacing project will provide striping to delineate 11’ wide traffic lanes which will provide space on either side of the street adjacent to the curb for the addition of buffered bicycle lanes as recommended by the plan. Reducing lane widths to a standardized width decreases speeding.
The proposed lane reconfiguration does not reduce the number of vehicular travel lanes.
Striping of the buffer, bicycle symbols, and signage will be added later.
If implemented, 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.
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/ .
