Mayor Riley: Bike ban to be put in place on JI connector

Bicycles soon will be prohibited on the James Island connector, says Charleston Mayor Joe Riley.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is putting the ban in place, Riley said. But city police will enforce it. He expects it to happen "in a number of weeks." Pedestrians also will prohibited from using the connector, he said.

The city already has approved the design of signs that will be posted on the connector, Riley said. The SCDOT is now in the process of making the signs.

Tom Bradford, director of Charleston Moves, called news of the ban disappointing. The connector is not ideal for bicycles, he acknowledged, especially near the ramps. But it is the safest way currently available for bicycles to travel between James Island and the Charleston peninsula, he said.

In July, Dr. Mitchell Hollon was killed when he was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle across the connector. The accident has raised concerns and questions about safe bicycle routes in the Charleston area.

Riley said a plan in the works to convert one lane of the bridges over the Ashley River to a bike and pedestrian path would give bicycles safe access to the peninsula.

The state has given a green light to the project, a move that allows planners to work on the design. But so far, nobody has landed money to pay for it.

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