Connecting a key route for bicyclists

I had drive to James Island to run an errand quite early one day last month, and when I returned I got caught in what must be a regular traffic jam -- commuters heading over the James Island connector to their jobs on the peninsula. At 8:30, it had backed up well onto the highest point of the span over the Ashley.

It was slow going for a few minutes. But while I waited for the traffic to clear, four people zipped by me on my right, riding their bikes.

One had a briefcase on a rear carrier. Another was quite well dressed and appeared to be a professional headed for his office.

Still another rode a rickety-looking bike, his clothes suggesting he was a restaurant worker.

The first three looked fairly well off. The last could easily have been one of many Charlestonians who don't own cars (or who can't afford to drive them often).

Those four people zipping from James Island to their jobs downtown are part of a growing population of people using bicycles for transportation in the greater Charleston area. If each had been behind the wheel of a car, our little automobile backup on the connector would have been four cars worse.

Maybe they were among the people we're welcoming to Charleston for the jobs we've added here. Maybe they actually chose Charleston because it is flat and has generally great weather, making it potentially a great city to navigate by bicycle. We hope they're not disappointed and we're working toward that goal: Making Charleston a great city to navigate on a bicycle.

It's hard to believe that in 2012, some people still curse bicyclists. Others simply envy them for being out in the fresh air and for the exercise they get on their daily commute.

And even if you aren't sure that bicycle commuting is for you, you are a beneficiary of this trend.

At the dawn of the 21st century, most everyone "gets it." Less environmental impact, lower transportation costs and fuel dependency, better health and fitness - these are some of the obvious benefits of using a bicycle rather than a car.

Several years ago, Charleston County voters actually embraced the trend when they approved a half-cent sales tax to help pay for green spaces and better transportation, expressly including more and better walking and bicycling facilities.

Within the past few months, this newspaper has praised a decision to build a bicycle-pedestrian path alongside Henry Brown Boulevard in the Goose Creek area. It has welcomed plans for a bike lane on a Route 17 Bridge over the Ashley, and actual new bike lanes on St. Andrews Boulevard and on Morrison Drive.

Charleston Moves has consulted with engineers about bike lanes planned for Spruill Avenue, and even for the Isle of Palms connector.

The dark lining in this silver cloud is the news that SCDOT has installed signs banning cyclists and pedestrians from the James Island connector. It's not a total surprise. A state law against bikes on freeways has been in existence for years.

State law or not, the James Island connector is by far the safest route for people travelling on bikes between James Island and downtown Charleston. Granted, the connector isn't for the inexperienced or for youngsters on bicycles, but every other possible route is what the Post and Courier has called "death traps."

All the neighborhood bike paths in the world don't amount to much unless they allow people to make connections -- to actually get to their chosen destinations. The connector remains just that, a crucial link.

The recently-approved (still largely unfunded) Ashley Crossing on a Route 17 Bridge does not service James Island or Folly Beach because of the Wappoo Cut.

Charleston Moves' popular concept for a Battery2Beach Route is crippled without a way to cross safely between downtown and James Island.

If we're serious about providing for more active lifestyles and healthy transportation options, the James Island connector problem is one that we have to work together to solve.

The solution, we believe, is not to ban bicycles from the connector, but to make small modifications that make it safer for all users of the road.

Tom Bradford is director of Charleston Moves.