A revealing, risky bike ride

Jackson Hamilton's 13-mile bicycle trip to Wando High School last week demonstrated a not-so-pleasant aspect of Mount Pleasant. It is not particularly pedestrian- or bicycle-friendly.

Indeed, some of the 15 people who made the trip with him might well say it is downright hostile to bicyclists. Even with police escorts at dangerous places, one of them ended up in the hospital with a separated shoulder after he swerved to avoid a car.

As a rule, Mount Pleasant residents are happy to talk about their town's real assets: good schools, lovely neighborhoods, dependable police and fire protection, and taxes that have stayed pretty steady.

But then there's the traffic -- heavy vehicular traffic that slows commutes by car and makes would-be bicycle commutes a pipe dream.

Jackson Hamilton, a junior at Wando High who organized the bike ride to point out the need for safe bike routes, put it this way: "Ten years ago, this part of it [Mount Pleasant] was barely built. If they can build it that fast for something that's one and a half tons and can go 60 [mph], they can definitely retrofit it for something that's 15 pounds and can go 20."

If Jackson doesn't inspire Mount Pleasant leaders, they only need look at the Cooper River Bridge and its immensely popular and successful bike lane. Bike advocates had to fight hard before the costly lane was included in bridge plans, but you don't hear complaints now that it is built.

The challenge of making streets built for cars into streets that also work for bicycles is not unique to Mount Pleasant. The city of Charleston has made some progress with bike paths and intends to add a cantilevered bike lane to an Ashley River bridge from West Ashley into the peninsula.

But narrow streets on the peninsula built many years ago when traffic was sparse present problems, too. The city has begun work on a formal bicycle master plan and, along with the Clemson Architecture Center, is hosting workshops to get public input. Other municipalities should do the same.

Jackson Hamilton would like to ride his bike to school, reduce his carbon footprint, get healthy exercise and enjoy the trip. The family-friendly town of Mount Pleasant should look for ways to let him do all that -- and do it safely.