Last week, my children and I had a wonderful time riding the Dash around the Charleston Peninsula. I had studied the route map earlier in the morning and figured with three young ones in tow we’d be lucky to catch a ride. It wasn’t luck that helped us, it was the fact that it’s so easy to use!

We trekked through the South Carolina Aquarium and observed the penguins eating their breakfast. Afterwords, as we walked around the fountains, up drove the Dash. The driver was friendly and accommodating (of course, this is Charleston,) he answered my questions and assisted me with the stroller. We were the only passengers. The boys loved the ride to the Visitor’s Center, then we played at the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry.

The bus stops around the Visitor’s Center are outfitted with benches and shaded by shelters, there are also fountains for entertainment. A posted map might be helpful, but we waited with enthusiasm. This stop was busy with tourism. We then boarded another Dash, another friendly driver greeted us with a cool ride to Waterfront Park, then one more Dash back to the aquarium.

That afternoon, my three year old drew a picture of us riding on the “trolley” through downtown. It truly was easy and fun. The fare was $1.50 for myself, which is definitely worth an air-conditioned ride from site to site while relaxing and chatting with my kids and visiting families (instead of focusing on narrow roads, cyclists with no lanes, sink holes, parking, college kids, let alone tourists!) Thanks CARTA, we will ride the Dash again and again.

When Whipple Road was given a make-over, we thought this important vein in Mount Pleasant would have state of the art design. Sharrows for cyclists, a wide pedestrian path, etc. I gotta say, we’re a bit disappointed. The lanes are just wide enough so that SUVs can whiz past cyclists straddling the asphalt/concrete line. The sidewalk is right next to speeding traffic. Badly engineered ramps and crossings fill with giant puddles when it rains.

I know the goal of the project was to add a center turn lane and stoplight, but you’d think a more progressive attitude for pedestrians and cyclists would be present. It’s clear this project was not about how people use the road, but how the machines do.

I want our city to become sustainable in every way, including about ability to leave our cars parked. It’s National Bike Month, so get out there and pedal around this amazing city. Support local groups like Charleston Moves, and read Nikki Seibert’s blog. Learn the cycling laws in our area, and get out there an explore.

Check out these great stats from this blog post:

• More than half of cars trips made by Americans would take less than 20 minutes on a bike, but ninety percent of all trips of between one and three miles or less are taken by car.  Likewise, fifty-nine percent of trips less than one mile are made by car.
• Increasing the bicycle and pedestrian share of trips between one and three miles from the current level of 4 percent to about 10 percent would avoid approximately 21 billions miles of driving.
• In 2007, less than half of all Americans met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation of at least 30 minutes of modest physical activity on most days.
• Americans spend some $33 billion a year on weight-loss products and services.
  
• Modest increases in bicycling and walking for short trips could provide enough exercise for 50 million inactive Americans to meet recommended activity levels, erasing a sizable chunk of America’s activity deficit.

Wow, we can do better! How can we get our city to be more progressive?

Many cities have built high-occupancy vehicle lanes that allow carpoolers to use special lanes on the far left. This is a great incentive that encourages ride-sharing, and one that may work well here in the Lowcountry. Any way we can keep cars off the roads, and get others thinking about their own driving habits, is a positive step towards a more sustainable future.

SCDOT is wondering what you think about HOV lanes, and have opened a public survey to find out. Please take the survey before they close it on October 22nd, or visit their website for more information. Public meetins are also being held on the issue, so it’s not to late to get involved.

Here in the Charleston-area, it can be tough to go about your day without a car, but it can be done. Here are a couple things that can help:

• Check out the local CARTA routes
• Visit Craigslist for carpooling options
• Charleston Moves has some great information for local bikers

Check out the World Carfree Day Wiki for more information and opportunities to get involved.

We have lived in our neighborhood for 8 years, and I have never heard of any sort of accident with the school bus. Bus #206 picks up the children from this neighborhood only. It stops at the end of our street, every morning and afternoon, right on time.

Belle Hall is a mere 2.5 miles from my garage. I can’t bike myself (six months pregnant), a five year-old, and a two year-old along Long Point Road at 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. I do not want to drive to that school 4 times day. 50 miles a week— back and forth — idling with all my neighbors is totally unacceptable. I don’t want to be wasting fuel unnecessarily and releasing more toxins into our atmosphere.

However, he is also only five, it’s a long day away from home, and he has only visited his new school three times. The thought of him becoming lost around those pods is worrisome. Wait a second, he is five! He knows his address and phone number. He knows where the bus stop is. He knows how to line up in a line and follow. He knows his bus number is #206.

Chad will take him the first few days, maybe weeks, on his way to work. Eventually we will wait for the bus in the morning too. After his first day of school, he will line up and ride his bus home. I will be waiting with proud tears. I hope to be able to tell my girlfriends that he loves his bus rides, maybe influence a few to give it a try.

We’ve been waving and watching that bus for five years now – he’s ready to climb up those steps!

We would like to integrate cycling into our plan, but find it difficult due to inadequate infrastructure (unless you like riding down LongPoint Road inches away from cars going 50 mph). Charleston Moves was a big proponent of the pedestrian lane on the Ravenel Bridge, and is working hard to get a bike lane down Coleman Blvd. in Mount Pleasant. Major Joe dedicated the East Bay Bike and Pedestrian Path last month. These are all good things, but more work needs to be done.

Enter Brian Graham, a Clemson University graduate student who is creating a “Bicycle & Pedestrian Action Plan” for Charleston. As part of his work, he is documenting all the bicycle rack locations within the city – and needs your help. If you know of a bike rack, please add a marker to the interactive Google map. You can also add a marker to request a rack be placed at a certain location. At the close of the project, a more formal map will be created and submitted to the City of Charleston.

But your involvement doesn’t need to stop there. Brian is looking for your help in identifying places that need bike lane striping, sharrows, or bike paths. He has 5 questions for Charleston residents to answer regarding local bicycle and pedestrian issues. Check them out after the jump, and either leave your feedback in the comments section, or email them directly to Brian.

1. What roads seem ideal for re-striping to create bike lanes or should have sharrows? (These roads should be wider than others and have well maintained pavement).
2. Are there specific roads, that do not have sidewalks that, in your opinion, need them??  (Especially outside of downtown.)
3. Where would you suggest that bicycle and pedestrian activity be counted to document a demand for facilities (streets and intersections)?
4. What type of bicycle/pedestrian/motorist education programs would you like to see the City of Charleston support?
5. How should the city encourage and market bicycle and pedestrian activities be encouraged?

I have found that the best way I can contribute is by simply not driving. This is an excellent time of year to keep my car in the garage. The neighborhood pool, friends’ homes, the nearest grocery, and even Splash Island are rewarding destinations, especially when we bike there. Because it is summer, I am able to plan our weeks so that we don’t see the inside of my car for days in a row.

I am writing this early Monday morning, July 7th. My boys and I have not been in my car since last Thursday, July 3rd. I am lucky to be a stay at home mom, as it enables me to make these efforts. But maybe one day a week, we all should try to find alternatives to our cars, no matter our situation.

“We hope that new riders will consider trying CARTA on National Dump the Pump Day, which will highlight transit nationally,” said Howard Chapman, executive director of CARTA. “We’ll do the same locally by offering free rides—reinforcing that CARTA is a way for people to save money and also help save the environment in a small way.”

CARTA ridership is up 20% from last year, so let’s keep that trend going. Get out and ride those buses, and let CARTA know that we will use public transportation if it is there. The more we ride, the more they will try to improve the system – which will hopefully include better bus stops and more routes throughout the area.

Graham and I sat on the bench and caught the CARTA bus at 9 a.m. The bus was on time, so our wait was minimal. We boarded, paid $1.25, and rode route 40 downtown. Graham was comfortable and quiet on my lap, until we drove over the Ravenel. Then for the first time, I had fun with my little guy pointing and observing all the action in our beautiful harbor.

Graham and I got off the bus at Meeting and Mary Streets. We visited the Children’s Museum, had a snack, and waited for the bus home. It was on time again.

The Good News: I created less carbon emissions that day. I did not have to park my car or pay for parking. The bus driver was friendly and capable, and she performed some amazing maneuvers. Even Graham was impressed. We sat back and enjoyed the ride, and will do this again.

The Bad News: There are many problems that could keep future passengers away. There is only one CARTA bus route in Mt. Pleasant, so fitting the times into busy schedules can be tricky. The lack of signs and benches is disgraceful. I certainly do not want to stand with my children by the side of Hwy 17 waiting for the bus. Also, there is no drop-off by the library, which is a key public resource for both the young and old.

Perhaps the best way to fix the lack of accessibility is to continue raising awareness, which is a major goal of Go Green. We will continue to ride and spread the word. I wonder what the mommies will think of this one? I wonder which will ride with us first?

I consulted the website for CARTA, and was dismayed by the lack of working information concerning bus stops. I studied the map, then departed on Saturday morning to find the bus stop at Towne Centre. I missed the bus, but I saw it pass the stop: An unmarked bench baking in the sun by Hungryneck Boulevard. Good thing I had book, sunscreen, and tunes.

I boarded the next bus, paid $1.25, and rode the bus to Meeting and Mary Streets, near The Charleston Visitor Center. There were many stops along the way, even in front of Whole Foods. Some stops were clearly marked with the green CARTA sign, while some had benches and a litter bin. Other stops had little indication, like the one by the Goodwill on Highway 17 where there was just a man standing there signaling bus.

The bus itself was clean. The temperature was pleasant, the seats were comfortable, and the company was quiet. It was nice to sit back and watch the scenery. It had been too long since I had ridden a bus.

My son Graham loves to venture downtown. There are so many wonderful places for a child, and adult, to explore. Round trip mileage cut would be 12 miles. We generally drive downtown twice a week. Mass transit is an answer to lessening my impact. I’ll let you know how my littlest guy likes his first bus ride downtown.