Charleston City Council members this month unanimously voted to approve changes to the city’s rules governing electric bicycles due to their growing popularity and surge of complaints.
City officials said Daniel Island residents have complained, saying children ride e-bikes on sidewalks and multi-use paths. Early discussions about updates to city law were met with positive remarks from residents and advocacy groups.
Under the new ordinance:
- E-bikes and similar devices are allowed on all on-road bike facilities, but not on sidewalks;
- E-bikes and similar devices are allowed on multi-use and shared-use paths in the city, except on Daniel Island;
- Assistive technology devices, such as mobility scooters or wheelchairs, are allowed on sidewalks, multi-use paths and shared-use paths in the city;
- Pedicabs are not allowed on any sidewalk, on-road facilities, multi-use or shared-use paths in the city.
Council members joked they were already seeing a large number of e-bikes listed for sale in the area, but noted the e-bikes were probably here to stay.
The vote followed months of debate and discussion about where lines should be drawn and how enforcement should be handled. Mobility advocates, for example, pushed for exceptions in locations like the West Ashley Greenway, but the proposals were shot down by city leaders due to complicated enforcement practices.
Discussions related to safety took on a new urgency in January after a vehicle struck and killed a man riding an e-bike on the Ashley River Memorial Bridge.
Sea wall project moves forward
The council’s Public Works and Utilities Committee on May 15 gave the green light for the city to spend about $3.7 million on the next phase of design work for the city’s Battery Extension project. The committee unanimously recommended the expenditure, but the disbursement still needs final approval from council.
The funding, however, represents only a drop in the bucket for the total cost of the project. The city will be on the hook for $455 million by the time the project is completed.
The proposed $1.3 billion sea wall is planned to wrap around much of the low-lying areas of the Charleston peninsula. It is expected to protect the often-flooded downtown area from storm surge and sunny day tidal flooding, threats that are becoming more common and more acute every year.
Charleston Mayor William Cogswell told the committee that the precise cost could fluctuate, potentially going up if the city spends heavily on aesthetic elements, or down if it can get the work done quickly.
Cogswell said he hoped to use a coming Transportation Sales Tax referendum, proposed by Charleston County Council members, later this year to help fund the city’s side of the project.
The new city spending would be split into two pools. The largest amount ($2.9 million) would go to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the city’s partner on the project. The other $800,000 will go to private design engineers working with the city.
City to pay $1M to demolish ‘dangerous’ garage
City officials also approved a $1.2 million contract in late April to demolish a “dangerous and unsafe” parking garage owned by the College of Charleston just off its downtown campus.
The dilapidated structure, a three-story building at 81 Wentworth St., has been closed for three years after engineers determined widespread structural issues could lead to a collapse. Since then, conditions have worsened, according to media reports.
Chief Building Official Ken Granata reportedly ordered the building’s demolition on March 3.
While the college owns the garage, the city owns the land, meaning the city is on the hook for demolition costs. City leaders, however, said they expect the college to reimburse taxpayers as a part of a yet-to-be-approved land exchange in which the college would purchase the Wentworth Street property.
It could be a win-win. The college has long been eyeing the property for a mixed-use development. Plans have called for housing for up to 400 students, along with parking, offices and retail space.
The college ran into issues, however, when an environmental assessment of the land showed there could be contamination with the soil under the garage. Studies will continue once the garage is gone.
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