Charleston Moves

Programs: We believe in a connected charleston. We advocate action to get multi-modal countywide infrastructure on the ground. We seek to educate citizens, municipalities and elected officials on the value of alternatives to automobile travel. We implement programs that focus on creating safe and equitable public spaces for transportation, recreation and enhanced quality of life. For the 2017 year, 73 cents of every dollar spent went to our charitable programs. Current objectives: adopt the "people pedal" plan for charleston: a comprehensive network of bike infrastructure developed jointly by the city of charleston and charleston moves. Identify and implement safe crossing over the ashley river for non-motoring citizens. Work with neighborhood associations and churches, as well as our new neighborhood ambassador program, to broaden and deepen the diversity of our message and our support. Assist our partners with implementation of an affordable bike share initiative, as well as station-siting in underserved communities. Long-term objectives: a county-wide system of multi-use paths, sidewalks and/or bike lanes. Bicycle and pedestrian routes that link to bus stops, bike share stations and other important destinations, such as grocery stores, job centers, educational institutions and recreational spaces. What we are doing: creating artistic and/or tactical bike lanes and pedestrian crosswalks where they're needed; deploying volunteer work crews to clean and sweep existing bike lanes to encourage officials into better maintenance of them; toughen public rhetoric, especially where inadequate infrastructure plays a role in a death or injury. We highlight the virtues of calm: high-speed streets produce injuries and death. Slower, calmer streets, especially two-way streets, create safer, more pleasant conditions. Advance the philosophy that there is no such thing as a "traffic accident," that all mishaps have causes that can be addressed. Our history: in 1993, the charleston bicycle advocacy group (cbag) was founded to elevate support for bicyclists in and around charleston. The group pushed for a variety of goals, including bicycle lanes on key streets and bicycle racks on buses. Cbag's big opportunity came in the early 2000s when it lobbied for a provision for bicycle/pedestrian traffic on the proposed ravenel bridge. The group's lobbying efforts attracted wide support from high-profile individuals and institutions, and the final bridge plan included a 12-foot bicycle and pedestrian path. In 2005, cbag changed its name to charleston moves, in recognition of a broader mission: to promote alternative modes of transportation such as cycling, walking and mass transit. In 2009, charleston moves launched battery2beach, a 32-mile route of mixed-use paths connecting three major beaches in the charleston area. With solid finances and dedicated office space, charleston moves hired its first paid full-time director in 2014. Charleston moves' core message is that everyone - including the driving public - benefits when people walk, ride bikes or take transit. Since its founding in 2005, key successes include the bike/pedestrian lane over the arthur ravenel jr. Bridge and lanes along east bay street on the peninsula and on coleman boulevard in mt. Pleasant. Charleston moves helped initiate the lowline project, a multi-mile planned bike and pedestrian path that follows abandoned rail tracks through the upper peninsula. Even broader gains have been made in changing the public conversation. In recent years, no transportation project is discussed without attention to alternative forms of transportation, and charleston moves has a seat at the table whenever these projects arise. Today, charleston moves continues to set ambitious goals. An ambitious calendar of local events seeks to diversify the age, race and gender demographics of the organization and raise the bar in its fundraising efforts. Most important, charleston moves continues to expand the notion of what transportation is, what it should be and what it can be in the greater charleston area.