Rumble Strip Status and Update

June 29, 2012/PCC/3 Comments
A message from the PCC Board of Directors:
 
In 2009, SCDOT began a program to install rumble strips on thousands of miles of South Carolina roads, in an effort to reduce run-off-the-road crashes. Regrettably, many of the applications have been on some of SC’s best cycling roads, with aggressive treatment, despite our several years of work with DOT to ensure that bicycling needs and safety is met.
 
Just this week, the PCC has met with SCDOT executives in an effort to collaborate on how rumble strips can be applied to meet SCDOT needs without significantly adversely affecting cycling routes and cycling safety. Together with our partners around the state, including Bike Law, we are collaborating with SCDOT to work through the immediate issue of preventing more cycling routes from being rumbled and potentially mitigating some cycling routes that have been rumbled.
 
Our partner advocates are joining us in the following efforts:
  1. Reviewing SCDOT plans for future rumble strip applications;
  2. Collecting and submitting information about SC’s best cycling roads that should not receive rumble strip treatment; and
  3. Reviewing SCDOT’s Engineering Directive regarding rumble strip applications.
Our strategy is to move away from a reactive approach to a proactive solution that meets the safety concerns for motorists and cyclists. Building an effective working relationship with SCDOT is long term process being carried out in tough economic conditions with limited budgets and many pressures on our transportation system.  PCC is committed to the vision of the Palmetto State having a multi-modal transportation system where all road users have a seat at the table (or space on the road).
 
Thank you for your support as we navigate this challenging issue. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact PCC President Paul LeFrancois or board member Frank Babel.
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3 responses to “Rumble Strip Status and Update”

  1. South Carolina’s hostility to bicycles is why I take winter vacations in Florida and in the summer I go north. My vacation dollars are spent anywhere but in South Carolina; what a pity.

    • That is a pity, but is really good for us to know. Our public officials definitely want you spending your money in our state, so hopefully stories like this will help turn some heads.

  2. Thank you Rachael for your and PCC’s work with the DOT. The Rumble Strips issue is a tough one since South Carolina has historically had one of the highest single-car accident death rates in the nation. I know the disappointment that many cyclists feel when one of their favorite cycling routes get “the treatment”. For several years I and other cyclists had enjoyed using the nice paved shoulder on Hwy 101 between Woodruff, SC and Hwy. 417 to Simpsonville. But after it got the rumble strips the usable shoulder shrink to between 1 and 2 feet. I still use the route every couple of weeks but it doesn’t leave much room to navigate around debris on the shoulder. I do suggest, when it is safe to do so, that a cyclist venture into the rumble strip to get a feel for how their bike reacts. That way they will know how to relax when they have to navigate through the area to avoid traffic or debris.
    Thanks again for all your hard work and best wishes on your new endeavors in life!