Safe Passage on Savannah Highway
Secretary Christy Hall, South Carolina Department of Transportation
On August 31, 2020, Kristopher Cotton was killed by a motorist on Savannah Highway as he bicycled along the 7800 block in the area of Adams Run. His dog, Ava, was riding in an attached trailer and was seriously injured.
Mr. Cotton’s collision is not the first deadly or harmful incident against people on bikes and foot along the rural portion of Savannah Highway, and it certainly will not be the last, until the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) follows its own 2009 Engineering Directive (ED-22) regarding considerations for bicycle facilities.
Please sign this petition asking SCDOT to comply with its own adopted practices to ensure all road users are safe, regardless of mode, while traveling throughout the state.
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To:
Secretary Christy Hall, South Carolina Department of Transportation
From:
[Your Name]
On August 31, 2020 at approximately 1:45 pm, Kristopher Cotton was killed by a motorist on Savannah Highway as he bicycled along the 7800 block in the area of Adams Run. His dog, Ava, was riding in an attached trailer and was seriously injured.
Mr. Cotton and Ava were bicycling from New York to the Florida Keys. They were safe for over 1,000 miles. The significant danger of South Carolina’s roadways ended Mr. Cotton’s ride prematurely, in tragedy.
Mr. Cotton’s collision is not the first deadly or harmful incident against people on bikes and foot along the rural portion of Savannah Highway, and it certainly will not be the last, until the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) follows its own 2009 Engineering Directive (ED-22) regarding considerations for bicycle facilities (http://info2.scdot.org/ED/ED/ED-22.pdf).
From 2009-2017, eight people have been injured or killed while biking or walking this stretch.
By signing this petition, we formally request the following actions be taken by the SCDOT:
1. Funding by December 31, 2020: Obligate funds from the Rural Highway Safety Program to ensure 4' shoulders with edge line, skip-pattern rumbles are in place along the entire stretch of US 17 from Main Road (end of West Ashley Greenway) to where Highway 64 (Charleston Highway) intersects.
2. Approval by September 30, 2020: Approve the installation of wayfinding signage for the East Coast Greenway (ECG) interim travel route.
3. Planning: Include plans in the South Carolina Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for a permanent ECG segment (10-12’ paved path) adjacent to US 17 from Main Road to where Highway 64 (Charleston Highway) intersects.