8/2/2019 Maybank-Johns Isl Position Paper4!27!12

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CharlestonMovesfavorstheTown/CountryPitchforkalternativeadvancedby

theCityofCharlestonPlanningDepartment,andweresolutelyrejectanyproposal

thatMaybankHighwayshouldbewidenedtofour-lanes.Webelievethechoicetobe

awatershedmomentinCharlestonCountyplanning.

The pitchfork design we endorse is vastly superior to any alternative because it

disperses traffic,calming itwhileaccommodating largevolumes of traffic atpeakperiods.Itpermitsroaduserswithstartingpointsordestinations,respectively,on

the north and south sides of Maybank to use smaller roads that service smaller

districts.Bydispersingtrafficontosmallerroads,itpreservestheruralcharacterofJohnsIsland,andenhancesqualityoflife.

Thealternativeplan,afour-lanedividedroad,wouldconcentratevehiculartraffic

intoasinglecorridor.Therearecountlessexamplesoflarge-scale,traffic-focusing

thoroughfares inCharlestonCountyandnoneof them,in our view,hasmadeany

contributionwhatsoevertoqualityoflife,topropertyvalues.Andthistrendover

the last five or more decades of concentrating auto traffic has not solved traffic

problems.Generally,thistrendhasexacerbatedthem.

In dispersing traffic onto smaller-scale roads, the Pitchfork maintains a human-

scale environment, with development of appropriately-scaled buildings and

amenities. Its smaller scale would be far more inviting to multi-modal uses,

includingbicyclingandwalking.

The Pitchfork alternative holds the promise of maintaining even improving --

propertyvalues.Thefour-lanealternative,ontheotherhand,wouldbealarge-scalegashonthelandscapeandultimatelyimposenegativeeffectsuponbothqualityof

lifeandpropertyvalues.

In this project, as always, Charleston Moves insists that more than lip service begiventomultiplemodesoftransportation,especiallytowalkingandbicycling.Bothareimportantelementsofourtransportationfuture.Wealwayssaywellmakeour

streetsandroadscomplete.Butwhereverandwheneverwehavefailedtodeliver

fullyonthatpromise,ithashurtpersonalhealthandhappiness.Andithasimpaired

qualityoflifeandeconomiccompetitiveness,bothourownandthatofourchildren.

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Position Paper:Maybank Highway,Johns Island

April 27, 2012