Local News

Advocacy group calls for pedestrian-only cycle at Main Street intersection

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TRAVELERS REST, S.C. — A Greenville-based advocacy group is calling for the installation of a pedestrian-only cycle at a Travelers Rest intersection.

Bike Walk Greenville says a "pedestrian scramble" on Main Street at the McElhaney Road/Center Street intersection would stop all vehicular traffic, allowing pedestrians to cross the intersection in every direction, including diagonally.

The group says the cycle is needed "to improve safety at the busy intersection," citing recent traffic counts that show its usage. On Saturday, March 26, volunteers counted a total of 1,613 bikers and walkers using the intersection.

"Our volunteers observed that the design of this intersection favors motor vehicles over people on foot or bikes," said Frank Mansbach, Bike Walk Greenville's executive director. "When people push the button to cross the street, they get a white pedestrian cross signal but vehicles are still turning across their crosswalk."

According to Mansbach, SCDOT denied a request by the city of Travelers Rest last September that would have required all vehicles to stop at the intersection. At the time, officials said that traffic counts indicated traffic would stack up, with motorists needing to wait though more than one light cycle to get through the intersection.

"They never addressed that people on foot or bikes must wait though multiple cycles to cross the intersection," Mansbach said, adding that one possible outcome is a pedestrian scramble cycle on Saturdays and Sundays only, when pedestrian traffic is at its highest.

The user count data will be sent to Travelers Rest officials in the hopes that concerns can be readdressed with SCDOT, Mansbach said.

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