Charleston Moves hosts walking audit to improve pedestrian safety

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — Charleston Moves is hosting a walking audit in the Accabee neighborhood, asking residents to help identify what needs to change for pedestrian and bike safety.

Charleston Moves is focusing on pedestrian and bike road safety and collecting data through a community walk. After, Charleston Moves will use that as feedback for requests to the City of North Charleston as they work on their comprehensive safety action plan.

The walk will use photos and real experiences from neighbors as data to determine what needs to change for everyone using the roads.

Identifying safety concerns

The walking audit gives residents a way for their voice to be heard by the city. Participants will document areas where safety is compromised.

“Anywhere that we see that sidewalk just abruptly ends, or there’s a lot of overgrown vegetation or people are walking in ditches, those are things characteristic of areas that just need more investment,” Savannah Brennan, Charleston Moves’ director of programming, said. “We’re doing a lot of observation and a lot of just listening.”

Brennan said the organization wants to make sure the Accabee neighborhood has a voice in the city’s comprehensive safety action plan.

“We want to make sure that this neighborhood, amongst others, has a voice at the table for that effort. It needs to be community-driven,” Brennan said. “This is an engaging way that we can join residents, hear their input, put a report together, share that with the municipality and... [they can] help us advocate for what they want to see... in the area that they love.”

Charleston’s safety record

Charleston ranks high in serious injuries and fatalities on its roadways, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.

“Transportation affects so many people in so many different ways; access to healthy food, access to health care, access to being able to convene with family and friends. These are things that make quality of life,” Brennan said.

Throughout May, Charleston Moves is hosting walking audits and bike rides throughout the Charleston area to increase safety. The organization has planned seven events for Mobility Month to improve safety and celebrate safety efforts made so far.

The event takes place at Perry-Webb Community Center from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday. The full list of events is on Charleston Moves’ website, which can be found here.