Creating Livable and Accessible Communities
by Sarah Nichols on Aug 7, 2018
Last Friday, we continued our #FacebookLiveFridays with a discussion with Corrine Reed of the SC Livable Communities Alliance, a statewide campaign from the Palmetto Cycling Coalition and several other community partners.
Our discussion focused on what actually makes a community livable and accessible. That may seem like a loaded and difficult question to answer, but Corrine provided some valuable insights on the working they’re doing to make our neighborhoods safer.
Watch the full video here:
Creating Livable and Accessible Communities
We are live with Corrine Reed of the SC Livable Communities Alliance to discuss what makes a community accessible and livable! Comment with your questions if you have any, and a 🏡 emoji if you're watching! #FacebookLiveFridays #SCWRENCorrine's pronouns: she/herMegan's pronouns: she/her
Posted by Women's Rights and Empowerment Network- WREN on Friday, July 27, 2018
Here are a few of our main takeaways:
- Multimodal policy is key. Also referred to as “Complete Streets,” multimodal means that the roads accommodate everyone who uses them, not just car-drivers. The SC Livable Communities Alliance is trying to get a policy passed in the SC Department of Transportation.
- 70% of all roads in SC are state owned, and 94% of bike/pedestrian fatalities happen on those roads. So clearly, there is a need for policy that makes our streets safer for all commuters.
- Some accommodations to make our streets safer include curb cuts, available bus stops, well-lit streets, shoulders and sidewalks, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, etc.
- The average American spends 3 months of their annual income on transportation.
- 12 mayors so far have signed on to SC Livable’s policy letter of support, include Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin.
- In 2017, South Carolina had the #1 highest traffic fatality rate.
What can you do to help make communities safer?
- Inform yourself and others on the subject. Share this post so that your friends are aware.
- Read SC Livable Communities Alliance’s multimodal policy letter of support.
- Follow SC Livable Communities Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Is there something you’d like to add to the discussion about safe communities? Talk to us. We’re on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Corrine explains that “the system is designed to make things faster but not necessarily better.” So we’re thankful for groups like SC Livable that are actively making our communities better for everyone.