Share the road

SCDOT encourages courtesy on the road with new signs

By JIM WINGARD, T&D Correspondent
Thursday, June 22, 2006

Riding a bike can be a dangerous experience when motor vehicle drivers aren’t paying attention to the other people who are sharing the road.

In an effort to make the experience safer for bikers and pedestrians, and the drivers they meet, the S.C. Department of Transportation has placed signs at several locations in Orangeburg and Calhoun counties, reminding drivers to “Share the Road.” The signs, which include the image of a bicycle, were officially unveiled during a ceremony Wednesday.

“We want to make sure that motorists know to share the road. Ideally, we won’t have any deaths. We want to improve our safety record in Orangeburg County,” said Tom Dodds, SCDOT pedestrian and bicycle engineer.

The Orangeburg Striders, a running club, reports that between 2002 and 2004, Orangeburg County had 15 injuries and four deaths resulting from a collision between a vehicle and a bicycle.

The “Share the Road” program is designed to make motorists aware that they’re sharing the roads with bicyclists and pedestrians. The “Share the Road” message also reminds bicyclists that they should periodically allow faster traffic that may have accumulated behind them to pass, according to SCDOT.

Signs have been placed along Riverbank Drive, Kennerly Road, and highways 6 and 176, among other locations. The Orangeburg Striders helped determine where the new safety signs should be located.

“We accomplished the ’Share the Road’ concept and laid the grassroots efforts for the program to get underway,” said Susan Whitman, the organization’s outgoing president.

Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Chief Wendell Davis said “More and more people are getting involved with bicycling and fitness activities. The community may not be aware of the traffic regulations and that cyclists have right to use our roadways, but they all must observe the traffic rules and laws, particularly at intersections.”

He also warned that bicyclists should not turn in front of moving vehicles.

Dodd said “The most frequently mentioned concern of bicyclists statewide is that some motorists do not realize that bicyclists have a right to travel on any non-freeway public road in this state,” Dodds said.

The new signs “are located on roads where motorists should have greater likelihood of encountering bicyclists, but where there are no designated bicycle facilities such as bike lanes,” he said.

In addition to the hundreds of “Share the Road” signs that have been placed around the state, the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles issues “Share the Road” license plates. Motorists can purchase the plates for an additional $30, a portion of which is used to promote bicycle and pedestrian safety.