March 30, 2025 Good changes are coming to Gervais Street. Let's make sure they happen! ![[IMG_2922.png]] After years of advocacy, long-overdue safety improvements are finally being proposed for **Gervais Street**. **This is one of the deadliest roads in Columbia for people walking, biking, AND driving.** SCDOT has released proposed updates through a Road Safety Audit, and we’re encouraged by many of the changes. ➡️ **[Click here and open the PDF](https://gervais-street-road-safety-assessment-scdot.hub.arcgis.com/pages/planned-meeting?preview=true)** to review the full plan. **Cola Town Bike Collective, WalkBikeCola, and Palmetto Cycling Coalition** reviewed the draft in March 2025 and shared joint recommendations. These updates can save lives and improve access for everyone — whether walking, biking, rolling, driving, or riding the bus. --- ## Great! What can I do to help? **Tell SCDOT you support these changes.** The official comment form has a 1,000 character limit, so we’ve made it easy. Just copy the comment below and paste it into their feedback form: **[Submit Feedback Here](https://gervais-street-road-safety-assessment-scdot.hub.arcgis.com/pages/provide-feedback)** --- ## Suggested Comment *Click or tap the copy icon in the corner to copy the text below! * :) I support the Gervais Street safety recommendations from Cola Town Bike Collective, WalkBikeCola, and the Palmetto Cycling Coalition. Gervais is one of Columbia's busiest streets, but it isn't safe for drivers, people walking, biking, or riding the bus. The RSA and our recommended changes will help. Please lower the speed limit to 25 mph and narrow the travel lanes slightly to calm traffic. Add Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs), which give people a few seconds to start crossing before cars move. This makes people more visible and helps prevent crashes. It's great to see new curb extensions and some pedestrian islands to shorten crossings and make it easier and safer to walk across the street. These are simple, proven changes that can make Gervais safer for everyone. Please also coordinate with The COMET to keep transit stops safe and accessible. Thank you. ## **Full Feedback shared with SCDOT** We shared the below with the project manager & engineering team, all of which were very respectful and heard us out. We're appreciative of all of the great folks at SCDOT trying to help improve our community for all road users. **General Thoughts** - **Speed Limit**: We’d like to see the speed limit reduced to **25 mph**. 35 is too fast for a corridor this active with pedestrians, runners, people on bikes, and buses. We know that slower speeds = fewer crashes and better outcomes. - **Lane Widths**: If resurfacing is part of this, we’d like to see adjusted lanes at 10–11' (especially inside lanes). This would help calm traffic. Outer lanes could stay 11–12' if needed for trucks or buses. - **LPIs**: Lincoln and Park intersections with Gervais already have LPIs. We’re asking for that to be standard across the corridor. Pedestrians need more time and visibility at every signal across Gervais. - **Transit Stops**: I’m sure you already have, but please loop in The COMET on changes affecting bus stops. We’ll support their input. **Block-by-Block** **Gist Street** - A curb extension on the south side crosswalk would help slow down right-turning drivers off the bridge and make it safer for folks walking and biking. - This will be the main approach for pedestrians & bikes to the future Williams St extension, from West Columbia and the Gervais Bridge, so improving the sidewalk connection here will matter even more long term. **Williams Street** - A median here is needed for safety. It’ll likely get pushback from nearby townhomes, but we support it 100% as people are constantly doing illegal u-turns. **Huger Street** - Drivers turning right toward the State House don’t really see pedestrians when there is traffic. Many roll this right on red. We’d like to see right on red eliminated here. - Huger has six lanes at 12' each. Could we reduce those to 11' and use the extra space to install refuge islands for people crossing in both directions? **Pulaski Street** - Glad to see the crossing becoming permanent. - But drivers turning from the Publix side are only looking left while turning right and often fail to check for pedestrians. This has happened to me personally several times and it’s not safe. Could a sign or some adjustment fix this? We worry someone will end up hurt again here. **Wayne to Gadsden (Piano Bar Lot)** - Drivers frequently go around the bollards to turn into the Piano Bar / Tsunami lot between Wayne and Gadsden, especially on weekends and at night. - Could a concrete median extension prevent that behavior? **Gadsden Street** - A refuge island on the west side of the intersection would help pedestrians. Could this be created by removing the eastbound right-turn lane? That lane just leads into a parking lot. **Lincoln & Park Streets** - LPIs are in place and working well at both. We’d like to see the same treatment applied across the corridor. - Similar issue to the Piano Bar are drivers turning left into the Longhorn lot. Can some kind of median be extended to fix this?  **Assembly Street** - This is a wide, fast intersection. Looking forward to changes between this and the Assembly RSA. LPIs for this crossing are also critical. **Main Street** - Like we spoke about on the phone, we would like to see a **ped-only signal phase**, not just an LPI. Foot traffic is heavy, and there are lots of turning conflicts. - Main also has bike sharrows. We’d love to see some clarity on what lane people on bikes should be in when turning left. Right now, most folks cross and cut through the State House grounds, or turn left on Sumter. Some kind of signage or a way to tell bikes what to do would help a lot with safety. **Sumter, Marion, Bull, Pickens, Henderson, Barnwell, Gregg** - All of these need LPIs. If possible, we’d also support curb extensions or refuge islands to shorten crossing distances and slow turning vehicles. **Harden Street** - A refuge island or extended median would make a difference here. It’s a very long and busy crossing and feels exposed. **Pine, Oak, Heidt** - Smaller intersections, and nice to see the improvements. Would raised crosswalks or other treatments help calm traffic and increase visibility? **Millwood Avenue** - We know Millwood is getting a future RSA and hasn’t had a report yet, but this intersection needs attention sooner. It connects two high-injury corridors and gets a lot of foot traffic - Could a refuge island be added on the south side? There’s room. - Also, could we install a 5–10' curb extension on the southeast corner, using some of the extra-wide outer southbound lane? Back to home: [[Welcome]]