For the Love of Turning right

Since March of 2014, when a pair of accidents involving pedestrians and vehicles jarred Daniel Island’s collective sense of comfort, island residents concerned about traffic safety and increased congestion at the intersection of Daniel Island Drive and Seven Farms Drive have clamored for the opportunity to express themselves on the future of the critical interchange. Finally they have that chance.

At a meeting held last Tuesday, October 25, at the Daniel Island School, a mere mile from the intersection in question and well within walking distance, Berkeley County officials invited the greater Daniel Island community to voice their opinions on the intersection and the proposed roundabout intersection they’ve put forth as a solution, currently in the design phase.

The gathering was for all intents and purposes an informal update on progress made on the project following an emotional meeting of the Daniel Island Neighborhood Association (DINA) back in February, during which residents in effect demanded a say into what was to be done about the dangerous intersection.

Last week’s meeting gave the planners and engineers at the County, along with project design consultant Thomas and Hutton, the opportunity to present the actual design for the roundabout to meeting attendees. Four separate but identical displays were set up at the meeting and manned by Tony Woody and Doyle Kelley from Thomas and Hutton, along with representatives from Berkeley County, including Supervisor Bill Peagler and Deputy Supervisor Tim Callanan.

The stated purpose of the meeting, explained Berkeley County Public Information Officer Michael Mulé, was two-fold: to update the community on the current conceptual design plans for the proposed roundabout, and to sequester feedback from not only the 75 or so Daniel Islanders in attendance at the meeting, but from the community as a whole about all aspects of the proposed roundabout project.

Before turning the microphone over to Peagler, the first speaker of the evening, Mulé reminded attendees that they received comment cards on their way in to the school’s multi-purpose room that they were asked to fill out on site and drop off on their way out. Anyone else wishing to comment can simply email the County at CitizenComments@BerkeleyCountySC.gov by November 14. Those they receive by that date will be added to the official record.

“We’re here to discuss something near and dear to my heart, quality of life and safety,” said Peagler. “We want to show you the program, we want to make sure that you understand it and we hope that you’ll agree…that it meets the needs of safety, not only for yourselves and your vehicles but also when it comes to pedestrian safety.”

Berkeley County Councilman Josh Whitley, who as Daniel Island’s duly elected representative has worked on the issue since he was first elected, sharpened the focus of the meeting when he addressed the audience. For Whitley, the walkability of the intersection is the key component of the project.

“We are having this meeting for one reason only, we’re having this meeting because we promised you at the DINA meeting that we would take our plans further with one thing in mind, and that’s pedestrian safety,” began Whitley before turning to the key break in the project, it’s inclusion in the Berkeley County One Cent Sales Tax Referendum approved by voters in November of 2014.

“We all knew that the roundabout was the superior option for traffic flow,” Whitley continued. “We just thought that without Supervisor Peagler’s support and without Deputy Supervisor Tim Callanan’s support, we wouldn’t have the money to think about anything like this. Tim single-handedly made sure this was part of the sales tax program four or five years ago and on the ballot. So thank you, Tim, for at least letting us have a discussion, even if we might disagree.”

The meeting was held following the completion of studies on both the traffic operations and safety deficiencies of the intersection reported by Mitchell Metts, a project engineer from Infrastructure Consulting and Engineering, a private firm hired to consult on the intersection. Metts opened his commentary by reminding the room that traffic engineers have to look far into the future when planning infrastructure improvements, and Daniel Island’s future is in a word, busy.

“We’re making sure this will serve traffic not only the day it opens, but also long into the future,” said Metts, before turning to the topic of pedestrian safety. “One of the things that Councilman Whitley and Supervisor Peagler said was ‘what else can we do to improve and enhance pedestrian safety at the intersection?’ Thomas and Hutton, who are the engineers doing the design for the project, have done some research and have identified these solar flashers that are placed at other intersections.”

The plan, as it stands now, will include solar flashers - a new feature introduced into the project design intended to increase pedestrian safety. The small towers are to be set up on all four legs of the proposed intersection. They feature bright signage and flashing yellow lights that signal in both directions when triggered by a pedestrian pushing a button similar to those at signalized crosswalks. Pushing the button would immediately trigger the yellow lights, designed to make drivers aware that a pedestrian wants to cross the roadway ahead of them.

Metts stated further that the engineering team sat down with representatives from the City of Charleston to discuss the additional pedestrian safety measures proposed for the roundabout. The City will have the responsibility to maintain the infrastructure post-completion but, Metts reported happily, they agreed to do so provided Berkeley County pay for all installation costs.

As for parking, the impact of the roundabout would be significant, reported Metts. All of the existing parking spots on the south side of the roundabout on Seven Farms Drive would be eliminated with the existing plan, along with all but three on the northern side of the street.

“The loss of parking is unfortunate but we think necessary to improve the safety of the intersection,” added Metts. “Whenever you have a project like this there’s a lot of give-and-take, there are a lot of competing interests. You have to put all that together and come up with a compromise that we think does everything in the best manner.”

Metts made a point of requesting the public comment specifically about the project’s timeline, which as it now stands would see groundbreaking after the Volvo Car Open tennis tournament is completed in April of 2018, and wrapping up that August before the start of the 2018-2019 school year.

For some in attendance the proposed timeline is an issue. One was Whitley himself.

“This is getting close to the final product and I’m not happy about the timeline and I’m not happy we’re going to lose a significant amount of parking on Seven Farms Drive, but that would have happened under either scenario. We would have lost parking either way.”

“A lot of work has to be done,” continued Metts. “It’s going to be an inconvenience. There’s no other way to put it, but we’re going to try to take measures to minimize that.”

Metts did report that the roundabout was designed in such a way that all the trees on site at present could be preserved, a statement that drew murmurs of approval from the audience. And on the topic of greenspace, what will be placed in the center of the roundabout will be up to residents to decide, he said.

As the meeting was brought to a close, a number of hands shot up, including that of Daniel Island resident Frank Walsh. Walsh insisted the group take questions publicly, and even approached the stage to make a point about the proposed solar flashers. In the end, Metts took only a few questions from the audience before the crowd broke off to view the four displays set up for the end of the event and question the engineers assigned to them.

While the concerns of Walsh and others echoed the sentiment of many in attendance at the February DINA meeting, who felt the roundabout proposal was sprung on them without the opportunity for public input, the Berkeley County officials on hand at last Tuesday’s gathering had every intention to address the issue. As the commotion of the dozens who’d come circulating about the multi-purpose room settled, the space cleared out, and the comment box filled, by all accounts it appeared they had accomplished their task.

For more information on the Daniel Island Drive and Seven Farms Drive Intersection Project, see the project website at www.berkeleycountysc.gov/drupal/engineering/onecent/daniel-island-drive-....