Sixteen riders set out to prove the trip from Shelmore Boulevard to Wando High School could be made by bicycle last Friday.  Three joined along the way.  Six riders were candidates for Mount Pleasant Town Council.  We all have a long ride ahead of us.

Great efforts were made to make this a safe ride, but they couldn’t utterly defeat the increasingly irrational traffic roaring through a frayed and inadequate road system which bears the causes of its failure in the very decision to lay down the asphalt which has nearly bankrupted our town. We covered the bikes with powerful safely lighting. Riders wore orange reflective vests. Trial runs were held. There was a police support plan.

Cyclists argue about where they belong.

Separate bike trails are difficult to fund and build. Bike lanes, marked separate from traffic lanes, such as on parts of Coleman Blvd. are often violated by automobiles.  Others say cyclists should just be an accepted part of regular traffic, sharing the road.  Finally, some just ride on the sidewalk. Despite meetings, petitions and promises, we still get roads like the new one from Park West to Wando with no trails, sidewalks, or bike lanes.  The new Ben Sawyer Bridge will apparently be built with a bike, pedestrian path on the North Side of the bridge while the existing bike path to and from the bridge is on the other.

On Friday the Venning Road sidewalk was too trashy, too broken and too narrow to use. Cyclists planned to ride on the Highway 17 sidewalk from the end of Mathis Ferry Road to Town Center. Some riders chanced the busy road, which seemed dangerous, but town council candidate Kenny Oubre riding on the sidewalk was the one hurt when a car lunged across the sidewalk for an opening in traffic. His helmet took the brunt when he swerved to avoid the car and hit a light pole instead. His shoulder also took its share of the pain.  Town council candidate Phyllis Sheffer left the ride with Kenny to be sure he was okay.  He was treated and released that morning.  Later, the riders “shared” Rifle Range road for two scary miles where there is no path, sidewalk or bike lane.

Four candidates for town council made it all the way: George Freeman, David Kent, Howard Chalmers, and Paiam Etminan.  Four students and a handful of experienced adult road cyclists arrived with them.

Ten years ago, our town set out to solve its problems with road construction. It failed because asphalt breeds traffic and enables sprawl which doesn’t pay its way in taxes.  It takes the equivalent of driving from Mount Pleasant to San Francisco twice, every day, just to deliver the students of Wando High School to class.  On Friday, my son and his friends made the trip to his school on a bicycle 20 minutes faster than his school bus does.  Some of his fellow students, traveling much faster in cars they barely know how to drive, may never get there at all someday.

It could have been better, but wasn’t. It may get better, but with money short and development impact fees down to a trickle, better won’t happen soon or fast.  

However if we don’t make our wishes known to the officials we’re about to elect, it will never get better at all. For full information on Friday’s bike trip to Wando, including video, see http://tinyurl.com/warriorcyclerun online.  

William Hamilton (www.wjhamilton.com) is an attorney who lives in I’On Village.