Monday Meeting to Address County Street/Road Safety

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson County is looking for a way to make streets safer for all citizens.

A community “Comprehensive Safety Action Plan” is scheduled Monday from 5-7 p.m. at the main branch of the Anderson County library to help identify potentially dangerous intersections and other areas which deserve attention, particularly in underserved neighborhoods.’

The meeting will seek community suggestions on areas where improvement is especially needed for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, which are still the primary source of transit for many to get to work.

The county received a $200,000 Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, which required $50,000 in matching funding to identify 10 sites that need work and to develop plans to improve safety in those areas. These areas would be eligible for additional funding for improvements.

Brittany McAbee of the Anderson County Roads and Bridges Department, and organizer of the event, said the meeting offers a great opportunity to find funding to address areas which are often overlooked.

Future meetings are also expected to nail down the areas of greatest need.

From 2017-2021, there were 220 fatal crashes in Anderson County and the fatality rate per 100,000 population was 21.7 percent. Of the 220 fatalities from 2017-2021, 41 were pedestrians.

 In 2020, Anderson County’s 2020 pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 population was 5.89, the highest in South Carolina and markedly higher than the state’s rate of 3.65. The number of pedestrian fatalities illustrates a significant need for sidewalks, biking trails and/or lanes, safe routes to school, and ADA accessibility in Anderson County. 

The county’s goal is to target priorities that through community engagement, and working with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, will help develop a plan that results in zero pedestrian deaths by 2045.