Help Build Mt. Pleasant Transit Ridership Wed. May 30

Mount Pleasant can build transit ridership now on the #41 Coleman Blvd. Bus Route to help with the Wando Bridge emergency on Wednesday, May 30^th and use the results to increase the Town’s chances of obtaining improved permanent bus service in the upcoming CARTA budget process.  Volunteers and donations are needed to make the effort more successful.

Update- Today's canvass will go forward as planned. We'll stuff bags indoors until the weather breaks about 11 am, then send our teams out. We still need some volunteers. If you would like to help by making copies of the canvass handout you can download the printable PDF at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByXEuvB49CMSQVlEWnY3MFdKdVdSOHR3czJVNk91UldqZ3JV/view?usp=sharing  It's important to use heavy weight paper if you can due to the moist environment we're working in today. Bristol, cover stock, index paper or 32 pound are all find. Black and white or color are both welcome. If you want to just pay for copies you can make a tax deductible donation through the Coastal Community Foundation to our fund there. 

Transit Coaltion Meeting

Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit will conduct a neighborhood transit canvass in Mount Pleasant on Wednesday. May 30 to help residents of the Old Village, Shem Creek and Mid Town areas take advantage of greatly improved bus service now being provided as part of the government response to the Wando Bridge emergency. The effort will target over 1,000 residences and businesses with location focused transit adopter information.  The outreach effort  will operate out of Smoke BBQ on Coleman Blvd. and begin at 9:55 am.  Smoke BBQ is on the #41 bus route and is served by the stop at the park in front of the Moultrie Middle School Athletic Fields.

There is a Facebook Signup for this event where you can find updates.

300% Increase in Bus Service

Banner Pitch at Folly Beach

Mount Pleasant residents in this area currently have bus service over three times as often as they did before the bridge was closed, Head ways on the #41 have been decreased from a dysfunctional 90 minutes to a useful 30 minutes. The route connects to the #40 Mount Pleasant Bus and #2 Express running over the bridge to downtown. When the overburdened Ravanel Bridge locks up of they just want a change of pace, the #41 bus also connects  with the Water Taxi departing from Mount Pleasant Waterfront Park to landings at Aquarium Wharf and Waterfront Park downtown.

It’s a plan to keep Mount Pleasant moving during the bridge closure, but it only works if residents know about it. A sidewalk survey of 40 people in the area Saturday, May 26 revealed that none of the 40 people talked to had specific knowledge of the new, more frequent #41 bus service. Most had some vague awareness that something was happening with the buses, but didn’t know where or when.

The Wednesday Canvass will cover the area roughly one half mile from the #41 Bus Route from where it crosses Shem Creek, along Colman Blvd. Ben Sawyer, Chuck Dawley, Midtown and around Wando Crossing shopping center. The area we’ll be doing outreach into is bounded on the North by Shem Creek and Highway 17. In includes over half the old village, which had an electric railway system linking it to Sullivan’s Island and the Isle of Palms a century ago. Work will begin at 9:55 am and continue until 5:55 pm and will be coordinated from the front porch of SmokeBBQ on Coleman Blvd. Volunteers are needed and welcome and should bring a hat, good walking shoes, a water bottle and a bag suitable for carrying literature. A reusable grocery bag works fine.

This area was the object of a smaller outreach effort seven years ago and proved very responsive to transit outreach.  It includes hundreds of food, beverage and hospitality jobs, the Boulevard Apartments and several other Apartment complexes, including some large new ones located in midtown.

Outreach Effort Launched Last Week

Last week, members of Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit contacted over 1000 residences and businesses on the #40 and #41 Routes, including the area around Town Hall, the Greenhill Community, the Queensboro shopping center, Heritage Village and other surrounding communities.

Bus Stop at Mt. Pleasant Town Hall

Sponsorships of the three major outreach zones are available.  The area Between Shem Creek and Coleman Blvd. is available for $250; The Northern section of the Old Village (Roughly within a half mile of Coleman Blvd is $350 and the canvass area East of Chuck Dawley Blvd. is $225. Smoke BBQ is already providing work space and a BBQ lunch for the Crew.  Breakfast for the 15 person outreach crew  and 1500 door hanger bags are also needed. Tax Deductible financial donations in any amount are welcome and can be made to Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit Fund at the Coastal Community Foundation. https://coastalcommunityfoundation.org/donate-today/. Donors will receive a T-shirt with the Organizations “Together, We Go Forward!” logo and recognition online and in the event video. 

Staff With Plan Your Own Transit System Map

The closure of the Wando River Bridge reveals the weakness of a transportation system almost completely dependent on the automobile.  Mount Pleasant has been moving towards a true multi modal transportation for over seven years.  A partnership of Town Government, Business and Transit Advocates working under the name Hungryneck Straphangers tripled bus ridership before CARTA cut service in 2016.  Over 200 thousand dollars has been spent on  comfortable, attractive bus stops with shelters adapted for our hot, sunny climate. The #40 route recently added an access loop to serve East Cooper Hospital. Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit, our regional transit advocacy organization continues to work actively with the town for more and better service, an effort expected to continue into this year’s CARTA budget negotiations.

Updates and More Information

Work on the canvass will be documented on the Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit Website at www.BFLTransit.com and on twitter using hashtag #chstransit. To contact the organizers call (843) 870-5299.