Timeline for Truncated Transit in the Lowcountry

 

Transit Outreach in N. Chs. May 2021

This document will link the known, events, documents and officials implicated in the decision to break the promise made to voters to build a real rapid transit system made during the campaing for the 2016 Half penny sales tax referendum in Charleston County. It is not likely to be complete immediately and we'll continue to fill in listings as they're turned up in the series of Freedom of Information Act requests we're filing as well as material we're receiving through other sources. 

1. 1830- Christmas Day - Best Friend railroad engine begins rail service from Charleston.
2. 1833- Railroad line reaches Summerville and regular passenger service between Summerville and Charleston begins operating.
3. 1962- Train service between Charleston and Summerville ends after running for 130 years.
4. 1995- Discussion and studies regarding a transit service between Charleston and Summerville begin. A serious of studies and proposals come and go over the next 20 years including Light Rail, Commuter Rail, Express Buses and the Futrex Proposal. 
5. 2007- Express bus from N. Charleston Super Walmart Parking lot begins operating.
6. Jan 2011- Best Friends of Lowcountry transit founded at East Cooper CARTA Riders, later Hungrneck straphangers, to prevent cancellation of East Cooper Bus routes. 
7. 2015- I26 Alt Study plans transit running between Charleston and Summerville. Cost was over half a million dollars. 
8. Sept. 2016- Changes in proposed referendum cause some organizations, including the SC Coastal Conservation League to end support of the referendum due to vagueness and lack of specific commitments to non road projects. Best Friends suspends Transit Complete the Penny Campaign effort after spending over 20 thousand dollars. 
9. Oct. 2016- Charleston County Council passes resolution committing 640 million dollars of half penny sales tax revenue from proposed referendum funding to Transit improvements, part to construction of the BRT and part to improving other transit services. The referendum devotes most of its funding to road construction. Best Friends resumes camainging to pass the referendum in reliance on this resolution. 
10. Nov 5, 2016- Half penny sales tax referendum passes in Charleston County
11. Sept 2020 document shows the route running into Summerville. 
12. Oct 2020 Document shows when they started showing Summerville as a future project. 
13. Nov 2020 document shows several meetings with Town of Summerville staff and the topics all focus on the project alignment and terminus. 
14. Feb 2021 Email chain discussing differences is traffic models used for upper part of Rapid Transit system study area. Possiblity of discrepencies and errors noted. Data is being collected during the worst part of the pandemic, when car travel is depressed. 
15. Feb. 4, 2022 Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit launches the 100 days campaign to obtain immediate uninterrupted bus service between Charleston and Summerville by extending the #10 Bus line, accelerate construction of the LCRT and postpone any work expanding I526 until the complete LCRT is operating between Summerville and Charleston.