City Of Greenville | Bicycle Master Plan
bicycling activity. The metrics, instead, focus on the percentage of homes within a close walking distance to a bicycle facility. A more detailed discussion of Greenville’s bike mode share and bicycle counts is provided in Chapter 4.
Safety Collisions involving bicyclists are tracked by the Greenville Police Department and reported to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS). SCDPS manages a statewide database of traffic collisions. This data is, in turn, provided to SCDOT and state and local law enforcement offices. To be included in the statewide database, a collision must: 1) involve a licensed motor vehicle such as an automobile, truck or motorcycle (mopeds, go-carts and trains on tracks do not qualify); 2) occur on a public roadway (shopping center parking lots and private roads do not qualify); and 3) involve a reportable injury or at least $1,000 in total property damage. While these criteria are used for collision data in many states, they do not adequately measure bicycle crashes. Many bicycle collisions are not reported to law enforcement, and the necessary involvement of a motor vehicle excludes any record of bike-to-bike, bike-to-pedestrian, or single-bike crashes. (Additional discussion of bicycle crash information is included in Chapter 4.) Institutional Capacity The City of Greenville does not currently staff a bicycle and pedestrian program manager (or coordinator). Additionally, the City does not have a transportation planner on staff. The local metropolitan planning organization (GPATS) also does not have a bicycle and pedestrian program manager. Following the adoption of the City’s Trails and Greenways Master Plan (2007), the City heeded the plan’s recommendation to hire a trails and greenways planner. Currently, Greenville’s bicycling- and pedestrian-centered programs are generally managed by the Urban Designer and/or the Greenways Manager. Each of those staff positions is housed within the Parks and Recreation Department. Additionally, the City’s Traffic Engineer, housed within the Engineering Division of the Public Works Department, plays an important role in bicycle facility implementation. Their role in addressing the city’s bicycling and pedestrian issues is significant. However, neither position is dedicated to those issues on a full-time basis. The City of Greenville offers bicycle-focused education opportunities for staff, partner agencies, and elected officials. According to the 2009 Bicycle Friendly Community application, City planners, engineers, and designers have historically attended the South Carolina Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodations Conferences. Additionally, the City regularly offers on-line webinars hosted by national and regional organizations such as: Association of Pedestrian & Bicycle Professionals (APBP), National Highway Institute (NHI), Clean Air Partnership, and the National Center for Safe Routes to School. City staff attended the ProWalk ProBike Conferences in 2008 and 2010 and have also taken part in the National Bike Summit. The Greenville Pickens Area Transportation Study (GPATS) maintains a strong working relationship with City staff and regularly offers access to online webinars for a variety of interested agencies and departments. Refer to Appendix A for a detailed review of Greenville policies and plans that support bicycling.
Alta Planning + Design – September 2011 | 3-11