Staff reports | The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority will start operating its Beach Reach Shuttle with hourly weekend service on May 29 to provide a new connection between Mount Pleasant and Isle of Palms.
IN THIS EDITION
FOCUS: Charleston Law graduate wins prestigious fellowship
COMMENTARY, Brack: Legislature needs to get it right on making state, jails safer
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: SC Clips
NEWS BRIEFS: Spoleto season starts May 28; Piccolo guide is now online
FEEDBACK: Send us a letter
MYSTERY PHOTO: Familiar archway
CALENDAR: Take the bus to the beach
Staff reports | Charleston International Airport has installed a state-of-the-art bus shelter to accommodate an increasing number of passengers and airport workers riding Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) vehicles to and from the airport.
“With passenger numbers booming at Charleston International Airport, we couldn’t be happier that the Aviation Authority has stepped up to partner in such a big way,” said CARTA board chairman Mike Seekings, who also is a Charleston city council member. “As more visitors than ever come to the Charleston area, we have to mitigate traffic impacts throughout the region, and a $3.50 direct connection from the airport to downtown is one way to do just that.”
Staff reports | A new 20,000 square foot library on James Island should open by the end of 2018, according to library and county officials who kicked off construction of the facility at a Friday groundbreaking.
In related news, county officials last week gave the O.K. to designers and builders to move forward with a new library to replace the Cooper River Memorial Library in North Charleston.
By William J. Hamilton | Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit became aware that the Lowcountry’s Emergency Bus Evacuation System, another almost entirely separate transit system from Tri County Link and CARTA, wasn’t ready for a major hurricane on Sept. 5. We blogged the issue and informed local officials with a positively focused post on the Daily Kos, a national news site titled Power and Efficiency of Public Transit can save Low country lives before and after a Hurricane.
Hamilton
Neither CARTA bus drivers nor the public had any detailed knowledge of this alternative bus route system. Maps and schedules could have been handed out to transit riders, who often come from households without private cars and communities where cars are less available.
Staff reports | Charleston Southern University students packed 1,823 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child at CSU’s 6th annual packing party last week. Also this week: New DASH buses downtown; Joe Engel Street; Ann Thrash’s new online holiday store.
By Natalie Olson, special to Charleston Currents | On Election Day, Charleston County residents voted to approve the proposed half-cent sales tax increase.
Leading up to the election, the Coastal Conservation League opposed this referendum because it lacks adequate safeguards to ensure that accountability and transparency are at the forefront of spending our tax dollars. There is no guarantee that the $2.1 billion generated by this tax increase over the next 25 years will indeed go towards high priority transportation projects aimed at relieving congestion and improving the quality of life for all residents throughout the county.
By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | Transportation in the Charleston area is an issue that needs to be dealt with by the community as a whole. The region needs to provide a lot of the necessary infrastructure, businesses need to get involved with incentives, and individuals need to coordinate travel to either share the ride or consider alternatives. Our transportation issues are serious today. Unless we address them, they are only going to get worse over time. The future is ours to plan for now.
Studies have been done to evaluate potential solutions. Avenues from light rail and water ferries to improved bus systems have been explored. These ideas all have a certain appeal, but when you get into the logistics of implementation there are cavea
When Charleston resident Demonica Frazier reported to work September 28 at the Ashley Park retirement community in West Ashley, she got a big surprise. She was awarded BrightStar Care’s Caregiver of the Year for the care she provides to 90-year-old couple, Barb and Joe Miller.
The Southeastern Wildlife Exhibition — that three-day celebration of wildlife and nature (umm, more than folks drinking beer and partying outside) — comes to down on Valentine’s weekend with lots of stuff for families to enjoy.
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