Traffic cones
Center Street seems fairly calm here in early spring. However, traffic becomes problematic during busy summer weekends. Will the City Council employ professional recommendations for relief?
Before there was trash, there was traffic. Although, to make that statement true, one has to consider what constitutes trash, and of course there is the concept of traffic as well. Does a group of Neanderthals tromping through a prehistoric, Canadian rainforest constitute traffic? I guess that depends on whether they were following ice age interstates, or, at least, if they walked in single file. In either case, in early 2009, Folly Beach was talking about traffic problems before they were talking about trash. The City hired Wilbur Smith & Associates to consult on the matter and they provided long-term solutions at a public meeting, while simultaneously taking suggestions. However, they also promised short-term solutions that could provide immediate relief. The traffic issue may have been put on the back burner of the public’s consciousness between July 4 and Labor Day, as the trash issue cast a shadow on every other issue of concern for Folly. However, Labor Day will roll around and many residents will be reminded and will remind the City Council that Folly Beach needs to do something about traffic. Some may wonder what happened to the short-term solutions. For those who attended the consultant’s public hearing, most came away with a sense that the City would receive some strategies that could be implemented immediately and would provide some relief. The City received those strategies, but residents may not see any relief during this year’s tourist season. Mayor Carl Beckmann stated that he expected the Council to discuss the short-term solutions at the August work session which is scheduled for August 11. It is unsure whether or not the City plans to implement any of the suggested short-term solutions before Labor Day, which falls on September 7. The Folly Beach Traffic Study Committee met on July 23 to discuss the “draft” options presented by Wilbur Smith & Associates. The Committee evaluated the options and should be presenting their conclusion to the Council in the near future as another Traffic Study meeting has not yet been scheduled.
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