© 2004, Rotary Club of Charleston

P.O. Box 21029
Charleston, SC 29413-1029

Club secretary:
Carroll Schweers
chasrot@comcast.net

Panelists voice opinions on growth planning
Environmental, traffic concerns clash with Beach, Rozier

MAY 18, 2004 - Panelists Dana Beach, Executive Director of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, and Jim Rozier, Supervisor for Berkeley County, voiced their opinions this week about the clash of environmental and traffic issues facing our region.

Beach emphasized that we must have a basic goal of providing a choice of different transportation options, including efficient roads, public bus routes, bike paths, and public rail systems, while always considering environmental impact. Currently, he said, we do not have a coordinated or comprehensive plan, and while we "are not Atlanta yet" in terms of traffic, the length of our average daily commutes is increasing far faster than our population is growing. He also noted that politics have so infiltrated the planning process that tremendous amounts of money are being spent in areas that do not have real need for change. He gave as an example the $70 million lane widening of Route 162 in Hollywood. Beach summarized that he is in favor of better analysis about land use, removal of politics from the planning process, and more maintenance of current roads in lieu of rushing to build new ones.

Rozier countered that we have tremendous traffic problems in the region and that we must both improve current infrastructure and add new infrastructure. He said that one can never remove politics from the planning process, but that if you do not like a particular individual's political agenda, you have the option to vote them out of office every four years. Said Rozier, "Sometimes you don't stop progress. You plan for it." He noted that of the ten transportation projects completed in the past year, nine were improvements, and only one was a new project. Likewise, with respect to projects both planned and underway, most are improvements rather than new construction.

Both speakers agreed that we need a public bus system that is a system for everyone, not just for the poor and improved rail usage, particularly when the port moves to the old navy base.

In other business…

Cooper Coker gave the invocation and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Jennifer Audi welcomed our guests and visiting Rotarians. Tony Holz offered Health and Happiness. President Anita Zucker inducted our newest members, Jack Hugley, Karl Young, Alex Dallis, and Rhett Dunaway. Larry Tarleton moderated our program on transportation planning, which involved featured speakers Dana Beach and Jim Rozier.

-- Amy Jenkins