COLUMBIA, S.C. — The City of Columbia is asking residents to volunteer this spring to help conduct pedestrian and bicyclist counts across the city, an effort officials say plays a key role in transportation planning and safety decisions.
City leaders say the routine Pedestrian & Bicyclist Counts help ensure transit riders, pedestrians and cyclists are represented in traffic studies that guide decisions about Columbia’s infrastructure and roadway design.
By counting pedestrians and bicyclists at targeted intersections and crossings, volunteers help collect data at locations that are heavily used, including areas where pedestrians or bicyclists have previously been injured or killed. Officials say routinely gathering this information on both weekdays and weekends allows planners and transportation agencies to better understand how residents use streets and sidewalks…