Myrtle Beach gets grant to study bicycle safety on Ocean Boulevard

Those driving around Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach this week might notice a group of people surveying the area to determine how safe the road is for bicyclists.

The group will be in town Tuesday through Thursday to survey Ocean Boulevard between Third Avenue South and 31st Avenue North to determine if there are any potential road safety issues and identify opportunities to improve the streets, especially for bicyclists.

Myrtle Beach won a grant by being a participant of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Mayors’ Challenge for Safer People, Safer Streets” that provides staffing to conduct the survey of part of the city. Myrtle Beach is one of nearly 100 U.S. cities participating in the challenge.

“We’re hoping to see how they do things so that we can apply it to the rest of the city in the future,” city planner Kelly Mezzapelle said.

Conducting the survey has been a goal of the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Committee. By being part of the Mayors’ Challenge, Myrtle Beach was able to apply to have some of that survey done as a grant. It is one of two cities to receive the grant.

Mezzapelle said the grant from the Federal Highway Administration is to have the staffing come to Myrtle Beach. There is no money involved.

The city committee is an offshoot of a Planning Commission subcommittee tasked with the same duties – studying the city’s bicycle and pedestrian safety and making recommendations to city officials.

Bill Pritchard, chairman of the committee, said to survey the entire city could cost about $100,000.

Once the city is fully surveyed, the results would be able to lead the city in creating safe environments for pedestrians and bicyclists to enhance the city’s walkability.

The planning commission subcommittee conducted an informal study last year, mostly from personal experience and anecdotes from the members.

Mezzapelle said they applied to study all of Ocean Boulevard and the DOT narrowed it down to the section between Third Avenue South and 31st Avenue North based on traffic and crash data the city provided.

“[Ocean Boulevard] is the one corridor in town where we have such a variety of different riders,” Mezzapelle said. “There are locals going to work, international students going to work, [other] local riders and tourists. That’s one area of town where everybody wants to ride their bike – and is riding their bike. It’s our responsibility to make it as safe as we can.”

About 15 people comprised of staff from VHB consulting firm on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration, city staff, police officers and members of the bicycle and pedestrian committee will spend time on Ocean Boulevard Tuesday and Wednesday surveying the safety aspects.

Tuesday will include about six hours of touring the area by van, getting out as needed on Ocean Boulevard to take a closer look. On Wednesday morning, the group will ride bicycles along Ocean Boulevard to analyze it from the perspective of a bicyclist.

The findings will be used to prioritize infrastructure improvements the committee recommends to City Council, Mezzapelle said.

This story was originally published August 31, 2015 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach gets grant to study bicycle safety on Ocean Boulevard."