CAROLINA BEACH—With its small geographic size, walking and biking to get around the Town of Carolina Beach can seem like a good way to get around, but between traffic and a lack of sidewalks and safe crossings it is sometimes easier said than done.
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In 2016 The Town of Carolina Beach decided to take measures to help improve the walkability of the town through applying for planning grants and creating the Carolina Beach Pedestrian Master Plan. Carolina Beach formed an ad hoc Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee as well.
Now, after more than a year of planning and gathering of public input, VHB Consulting has completed the master plan and is ready to present its findings to Town Council.
Goals of the plan:
- Promote a culture of walking and active living
- Enhance access to local businesses, neighborhoods, parks, and the beach by foot
- Emphasize the safety of pedestrians while accommodating motorized traffic in an efficient manner
- Create an aesthetically attractive environment that will appeal to residents and visitors
- Develop a framework to update this Plan in the future
VHB conducted two public input meetings to gather information on the current situation in Carolina Beach and identify the goals for the future; A public survey was also used to receive data. More than 1,000 people took the survey and of the respondents 98-percent claimed to walk in Carolina Beach regularly and 64-percent are full time residents.
Walking destinations included the beach and boardwalk, shopping and dining options, downtown, and the marina.
Several issues were identified within Carolina Beach including a lack of connected sidewalks, unsafe vehicle speeds, and unsafe crossing locations. In the survey only 23-percent of the respondents thought the existing conditions were currently acceptable.
In the time between 1997 and 2012, Carolina Beach saw 33 pedestrian crashes, according to the study’s findings.
VHB will make an official presentation of its findings Tuesday, May 22, at the Town Council workshop, the meeting is open to the public.
Agenda Item – Presentation of the Carolina Beach Pedestrian Plan – PDF by Michael James on Scribd
