CARTA, BCDCOG Seek Community Input to Improve Downtown Charleston Transit Service
Online survey live through July 9th
CHARLESTON, S.C. (June 22, 2023) – The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA), through the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG), has launched an online community survey to better understand individual experiences with transit service in Downtown Charleston. Everyone who lives, works, or visits Downtown Charleston is invited to share their thoughts on how to improve transit.
This survey is part of the Downtown Charleston Transit Study, a study evaluating the needs and opportunities to improve transit service for Downtown transit riders, residents, workers, and visitors. The goal of the project is to improve ridership and service quality post-pandemic.
“Space in downtown Charleston is limited, but demand for access keeps growing. Offering excellent transit service is key for the livability of our city,” said CARTA Board Chairman Mike Seekings. “As CARTA plans for future transit service downtown, we are focused on enhancing customer experience. That means we need to hear directly from our current and potential riders. This survey is a great way for people to tell us where they want to go and how updates to the transit system would make trips more convenient.”
The study is focused on transit service and transit supportive infrastructure in downtown Charleston, including CARTA’s regular, Express, and DASH routes. The study will identify and program investments to develop a refined Downtown bus network and transit priority infrastructure. Study recommendations will align with the planned Lowcountry Rapid Transit (LCRT) modern bus rapid transit system, BCDCOG’s Long Range Transportation Plan and the city’s Peninsula plan.
This online survey aims to better understand how individuals travel to and around Downtown Charleston, including how they usually get Downtown, their previous experience with transit, what might make them more likely to use transit in the future, and their priorities for improving CARTA services, including Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH) routes. The survey is currently live at surveymonkey.com/r/CARTA-DCTS and will be open to the public through July 9. Responses will inform recommendations for improvements to transit routes, schedules, transfers, and facilities like bus stops and dedicated lanes – as well as pedestrian and cyclist access to stops – as a revised Downtown transit network concept is developed this summer.
For more information, visit the project website.
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About Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments
BCDCOG is a regional agency serving Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties and their municipalities. It offers a wide variety of planning, economic development, and social services to aid the orderly growth and development of the area, including staffing, management, and oversight of CARTA operations. It is conducting this study with the support of Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, a multimodal transportation planning firm and national leader in transit service plans.
Project Website: bcdcog.com/downtown-transit-study
Transit Needs Survey Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CARTA-DCTS
Encuesta de necesidades de tránsito: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZXJNLW6
Media Contact
Daniel Brock
Regional Strategist
Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments
843-529-2576
