Update on Status of Crosswalk at Hammett Road (from Katy R.)

Hello Neighbors,

     I wanted to provide an update on our request to add a crosswalk to Hammett Road. First, I want to thank the many, many neighbors who have reached out and provided kind words for starting this request. I'm just a regular neighbor with zero experience doing this sort of thing. I am thankful for your encouragement.
During these conversations, I learned that throughout the years, many folks in RDI and RDII requested various traffic calming measures-- traffic lights, speed humps, reduced speed limits, stop signs and more. We all know there's a safety issue and want change before someone gets hurt crossing between our neighborhoods.

Several neighbors have also shared that a crosswalk might "create a false sense of security" for pedestrians and cyclists, but signed this petition anyway knowing that SOMETHING is better than what exists today. I wanted to share that the request I put in was actually for 3 evidence-based changes, citing US Department of Transportation studies. In addition, I requested a study that could lay the foundation for additional safety improvements:

1. A marked high-visibility pedestrian crosswalk (ladder-style striping) at the crossing point between River Downs I and River Downs II on SR-522
2. A solar-powered Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) that is pedestrian-activated on both sides of the crosswalk.
3. Advance pedestrian warning signs placed on both sides of the curve before the crossing, giving drivers maximum reaction time given Hammett Road’s limited sight lines

4. A traffic and speed engineering study of SR-522 to document current vehicle speeds and assess whether a speed limit reduction below 30 mph is warranted, which would in turn open eligibility for additional traffic calming measures.

As a quick update, I received the records back from The Greenville County Sherriff's office and it does confirm that unsafe conditions exist on Hammett Road, providing a bit of data behind our request.  I also need to submit a freedom of information act request to the State Highway Patrol, so it will be another 3-4 months before all the data is available.

• When Greenville County officers worked the site on April 20th 2023, they stopped 9 vehicles within a span of 90 minutes at the site of the requested crosswalk!
• On 5/9/2025, 4 vehicles were pulled over in 30 minutes.
• Nearby on January 17th 2024: 4 vehicles were pulled over in 30 minutes.
• There have been at least 4 accidents at the spot within the last 36 months. According to the Greenville County Sherriff's office, I will need to go to the State Highway Patrol to get all accidents, so this data point is not comprehensive. For example, the December 2025 wreck with the boulder moved into the RDI entrance was not in the Greenville County Sherriff's incident list.

All that said, we are fortunate that Representative Dianne Mitchell is a long-time resident of nearby Sugar Creek and is very well aware of Hammett Road and its history. I have found Representative Mitchell very warm, approachable, and eager to help. As she emailed last month, she has provided this information  to the Upstate's DOT liaison and we hope to meet with him soon.  

In the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out. 
Thank you,

-Katy Rebernak