There is a Crisis on Our Streets
Recently a child attending James Simons Montessori was struck by a vehicle while crossing King & Grove Streets. While we are grateful the student survived, this incident was a predictable outcome of broken street design, multi-agency finger-pointing, and years of delayed infrastructure projects.

Every single school day, hundreds of children across the Charleston Peninsula walk and bike through high-risk intersections to reach their classrooms. On corridors North of Calhoun Street serving James Simons Montessori, Burke High School, Mitchell Elementary, Simmons-Pinckney Middle, Charleston Math & Science Charter, Sanders-Clyde Elementary, Meeting Street Academy, and Sundrops Montessori—basic safety hardware is dangerously missing.

We cannot wait for another child to be injured before taking action.

The Peninsula Plan Parent Promise
Parents desire to support the November 3, 2026 Transportation Sales Tax (TST) referendum. However, we demand that the Mayor, County Council, and State leadership execute a binding "Peninsula Plan Parent Promise" agreement prior to Election Day, committing to four actions:

1. City Commitment: A $1 Million Municipal Budget Line Item
The City of Charleston must establish the proposed $1 Million line item in the annual municipal budget dedicated strictly to local pedestrian safety. We request that they make these funds recurring in the annual budget with or without matching federal grant funding. We request that at least $400,000 be specifically set aside for upgrades to school crossings downtown, north of Calhoun Street in Year 1.

2. County Commitment: Year-1 TST Peninsula Plan Carve-Out
We request that Charleston County Council provides a Year-1 carve-out from the TST Intersection Safety and Bike/Pedestrian funds to immediately execute quick-build projects from the Peninsula Plan, prioritizing safety in active school corridors.

3. Single "Batching" Contract Strategy
To solve the contractor bidding problem, we demand that the City of Charleston, Charleston County , and SCDOT bundle all high priority peninsula school quick build plans into a single, multi-million-dollar commercial bidding package within 18 months, making the project financially attractive for major construction firms to execute swiftly.

4. State Commitment: Municipal Road Transfer via SC Senate Bill 831
Under South Carolina’s SCDOT Modernization Act (Senate Bill 831), SCDOT and Governor McMaster begin plans to transfer jurisdictional control of state-owned secondary streets in peninsula school zones directly to the City of Charleston. Passing ownership to the City eliminates state bureaucracy and empowers local leaders to install life-saving hardware immediately.

The Bureaucratic Trap Keeps Failing Us

When residents ask why a crosswalk or flashing light cannot be installed immediately, local government defaults to bureaucratic excuses. Here is how systemic barriers across four key groups keep our school zones dangerous for Charleston kids:

State (SCDOT): Motorist-first speed priorities and 12–18 month study cycles delay basic stop signs and flashing lights via mandatory encroachment permits.

City of Charleston: Lacks ownership of key secondary state roads near schools and currently operates with little recurring capital funds for pedestrian safety upgrades.

Charleston County: Allocated 37.6% ($1.6 Billion) of sales tax dollars to highway mega-projects, leaving under 2% ($77 Million) for bike/pedestrian safety countywide. Which shows they are prioritizing motorists instead of pedestrians.

Private Contractors: High crew mobilization overhead causes small, isolated $30,000 crosswalk jobs to go completely unbid.

How Far Does $1 Million Go?
To prove that student safety is an achievable, cost-effective investment, here is what a $1 Million municipal budget allocation can actually buy:

Complete Quick-Build "Safety Kit" (~$44,000 to $50,000 per crossing)

What it includes: Quad Solar RRFB Flashing Beacons, Shark's Teeth Yield Lines, Heavy-Duty RPM "Turtles", and Radar Speed Signs.
What $1 Million covers: Funds ALL 8 Peninsula Priority School Crossings for roughly $400,000 total—leaving nearly $600,000 remaining for larger infrastructure fixes!

Concrete Curb Bulb-Outs & 4-Way Stop (~$100,000 per location)

What it includes: Physical concrete curb extensions, tactile safety pads, and 4-way stop markings.
What $1 Million covers: Funds all 8 crossings with complete physical intersection overhauls.

Full Overhead Span-Wire Traffic Signal (~$200,000 per location)

What it includes: Full overhead mast or span-wire signal system for high-volume corridors.
What $1 Million covers: Funds 5 full signalized pedestrian crossings.

Priority School Intersections Requiring Immediate Action

James Simons Montessori: Rutledge Ave & Moultrie St | King St & Moultrie St | Rutledge Ave & Grove St

Charleston Math and Science: King St & Grove St (Emergency Site) | Rutledge Ave & Grove St

Sundrops Montessori: Rutledge Ave & Simons St

Simmons-Pinckney Middle : Rutledge Ave & Fishburne St

Burke High School: President St & Fishburne St

Sanders-Clyde Elementary: America St & Jackson St | Morrison Dr & Jackson St

Sign the Petition & Stand with Our Children
We are mobilizing parents, teachers, neighborhood associations, and residents across Charleston into a unified civic block.

By signing this petition, you are demanding that Mayor Cogswell, Charleston County Council, and SCDOT stop passing the buck, stop the delays and sign the Peninsula Plan Parent Promise, and guarantee that our children can walk to school safely.

Sign today and share with your school, neighborhood, and community network!