About 50 people were in attendance for the meeting. HRH president Guy Jones chaired the meeting. Introductions were made. Tim Frier (Pinewood) raised the question about what happened to the petition signed by Pinewood residents and forwarded to the HRH Council.  Council believes/thought/assumed that City engineer David Brewer had it but Brewer had no record of it.  Pinewood residents said they would re-validate the request and send it to HRH Council for approval and forwarding to the City.

The key comments during a “spirited discussion” were:

·      Corner of S. Gregg & Heyward problematic due to parking configuration. Unfortunately, local residents have had unkind notes, etc. left on their vehicles.

·      Why can’t the neighborhood council meet at the church each month.  Response: not fully explored but the council has always paid the church for use of the facilities. Might be cost prohibitive.

·      Tim Frier brought up section 12-14 of City code (see: https://library.municode.com/sc/columbia/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH12MOVETR_ARTIINGE_S12-14PLST) as to why S. Gregg and S. Saluda can’t be designated as “play streets” as well as S. Waccamaw by AC Moore.

·      The City should do another traffic study of the entire neighborhood (counts, speed, etc.)

·      City councilperson Will Brennan encouraged attendees to voice their support for fully funding the Public Safely budget in the upcoming City budget cycle.

·      We should enlist USC’s help with, in particular, the parking problem since much of it is from either commuter students or student inhabited rentals. Jacquelyn Fox offered to be a liaison on this issue.

·      Can the City use camera (or other assisted) technology to enforce speeding, running stop signs, etc.

·      Can the speed limit be lowered to 20mph in some/all of the neighborhood?

·       

After meeting add-ons:

·      Speed hump – 100 block of S. Marion

·      What is the procedure for requesting sidewalks and how does the prioritization take place?

Items from the meeting that were supported either totally or by the vast majority were:

·      #1: Request better enforcement of all ordinances (speed, stop signs, parking, yellow curbs, etc.)

·      #2: Request stop signs at every 3- and 4-way intersection (knowing that the City will not want to install stop signs at each of these intersections). Encourage neighborhood feedback to the City on alternatives.

·      #3: Request a neighborhood-wide 25 mph speed limit.

·      Request better “speed limit” signage.

Maps were distributed among those in attendance and were marked with specific locations where solutions or issues were seen. Those will be compiled into a single map but the comments can be summarized as:

·      Ask USC to create USC shuttlebus stops along Rosewood Dr. to service students living in Rosewood Hills and adjacent rentals near Rosewood Dr.

·      3-way stops at: Maplewood @ S Gregg, Pinewood @ S. Gregg (2), Pinewood @ S. Edisto, Kiawah @ Etiwan, S. Bull @ Southwood, S. Gregg @ Hollywood, S. Gregg @ Tugaloo, Pinewood @ Fulton, Pinewood @ S. Pickens

·      4-way stops at: S. Edisto @ Tugaloo, S. Waccamaw @ Kiawah, S. Pickens @ Hollywood, Southwood @ Hollywood, S. Saluda @ Kiawah, Southwood @ Crestwood

·      Proposed “residents only parking” on: S Edisto between Pinewood & Rosewood, on S. Gregg between Hollywood Park and Pinewood

·      Need a sidewalk on the south side of Kiawah between S. Waccamaw and S. Edisto

·      Richland 1 School District should purchase narrow vacant lot on Rosewood @ S. Waccamaw for parking

·      “Residents only parking” on S. Bull – 100 block (Heyward to Crestwood)

·      100 block of S. Bull – yellow curbs & speed hump need repainting

        ·     100 block of S. Bull – potential parking only on east side

Notes taken by Lynn Shirley, HRH Council secretary (2020)   - last updated 28-Feb-20

Summary of Traffic & Parking Safety Survey

Beginning in the fall of 2018 the neighborhood council collected concerns regarding our streets, traffic, parking, sidewalks, cross-walks, etc.  That summary has been forwarded to the City's Traffic Engineering Department. This, and an earlier Parking Guide document can be accessed below.  

 Parking Concerns forwarded to the City (March 2019)

HRH Parking Guide