One Way Streets

[growingup15]

I Was taking a Few trips around from Charlotte and Just recently Atlanta,GA and i realize That they have alot of One way roads! And i was wonder and really thinking that...... Would traffic volume go down if alot of 2 Ways in Columbia be turned into One ways just like in Charlotte and Atlanta!?

[waccamatt]

I Was taking a Few trips around from Charlotte and Just recently Atlanta,GA and i realize That they have alot of One way roads! And i was wonder and really thinking that...... Would traffic volume go down if alot of 2 Ways in Columbia be turned into One ways just like in Charlotte and Atlanta!?

Columbia's streets are wide, why would we make them one way?

[CorgiMatt]

Boo. If anything they should return Taylor and Hampton back to two-way streets.

[TheCarolinaKing]

One ways aren't fun. I've driven the wrong way by mistake on some of the ATL one ways.

[BrasilnSC]

There is absolutely no reason to make any of our streets one way, unless there's a football game . It would really mess up traffic patterns that flow pretty well now. Like Corgi said, I wish they would change Taylor and Hampton back to two way in the Vista. It would make them more pedestrian friendly as well as make the entire Canalside area easier to access.

[Spartan]

FYI, Charlotte is trying to figure out how to get rid of its one-way streets. They are horrible and confusing to tourists (of which Charlotte has more than you might expect).

Don't do something because big cities do it. Learn from what they do well, and build on that, and build Columbia to be what it needs to be to accommodate the future (ie: pedestrian-friendly streets). Columbia does not need one-way streets at all. Taylor/Hampton is a great example of overkill. Those streets are too wide and really sever the Arsenal Hill neighborhood from the rest of downtown (along with Assembly, which may as well be a one-way pair on its own. It's something like 120' wide, which is entirely too wide for a city the size of Columbia.

[scnative]

FYI, Charlotte is trying to figure out how to get rid of its one-way streets. They are horrible and confusing to tourists (of which Charlotte has more than you might expect).

I took my family to Discovery Place in Charlotte a while back and it wasn't too bad getting there with the one way streets, but leaving we had to go many blocks out of our way. We nearly got lost because each time we knew we needed to turn it was a one way. I am very thankful that Columbia only has a few. It would be nice to eliminate them in Columbia before they become the norm. I won't even comment on the mess Atlanta has going on.

scnative

[Spartan]

Lol, yeah let's not bring Atlanta into this.

The other problem Charlotte has is that the 277 loop cuts off a lot of roads to the surrounding neighborhoods, so you don't have streets like Elmwood, Bull, Harden, and Blossom that function as through-streets but also retain connectivity for locals. Within uptown Charlotte you also have Fourth Ward, which cuts off a lot of streets, so the actual number of streets on which traffic can be distributed is relatively low, thus the need for the one way streets. Columbia is very fortunate to have not built its own urban loop,

[growingup15]

Lol, yeah let's not bring Atlanta into this.

The other problem Charlotte has is that the 277 loop cuts off a lot of roads to the surrounding neighborhoods, so you don't have streets like Elmwood, Bull, Harden, and Blossom that function as through-streets but also retain connectivity for locals. Within uptown Charlotte you also have Fourth Ward, which cuts off a lot of streets, so the actual number of streets on which traffic can be distributed is relatively low, thus the need for the one way streets. Columbia is very fortunate to have not built its own urban loop,

Yet to build a Urban loop! i really dont see a way to do it but eh! i'm just throwing in my 2 Cents

[BrasilnSC]

Columbia already has it's loop, it's made up of I-20, 77, and 26. There is no need to build any form of highway or urban loop downtown, our downtown streets are large enough to handle traffic.

Speaking of our interstates, I-20 will be widened to 6 lanes past Spears Creek Church Road (old news), but there are also plans to widen I-26 from I-77 to Calhoun Co, and plans to add an extra lane on Westbound I-26 from St. Andrews to just past US 176. These will be some much needed improvements. Hopefully malfunction-junction will be fixed in the next 10 years

[scnative]

Columbia already has it's loop, it's made up of I-20, 77, and 26. There is no need to build any form of highway or urban loop downtown, our downtown streets are large enough to handle traffic.

Speaking of our interstates, I-20 will be widened to 6 lanes past Spears Creek Church Road (old news), but there are also plans to widen I-26 from I-77 to Calhoun Co, and plans to add an extra lane on Westbound I-26 from St. Andrews to just past US 176. These will be some much needed improvements. Hopefully malfunction-junction will be fixed in the next 10 years

I saw plans on SCDOT's site to rehabilitate that 4 mile stretch of I-26W, haven't heard any plans to widen that section. I know it along with the total reconstruction of malfunction-junction needs to be done.

[growingup15]

I'm kinda revisiting this idea i had from last year. About turning some of Downtown Columbia streets from 2 ways to 1 ways. like Lady street Washington ect.

[johnpro318]

I'm kinda revisiting this idea i had from last year. About turning some of Downtown Columbia streets from 2 ways to 1 ways. like Lady street Washington ect.

I think two way streets are way more convenient and the one way streets we already have cause people to drive like they are on the interstate.

But that's just my two cents. Others' thoughts?

[BrasilnSC]

I have to agree. I'm not a fan of one-way streets. I think they can be somewhat confusing to both drivers and pedestrians. They are fine when it's completely necessary, like the narrow streets of Charleston, but not here. Our streets are plenty wide to accommodate two-way traffic. In fact, I think Taylor and Hampton Streets, from Assembly/Park to the river should be converted back to two-way. Like John said, it's almost an interstate along those roads, with 4 lanes wide in one direction. Making them two-way with a median (landscaped preferably) would make it so much more urban and ped friendly. As is, it's not a street anyone would want to cross.

[growingup15]

I think two way streets are way more convenient and the one way streets we already have cause people to drive like they are on the interstate.

But that's just my two cents. Others' thoughts?

My thought????? well i still think a few roads should be converted to one ways. for example Lady st, Washington st, The rest of Hampton like a few streets but in between we have 2 ways so i will make it easy to go one way to another way. Hampton should be a one way going towards USC.

My opinion. whats your response?

[growingup15]

This is not really what i was talking about i kinda went over i mean but this is my idea for one way streets in Columbia that should be.

Red is North

Yellow is South

Green is Both ways.

[waccamatt]

Why would we actually want one way streets? There is absolutely nothing appealing about one way streets.

[growingup15]

Why would we actually want one way streets? There is absolutely nothing appealing about one way streets.

Thats your opinion

also if you read the post like i said this wasn't my original idea it was really only like 4 streets thats not really too much used in downtown and hey also remember this is a Urban Forum so i'm just expressing my ideas and opinions about something about my city.

[johnpro318]

Thats your opinion

also if you read the post like i said this wasn't my original idea it was really only like 4 streets thats not really too much used in downtown and hey also remember this is a Urban Forum so i'm just expressing my ideas and opinions about something about my city.

Well my opinion is that conversion of streets would make our downtown extremely difficult to navigate. Streets are given their direction seemingly at random.

[GvilleSC]

Well my opinion is that conversion of streets would make our downtown extremely difficult to navigate. Streets are given their direction seemingly at random.

I was in Asheville this past weekend, and found their downtown somewhat difficult to navigate. There's a great many one-way streets, and they seem to have little order/reason. Columbia at least has a stronger grid than Asheville, but I agree that the result would be much the same.

[CorgiMatt]

The only way is two ways, with rare exceptions, and even those rare exceptions should be two ways as far as I'm concerned.

[johnpro318]

I was in Asheville this past weekend, and found their downtown somewhat difficult to navigate. There's a great many one-way streets, and they seem to have little order/reason. Columbia at least has a stronger grid than Asheville, but I agree that the result would be much the same.

I was thinking the same thing when I went to Asheville two weekends ago. Having to circle city blocks isn't fun or efficient.

[Spartan]

Come to Charlotte and you will get thoroughly confused by all the one-way streets in Uptown.

For those in support of them, why do you think they would make it better for Columbia? How would it make it easier to get around? Is it hard to drive around today? If so, cite some examples. Explain "why" ... if you have justification for your idea you may get people to agree with you.

If I have time one of these days I can go through countless reasons why one-way streets don't make sense. The biggest reason is that is disrupts the functionality in a grid like Columbia has. Plus traffic is not a significant problem except during peak hours.

[growingup15]

I had a meeting with Mark Pleasent of the SCDOT Highway planning department and he's already in love with my Idea of the 10 Highway the connects I77-Downtown-I20 double decker over the railways to get ready for the major development neat the amazon Distribution center. and he said making it a toll rd would be even more great. also He said they are already in talks with the city of columbia into already turning some of downtown columbia's streets into one ways. so i wasnt already thinking about they were also. He said not a whole bunch of roads but enough in areas that needs one ways.

[Spartan]

I'd be surprised if that actually happens. Columbia's streets are sufficiently wide enough to accommodate two way traffic.