By Valencia Wicker
vwicker@abcnews4.com
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) – Mia Birk has pedaled the uphill battle of bike-friendliness before. That's why she's helping to make the journey a smooth path for Charleston.
"We've been at it for a long time in Portland. We did not start out as a bicycle friendly city," said Birk, principal for Alta Planning and Design, a transportation agency that helps transform cities into bike friendly places.
Birk played an instrumental role in turning Portland, Oregon into the country's most bike friendly city in the nation. So, she knows first-hand what needs to be done here in the Charleston.
"Charleston has done a lot of wonderful things to create balance, transportation options and a more sustainable city. And, the next step for Charleston is to really embrace bicycle transportation," said Birk.
Birk says the city needs a connected network of bike lanes throughout the city – Not just in certain parts.
"It's developing a comprehensive vision for a bike plan for the whole community that would involve a combination of different types of bikeways. Some of them are going to be on major roads and bridges, but some of them aren't," Birk said.
But, her vision is somewhat of a far-fetched dream for a city like Charleston.
"I think the challenges are pretty significant, and that is some of the roads are pretty constrained. Most of the roads are owned by state DOT and not by the city. So, you don't have a lot of control of your own roads," Birk said.
Birk's visit to the Lowcountry was sponsored by several groups, including The Palmetto Conservation Foundation, The Palmetto Cycling Coalition, Doctors Care, South Carolina Parks and Recreation and Tourism and Charleston Moves.
(Dave MacQueen/WCIV)
