Mayor Cogswell’s Recommended Budget Includes $1 Million for Pedestrian Safety

Mayor William Cogswell’s recommended 2027 budget includes $1 million dedicated to pedestrian safety projects across the city. The money comes from the City’s own budget and does not depend on winning a state or federal grant.

The 2027 budget funds the line for its first year. The Mayor intends for it to continue in future budgets. Projects will be chosen using crash data, the City’s Safety Action Plan and safety needs near schools.

The $1 million comes on top of new transportation money. On Nov. 3, voters approved a transportation sales tax that will provide $22 million to the City of Charleston over the life of the tax for bike and pedestrian improvements.

“Over the last few months, we sat down with parents and neighborhood leaders and made them a promise that we would go through this budget line by line and find this money, and we did,” said Mayor William Cogswell. “Many of the streets our children cross every day aren’t owned by the City, but that will never be a reason for them to wait. We’ll keep working with our state and county partners until every family in Charleston can walk to school without worrying.”

At King and Grove streets near James Simons Montessori and the Charter School for Math and Science, the city has widened crosswalks and eliminated on street parking to increase visibility of pedestrians. Designs for permanent improvements, coordinated with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), are expected by mid-December.

The recommended budget goes to City Council on Nov. 17, with first reading on Dec. 1 and second reading on Dec. 15.