As The State newspaper continues its "Building Our City" series of reports, the installment published in last Thursday's (September 29) edition profiled a recommendation that Assembly Street be reinvented into a narrower, more pedestrian friendly street which would include an urban park in the median. (Read the article.) According to the article, the recommendation comes from a statewide panel of urban land experts who held meetings and a public hearing in Columbia last week.
The Congaree Coalition, which manages a $1 million government grant to help transform sites such as former industrial sites into better uses commissioned the group to find ways to connect the Vista, Innovista, Main Street, the University of South Carolina and Five Points and make downtown more pedestrian and cyclist friendly. The resulting concept is called "connectivity" and Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin apparently thinks it's a good idea. He told reporter Jeff Wilkinson, "the ability to pull these areas of excitement together will dramatically change the quality of life for people in this city."
The mayor is probably right. I just fear the quality of life change resulting from a retooled Assembly Street would be stress-induced, headache-causing, massive frustration for thousands of motorists during morning rush, evening rush, and Gamecocks athletic events. Have you driven on Assembly during any of those times? Can you imagine what things would be like if the current six lanes are reduced to four? My head is beginning to pound just thinking about it. I hate heavy, slow-moving traffic.
Oh, Good Evening!
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