Charleston officials to implement bicycle ban on section of the Battery

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)–If you ride a bicycle along the Battery in downtown Charleston, you may soon need to change your route—a new ordinance passed by Charleston bans bikes in certain areas.

“Now that we have elevated the low Battery and reconfigured, calmed, and repaved Murray Boulevard, we want to ensure people know who should be where and when. The elevated walkway has no protections up there. There’s no fencing, and it’s not safe,” said Mike Seekings, a Charleston city councilmember.

News 2 spoke to one cyclist familiar with the area who agrees that the new ban along Murray Boulevard was much needed.

“That never was a fit out there on the Battery to have bicycles on because one of the main ways things happen is doors opening, and it was already, so now it was hard to pass a car through so for your safety and my own sake. I wouldn’t be riding down here in the first place,” said Chris Hardwicke.

Officials said public safety is their top priority, and they encourage cyclists to take bike-friendly alternate routes. 

“A nicely newly configured Murray Boulevard with traffic calming that is bike friendly again, I invite people to come down and enjoy the views.” 

Officials said they’ll release more information about when the rule will go into effect in the coming days.