The Brushy Creek Greenway could run between downtown Easley and the future Easley High School, or possibly to the County line. The purpose of the feasibility study is to identify opportunities and constraints, to lay out an ideal route, and to determine the cost to build the greenway. The City of Easley, with consultants from Alta Planning + Design and Seamon
Whiteside + Associates, will host a public meeting on Monday, November 15, at 6:00 PM, to discuss the Brushy Creek Greenway Feasibility Study and to hear input from local residents.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend and offer feedback. The public meeting will be held at the Larry Bagwell Gymnasium at 201 Peoples Drive, Easley, SC 29642, adjacent to the baseball fields.

The City of Easley’s Bicycle Committee met on Friday, September 10th, with Alta Planning to begin the process of a feasibility study for the development of the Brushy Creek Greenway. The Greenway is a top priority under the City’s Bicycle-Pedestrian Master Plan and would extend approximately 3 miles (5K) from downtown Easley through the Red Owens Recreation Complex and on to the newly planned Easley High School.

L – R Maya Agarwal, Designer, Alta Planning; Fox Simons, City Administrator; John Cock, Regional Manager, Alta Planning; and Phil Kearns, Bicycle Committee map the route along Brushy Creek for a planned greenway trail.

The team boarded a city bus and followed the proposed route, mapping it out as a preliminary step. Alta Planning has said that they expect the study to take about 6 months to complete. This would be the first of several trips to the site. The feasibility study will confirm the layout of the route and identify potential challenges and solutions for the bicycle and pedestrian path. This includes confirming easements and looking for any permitting issues. Since the route would cross 123, the study will consider preliminary options for a bridge or tunnel, which may be the focus of a future detailed engineering study and implementation.

Phil Kearns shows the team where a proposed bridge would cross a beautiful rock feature on the planned Brushy Creek Greenway trail.

Alta Planning and the City of Easley will host a community meeting in mid-November to communicate progress and get input from residents.

Easley’s Bicycle- Pedestrian Master Plan is posted on www.BikeEasley.com and is also linked on the City of Easley’s website.

The City of Easley is making progress in the effort to become bicycle friendly. After approving its new Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan in December of 2009, the City has been fast at work to implement the plan in stages. The first step has been the re-striping of lanes downtown to incorporate bicycles.

On Friday, July 16th the bicycle symbols will be painted onto the new bicycle lanes beginning on East 1st Avenue at Russell Street at 8:30 A.M. John Cox of Land Planning Associates, Inc., Easley will be supervising the markings which will be installed by JAT Markings of Travelers Rest. Terry Trippe with JAT has said that it will take about half a day to put the 23 symbols down.

John Cox notes, “The symbols will go from Pendleton Street to HWY 93 (Main St) on East 1st, Russell Street, East East 2nd Avenue, East 3rd, and South B (all partial roads that tie in together).”

In addition says John, “The City has also submitted documentation to the DOT to explore a ‘road diet’on Highway 135 from North Main to Fleetwood Drive, on the way to the Palmetto Baptist Hospital. The comprehensive Master Plan shows other road diets, but this one is the easiest to complete.”

Easley has also begun the process of a feasibility study for its planned Brushy Creek Greenway after funds were recently made available through Greenville Pickens Area Transportation Study (GPATS).

For more information about the Bicycle Friendly Community effort, and to see Easley’s Bicycle, Pedestrian Master Plan, go to www.bikeeasley.com.

Written by Christine deVlaming
City of Easley Bicycle Friendly Committee
Reprinted with permission of the City of Easley

EASLEY, SC JUNE 21, 2010

Greenville Pickens Area Transportation Study (GPATS) approved funding today for its Unified Planning Work Porgram for 2011. The program total od $715,000 for Greenville and Pickens Counties includes $20,000 for the City of Easley to use to further progress under its Easley Bicycle-Pedestrian Master Plan. The City will match the funds with 20% or $5,000 as required for a total of $25,000.

The City of Easley plans to use these funds on a feasibility study for the development of the Brushy Creek Greenway. The Greenway is a top priority under the master plan and would extend approximately 3 miles (5K) from downtown Easley through Red Owens Recreation Complex and on to the newly planned Easley High School.

The feasibility study will confirm the layout of the route and identify potential challenges and solutions for the bicycle and pedestrian path. This includes confirming easements and looking for any permitting issues. Since the route would cross under Highway 123, the initial plan is to complete the trails on each side of Highway 123 and then at a later stage, work on the tunnel.

More Information:

 Easley’s Bicycle-Pedestrian Master Plan is posted HERE.

  Download this press release as a PDF file HERE.

Police Officer David C. Garrison, and Police Officer D.L. Brinston

Police Officer David C. Garrison, and Police Officer D.L. Brinston described their typical bicycle patrol. “The police cars are fitted with bike racks. We usually park outside of a neighborhood and take our bikes off to patrol. We are checking property; homes, cars, and garages, ” said Garrison. “During the day, we often have kids greet us and it gives us an opportunity to speak to them and let them know we are there to help make the neighborhood safe. It helps when kids learn not to fear the police.”

Brinston patrols on bicycle nearly every night if the weather permits. He will ride during the 7 pm to 7 am night shift for 3-4 hours, moving from neighborhood to neighborhood by car and then parking to do a cycle patrol around the community. Brinston said, “In more distressed neighborhoods the bicycle allows us to come up on issues without being noticed. We always work in pairs when in these areas. Officer safety is a proirity. If we have an arrest, we call in a backup car.”

Brinston is originally from Mississippi, where his family is in law enforcement. “Drug use is the source of most of the crime,” he said. Garrison is from Easley, He rides about 4 or 5 days per month. “The use of the bikes depends on the number of calls we have,” noted Garrison.

Each of the two policemen looked cool enough wearing uniform issue shorts, but under their shirts they wear bullet-proof vests for safety. Each officer wears a heavy belt full of police gear and a radio that crossed over onto their chest. The two make it look easy onb a bicycle, but this is still a tough job.

DOWNLOAD Press Release – Easley’s Bicycle Patrol>>>

Easley’s Bicycle-Pedestrian Master Plan is posted on the City’s Website or www.BikeEasley.com