JAMES ISLAND, SC (WCSC) - Some James Island homeowners brought out signs and their walking shoes Monday to protest the proposed plans to change a Riverland Drive intersection.
Charleston County officials say they have two options in mind to make traffic run smoother.
The first one being a traffic light and the second one being a roundabout.
The people walking with signs and chanting say they are walking in favor of a traffic light at the intersection of Riverland Drive and Central Park Road., not a roundabout.
They say a roundabout could cut into the yards around that area, and that’s the last thing they want.
“We are in favor of something being done. We need it, we want it. But the roundabout is not the way to go,” said Harold Pinckney Jr., a Riverland Drive homeowner.
One longtime homeowner in the area says he has watched the area get bigger and bigger, so he knows a change needs to happen.
Although, he says “the county needs to think smart” when it comes to making a decision.
“We asked for a light for over 20 something years now,” said Lloyd Young, a long-time homeowner.
The county’s project manager says they do want to hear these opinions, so they’re holding a public meeting Wednesday night at the Charleston County Government Building in Council Chambers at 6 p.m.
There will be a presentation of both improvement options given by the project manager and then they will open the floor to public comments.
County officials say the next step isn’t until March 21 when the Transportation Development Committee makes a recommendation to council.
Until then, the group says they will keep fighting.
“The decision hasn’t been made yet, and if it hasn’t been made yet we can still get what we want,” Pinckney says.
The protesters say they plan to be out spreading the word several more times in the next few weeks in hopes of only getting a traffic light.
Copyright 2019 WCSC. All rights reserved.