Engaging a beach community and planning for enhanced connectivity

Shallotte Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan

Shallotte is a small beach community that swells to five times its population during the summer months. Visitors bring a large number of vehicles, boats, and RVs into a small town with limited infrastructure for safe walking or biking. Looking for a variety of multimodal strategies, the Town of Shallotte and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) reached out to us for help.

To guide the Town and NCDOT division engineers toward a connected, non-automotive travel network, we identified and prioritized a network of sidewalks, shared use paths, and bicycle facilities. Our multimodal planning team facilitated a wide range of in-person and virtual public engagement events in Shallotte over 10 months. Using online surveys, interactive web maps, and a digital whiteboard platform (Mural), we identified missing and needed multimodal connections, community preferences, and prioritized recommendations. We facilitated the bicycle and pedestrian planning process with the goal of connecting people to Main Street destinations, and town parks.

The plan includes conceptual design of six high-priority projects along with a data-informed, prioritized list of 53 additional project recommendations to form a connected network of shared lane markings, bicycle lanes, side paths, and shared-use paths and trails. Program and policy recommendations include Unified Development Ordinance updates and suggested local and regional programs to encourage further safe biking activity.

This bicycle and pedestrian plan envisions a safer way for people to get around—whether they’re walking or pedaling—and provides a framework to get started.