Charleston Moves holding Ride of Silence for traffic violence victims

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston Moves will be honoring those who have been killed while biking or walking on roadways due to traffic violence on Wednesday night.

The Ride of Silence is an annual International Day of Remembrance for victims, but organizers say the goal is not just to remember, but to make a statement and prevent more deaths.

“Whether we know each other or not, we’re thinking about the same people, we’re thinking about no one should be dying on our streets,” Executive Director of Charleston Moves Katie Zimmerman said. “How do we make a change?”

A slow silent ride of solidarity will be followed by a social hour where participants can stand up together and advocate for safer streets.

The route for this year’s ride will focus on the corridors that SCDOT has identified as some of the deadliest in our state for people biking and walking according to collision rates. This includes King Street from Line to Broad, Calhoun Street, Meeting Street from Line to Broad, and St. Philip Street.

“I think the goal is really togetherness,” Zimmerman said. “We want people to know that they aren’t alone. They aren’t weird for wanting these changes. We all want a better community, we want an equitable community, we want a safe community.”

The ride honors all victims, but each year they focus on one person in particular. This year, the ride is in honor of Karen Simmons who was hit and killed in her wheelchair while crossing East Bay Street on Jan. 3.

Anyone with a bike is encouraged to come out. The ride will be from 6 - 8 p.m. Wednesday starting and ending at The Royal American. Participants are asked to be there by 5:30 p.m. and sign this waiver beforehand.

The event is part of Charleston Moves’ Mobility Month 2023.

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