Get to Walking-- Pedestrian Traffic On the Rise in Spartanburg

Have you seen tiny black boxes attached to lamp posts in downtown Spartanburg and wondered what they were? No, they're not tiny cameras.The Downtown Development Partnership is working to track increases in pedestrian foot traffic downtown, and how trends relate to businesses, streetscaping, and more. Business is booming, and so are the sidewalks.These pedestrian counters are located along major streets and intersections throughout downtown. Originally, they measured Main Street traffic alone, but have gradually expanded (as business has) down Magnolia Street, Saint John Street, and more.Each individual or group that passes a box counts as a "click." In 2019, the average monthly foot traffic increased 5% from 219,718 counts in 2018, 230,678 counts in 2019. Trends in new businesses opening are also reflected in foot traffic counts, with large project completions-- such as the historic restorations of the Montgomery Building and Aug W. Smith Building-- increasing foot traffic to previously quiet corners.Between 2018 and 2019, the most popular pedestrian counter was at the corner of N Church Street and E Main Street (outside Groucho's Deli,) reflecting traffic along both sides of Main Street. The Masonic Temple counter on W Main Street (outside Little River Coffee Bar and the Hub City Bookshop) was the second most popular in 2019, and the E Main St counter (outside Fr8Yard) was the third.The most prevalent data shows hourly foot traffic downtown per day of the week, which can be helpful for business owners deciding how late to offer shop hours. Weekends are unsurprisingly busy, with Sundays rivaling Mondays for number of pedestrians downtown.Jansen Tidmore, EVP of Corporate and Urban Development at the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, notes that this data is helping Spartanburg move towards being an "eighteen hour downtown," with events and nightlife beyond the daily 9-to-5 workday.Beyond guiding small business owners' decisions for their hours and days of operation, this data is pivotal for Spartanburg's growth. Businesses moving into downtown can be attracted to specific sites based on hard data showing foot traffic outside their potential business locations. Additionally, high traffic areas can be noted for future streetscaping, festival planning, public art, and more interactive opportunities to improve downtown.So, get out there! Get to walking!