Mayor: Town investigating ceramic road buttons after multiple tire-damage reports on Kiawah Island Parkway

The town said it is investigating complaints that ceramic traffic-control buttons installed this summer on Kiawah Island Parkway have damaged vehicle tires, and has removed at least the outbound buttons while it gathers evidence.

Mayor (speaker 1) told a town-hall meeting that the devices—installed Aug. 30 near the Little Rabbit Lane intersection and earlier near the front gate at Beachwalker Drive—were purchased after consulting the town's traffic engineering consultant and the public-safety committee and installed by contractor Southeastern Thermal Plastic to reduce a known collision risk. "They were done both done for very specific," the mayor said, adding the devices are "industry-standard" and had been recommended by the town's traffic consultant.

Why the devices began causing tire problems is under review. The mayor said the town had received "either 14 or 15" direct reports of tire damage and that more claims may exist. He said staff had been directed to gather accident reports, photographs and receipts and to confirm whether installation met contractor and manufacturer standards. "We are still in the information-gathering phase," he told residents, and said he had directed staff to remove the buttons from at least the outbound lane while the town evaluates options.

Residents described a broader set of reports when speaking during the meeting. One resident who described contacting neighbors through a local group said she received about 22 responses and described multiple vehicles with two tires damaged each. "We had 7 people today... 22 people called me," the resident (speaker 7) said, and said many people were unsure whom to call to report damage. The resident urged the town to send a notice asking anyone who had been affected to report incidents so the town could compile names and evidence.

Town officials said they had already asked residents to submit police reports, photos and receipts and were reaching out to the contractor and manufacturer; a town engineering consultant has also reviewed the devices. The mayor said some devices had "completely broken apart" and that the town had not yet received a substantive response from the manufacturer.

Officials discussed interim options raised by residents—moving the devices inside the yellow lines, using smaller or softer devices, adding medians or stanchions, or removing the devices entirely—and emphasized tradeoffs between preventing serious collisions and unintended damage to vehicles. "It may be that the conclusion is that we wanna retain the buttons, but move them inside the line," the mayor said, adding the town had not reached a final decision.

The town asked residents who believe they were affected to provide documentation to the town, and said the council will decide any financial redress; the mayor said he lacks unilateral authority to write checks for damage claims. The town also said it will include an item in the town weekly blast and communications to encourage reporting. The town did not provide a timeline for concluding the investigation.

What happens next: town staff are compiling reports and communications, the contractor and manufacturer have been contacted, and the mayor said the issue will be referred to the town council for any decisions about compensation or permanent changes to the installations.