March, 2005

South Milledge Avenue Bike Facilities

A Summary of Alternatives and a Recommended Option

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The Athens-Clarke County Department of Transportation and Public Works recently completed a study of alternatives for providing bike facilities on the 1.6-mile section of South Milledge Avenue between Lumpkin Street and Riverbend Road. The members of the BikeAthens Board, all active cyclists, provide this summary of the alternative concepts, an analysis of each, and a recommended alternative. Regardless of where you stand on this issue, BikeAthens encourages you to visit the ACC Transportation and Public Works Department (706-613-3440) to view the concepts and to submit your written comments to the Department. Comments will be accepted through Friday, April 8, 2005.

 

Alternatives

Concept 1

Designate South Milledge Avenue between SR 10 Loop and Lumpkin Street as a county roadway, transferring ownership and maintenance responsibility from Georgia DOT to Athens-Clarke County. Divide roadway into 11-foot travel lanes and 4-foot bike lanes according to ACC design standards. Existing roadway would not require widening, and right-of-way would not need to be acquired, except at intersections with East Campus Road and Riverbend Road to accommodate left turn lanes.

Concept 2

Jurisdiction and maintenance responsibility for South Milledge Avenue by Georgia DOT would remain unchanged, and road modifications for bike lanes, utilities, and roadway improvements would be implemented according to DOT design standards. The roadway between SR 10 Loop and Lumpkin Street would be widened to accommodate 12-foot travel lanes, 5-foot bike lanes, and 2-foot curb areas; additionally, 5-foot sidewalks would be constructed on both sides of the roadway. Right-of-way would be purchased along this length, and the project would require the full take of two properties. Between SR 10 Loop and Riverbend Road, 4-foot bike lanes would be added in the manner of Concept 1 above, requiring no widening of the roadway except to provide left turn lanes at the Riverbend Road intersection.

Concept 3

Jurisdiction and maintenance responsibility by Georgia DOT for South Milledge Avenue would remain unchanged, and no modifications would be made to the roadway. Instead, a separated, 10-foot multi-use path of asphalt or concrete (material to be chosen during project review stage by Mayor and Commission) would be constructed along the east side of Milledge Avenue. Right-of-way would be purchased along the entire project route from Lumpkin Street to Riverbend Road, and the project would require the full take of two properties. No annual expense would be incurred by ACC in maintaining the roadway, but maintenance of the path would be assumed by ACC at an undetermined cost.

Common to all alternatives

Milledge Avenue Extension would be realigned to terminate at South Milledge Avenue opposite Gran Ellen Drive.

 

Analysis of Alternatives and Recommendation of the BikeAthens Board

Concept 3

The BikeAthens Board believes that Concept 3 is a poor option for most cyclists because of unsafe and disrupting driveway cuts, collision hazards with pedestrians, and path obstructions. It is a common belief - even among cyclists - that bicycling on the street is more dangerous than bicycling on an off-road multi-use path or a sidewalk. Motorists and cyclists fear "rear overtaking" accidents. In reality, this type of accident accounts for only 1.3% of all bicycle accidents. Approximately 75% of bicycle-car collisions involve the car approaching from the front or sides at intersections and driveways. Off-road paths and sidewalks are considerably dangerous compared to roadway lanes because poor sight-lines occur at every driveway crossing the sidewalk or path. Where off-road paths cross road intersections, bicyclists enter the roadway from a point other than where motorists are focusing their attention, namely, the cross traffic in the intersection. Collision risk at intersections is further exacerbated when an off-road path permits two-way bicycle traffic, as many motorists fail to look to their right when approaching an intersection having a path or sidewalk. (Adapted from: http://staff.mwsc.edu/~bhugh/bikekcsafety.html)

In the case of Milledge Avenue, numerous driveways enter the road, and each one presents a collision risk with a motorist not aware of an approaching bike. Pedestrians traveling ahead and unaware of the cyclist also pose a collision risk, as their actions are hard to predict. The ACC government would have responsibility for maintaining, clearing, and policing the path for inappropriate uses (e.g., placement of curbside waste containers, parked vehicles); however, it is unclear how frequently and at what cost these responsibilities would be carried out. The danger inherent in using such a path, as well as its placement on a single side of the roadway, will mean that most cyclists who travel this route will prefer the relative safety and convenience of the roadway. Consequently, the path may appear to be underutilized, frustrating motorists, affected property owners, and taxpayers, and perhaps hardening opinions against alternative transportation. While off-road paths are clearly suitable in some settings, for example, the Greenway and the Eastside Rail-Trail, it is the opinion of the BikeAthens Board that an off-road path is simply not appropriate for a city street such as Milledge Avenue: it sends the wrong message (or confirms, in the minds of some) that bikes are toys relegated to the sidewalk rather than components of a comprehensive transportation design. Other drawbacks of this plan include the addition of impervious surface, substantial take of private property, and unavailability of federal Transportation Equity Act (TEA) funding for right-of-way purchase.

Concept 2

The Board believes that Concept 2 is also a poor option because of the great expense of construction and right-of-way acquisition, the substantial disruption caused to property owners and motorists, and the detrimental change to the character of the roadway and neighboring community. Under this design, the roadway would be needlessly widened - the existing width amply accommodates the vehicles typical on Milledge Avenue in addition to an area reserved for bikes. All property owners inside SR 10 Loop would lose some frontage, and at least two would be displaced altogether. The costs of acquiring right-of-way are probably underestimated given that property values will rise over the minimum time frame (6 years) needed to work the project into the planning schedule, but these costs are already prohibitively expensive today. Furthermore, these costs cannot be met through TEA funding. The provision of two, wide sidewalks is a positive aspect of this proposal, but it requires acquisition and clearing of at least five additional feet. Widening the corridor will add approximately 2 acres of impervious surface, remove tree cover, and contribute to greater storm runoff. A wider roadway tends to increase traffic speed and risks raising of the speed limit. A wider, faster road would negatively affect the character of the corridor and the surrounding neighborhoods. The overwhelming expense, the number of affected properties, and the fundamental change to the nature of the corridor could generate negative attitudes towards the accommodation of alternative transportation in general and towards bike lanes in particular.

Concept 1

Concept 1 proposes almost no road widening, so construction would be minimally disruptive and little frontage would need to be acquired. A 4-foot lane is sufficient for the nature and speed of vehicle traffic on most of South Milledge Avenue. Where traffic tends to travel faster in the vicinity of SR 10 Loop, "skip" lines should be extended across intersections to provide visual continuity of the bike lanes. Georgia DOT has recently improved the roadway by removing drainage grate hazards, therefore resurfacing the roadway would be the principal work required. The sidewalk on the west side of the road would remain in place; and although no sidewalk is proposed for the east side, that future option would not be foreclosed by widening of the road. Option 1 is less environmentally destructive than the others, adding almost no impervious surface, keeping the tree canopy intact, and requiring disposal of little road rubble. A significant consideration is the annual cost taken on by ACC in maintaining the roadway. But it would take years for these costs to accumulate to approximate the expense of the other options (22 years for Concept 3 and 80 years for Concept 2). Additionally, the annual cost is about the same as the expense of hospitalization resulting from a serious bike-car accident. Such accidents have occurred on South Milledge and often involve a cross-turning motorist not aware of the cyclist - prominent bike lanes that increase motorist awareness could help reduce the frequency and severity of these collisions. By keeping the character of the road intact and causing minimal impact to property owners, this option is the one most likely to receive the widest community support and acceptance.

Recommendation

In the view of the BikeAthens Board, Concept 1 is the alternative that would be far safer for cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists. It has clear advantages over the other options in its relatively low cost, minimal level of disruption to motorists and property owners, preservation of the character of the road and the neighborhood, and greatest likelihood of completion in the near-term. For these reasons, Concept 1 is the recommended option of the BikeAthens Board.