Now, not later: Make Prince safe!

No improvements planned for repaving
August 31

By Brad Aaron

BikeAthens has learned that Prince Avenue from downtown to Milledge will be repaved in a few weeks, and that its configuration will remain the same: four lanes for autos, no accommodations for bikes, and no additional pedestrian safety features.

The commission ordered this action at the end of the July regular session, with no citizen input or even a formal vote. A revised design for Prince, which includes bike lanes and is favored by ACC Transportation and Public Works, was never considered. Repaving is set to commence in early October.

Prince Avenue is a major component of the ACC Bike Master Plan, a document shaped by unprecedented public response. Knowing that Prince is critical to Athens-Clarke County’s stated commitment to a viable bike lane network, and that citizen input has repeatedly favored traffic calming measures on Prince, District 5 Commissioner David Lynn had the corridor restored to the BMP after his predecessor Hugh Logan led a successful campaign to exclude it in 2001. Still, only one commissioner - Carl Jordan - has publicly objected to repaving Prince with no consideration for additional modes.

It is important to note that reconfiguring Prince is not just about bikes. A long-term focus of BikeAthens has been to make Prince safe for cycling AND walking. Prince is surrounded by pedestrian friendly neighborhoods and is home to many pedestrian oriented businesses - the kind of development Athenians have consistently said they want. Yet automobile speeds on Prince make the simple act of crossing the street - or even exiting one’s car - a life-and-death proposition. In a recent survey by CAPPA (Community Approach to Planning Prince Avenue), pedestrian safety ranked highest among desired outcomes for the corridor.

Not only does the present course of action ignore the county’s own Bike Master Plan, it also violates the county policy to evaluate resurfacing projects for traffic calming potential.

Athens continues to flirt with “non-attainment” status due to poor air quality, and the Prince Avenue resurfacing is a perfect opportunity to encourage car-free mobility of all types. It will be much more difficult to make the case for calming Prince once the county renews its present iteration with fresh asphalt and paint.

Without a swift and impressive display of public displeasure to the mayor and commission, conditions on Prince will not improve. Despite years of public demand, favorable traffic studies, staff support, and the past promises of elected decisionmakers to make Athens’ streets safe and accessible for those who can’t or don’t drive everywhere they go - children, the car-less poor, the elderly and disabled, and health- and environmentally-conscious citizens - Prince is poised to remain a public safety hazard for years to come. Conscientious citizens can not let this stand.

Mayor and commission contact info: http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/commission/