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BikeAthens Update
December 17, 2005
• Bike Recycling Program celebrates 2005
• Troubling forecast for 2006
• UGA extends alt-trans program
• BikeAthens 2006 wish list
• Thank you!
• Transportation in the news
BIKE RECYCLING PROGRAM CELEBRATES 2005
On Sunday, December 11, volunteers for BikeAthens’ Bike
Recycling Program marked the year’s end by refurbishing 21
donated bicycles. Sixteen of the bikes were welcomed
enthusiastically as holiday gifts for children at Fowler
Elementary; seven will be given to the Athens Area Homeless
Shelter.
The Bike Recycling Program rehabilitates used bikes for adults
who rely on them for transportation and kids who would not
otherwise enjoy a cherished rite of childhood. By the end of
2005 BikeAthens will have repaired and delivered 62 donated
bicycles. Each bike is distributed with a helmet and
reflectors, and all adult bicycles are also equipped with
front and rear lights and locks. The average cost to
BikeAthens for each refurbished bike is $52.
In 2006 BikeAthens hopes to find a permanent space to house
the Bike Recycling Program, which now operates out of two
adjacent storage units with no electricity or plumbing, and to
increase its involvement with youth outreach and after school
programs.
Pictures from the December 11 recycling session are available at:
http://www.bikeathens.com/slideshows/brp_2005/brp_2005.html
For details on how you can help, visit:
http://bikeathens.com/activities/bike_recycling/index.html
Thanks to all BRP volunteers and donors for a very successful
year!
TROUBLING FORECAST FOR 2006
At a December 13 work session, a number of Athens-Clarke
County commissioners spoke favorably of a transportation
priority list prepared by ACC Transportation & Public Works
that would allocate millions of dollars in local tax money
toward construction of several auto-centric roadway projects,
including the Jennings Mill Parkway. Widening projects on Old
Hull, Danielsville, and Mitchell Bridge roads are also
included. Carl Jordan was the only commissioner to speak
critically of the proposal, while Charles Carter, George
Maxwell, Tom Chasteen, Kathy Hoard, and States McCarter
endorsed it.
Of $8.2 million in Local Road Improvement funds (SPLOST)
available over the coming years - to be spent entirely at the
county’s discretion - none are recommended for
non-auto-oriented projects, despite several BikeAthens
requests to the mayor and commission for such an allocation
within the past few years. There are almost no local funds
allocated to dedicated bike-pedestrian projects for the next
five years, yet they are needed in order to attract federal
funding that is available to support 80 percent of project
costs (a 20 percent local match is usually required).
While it is encouraging that plans for Jennings Mill Parkway,
Danielsville Road, and Mitchell Bridge Road are all slated to
incorporate some bike and pedestrian components, note that a
majority of commissioners recently stripped a proposal to
include bike-pedestrian facilities in the Old Hull Road
project. Unfortunately, there is a real possibility that
bike-ped facilities proposed for other roadways await a
similar fate.
Commissioner Jordan also encouraged staff to explore the
possibility of a “roundabout” as part of planned changes to
the intersection of Gaines School and Old Lexington roads.
Though he cited statistics showing a dramatic increase in
motorist and pedestrian safety at intersections where
roundabouts are installed, Jordan’s suggestion received no
support from other commissioners.
In other news, the east Athens rail-trail is again in
jeopardy. Construction plans for the revamping of the Loop
10/Lexington Road interchange would interrupt the trail at the
Perimeter, severing the link to the eastside and Winterville.
Plans approved in 2002 called for a ramp that would bridge the
trail, rather than bisect it. It is unclear at this time how
or why the existing plans were superseded.
All this comes at the end of a year which saw Athens take
several steps backward in the transportation arena. In 2005, a
request to boost Athens Transit service was denied; local
funding for bike projects was cut by one-third; the county
allowed the rail-trail to be encroached by the Tailgate
Station development; the commission altered the MACORTS Long
Range Transportation Plan by eliminating previously approved
bike facilities on Old Hull Road; by a vote of 8-2 (Jordan,
Kinman), the commission exempted the developer of the
Georgetown Shopping Center from a requirement to include
sidewalks in his project; six commissioners voted against
long-awaited traffic calming measures on Prince Avenue from
downtown to Milledge Avenue, and against assuming local
control of Milledge and the remainder of Prince.
On the bright side, Mayor Heidi Davison has pledged to make
transit service a priority in next year’s ACC budget. Earlier
this month the commission accepted the Transit Development
Plan, a strategic outline for improving bus service in Athens.
Though the plan is non-binding, BikeAthens looks forward to
working with Athens-Clarke County to see that the highest
priority recommendations - longer hours, expanded routes and
more frequent service - are implemented. Also in the coming
year, BikeAthens will be working with legislators and
organizations statewide to ensure the passage of Georgia House
Resolution 168, which will allow local governments to enact a
transit-dedicated SPLOST.
Meanwhile, commissioners Hoard and Chasteen - who voted
against proposed safety improvements on Prince and Milledge -
have promised to work toward alternate solutions.
BikeAthens will keep our members and listserv subscribers
updated as we continue to follow these developments closely.
UGA EXTENDS ALT-TRANS PROGRAM
From UGA Parking Services:
Parking Services would like to thank those of you registered
in the Alternative Transportation Program for the 2005-06
year. Currently, we have approximately 1400 participants in
this program, which is up from previous year estimates.
Because of your commitment to walk, ride and take the bus to
campus, you have contributed to reducing parking demands and
traffic.
Therefore, beginning January 9, 2006, we are extending the ATP
permit usages for the 2005-06 academic year from 12 per year
(one per month) to 24 (two per month) per year. This will
provide twelve more usages to your current permit balance.
With the cost of fuel increasing, we hope this may also
encourage more individuals to participate in the program.
If you have already used your ATP usages, we will still
activate your permit for 12 more usages through August as long
as the permit holder is enrolled or employed with the
University. Thanks again for your support to the program and
our efforts to improve parking resources.
BIKEATHENS 2006 WISH LIST
As we reflect on 2005, here is a sampling of what BikeAthens
will be working for in 2006:
• A seat on the MACORTS Technical Coordinating Committee
• Promised traffic calming measures on Prince Avenue
• Increased local funding for Athens Transit
• Passage of HR 168
• Improved traffic enforcement
• Increased bike project funding in the ACC general fund
• Progress on the rail-trail from downtown to Winterville,
including acquisition of right-of-way
• Completion of traffic calming measures on Lumpkin Street
(from Baxter to Broad)
• A permanent facility for the Bike Recycling Program
THANK YOU!
This has been an eventful year for BikeAthens, with many highs
and lows. We would like to thank everyone who has generously
given time and money in 2005. With a healthy agenda already
shaping up, 2006 promises to be a busy and exciting year, with
many opportunities to make our streets safer and more
accessible for all Athenians. With your continued support, we
look forward to making the most of it.
TRANSPORTATION IN THE NEWS
“Residents draft plans for future of Cedar Shoals,” Athens
Banner-Herald, 12/14/05
http://onlineathens.com/stories/121405/news_20051214059.shtml
“Cedar Shoals can become a ‘boulevard’,” Athens Banner-Herald,
12/15/05
http://onlineathens.com/stories/121505/opinion_20051215031.shtml
“Transit projects coming together,” Athens Banner-Herald, 12/15/05
http://onlineathens.com/stories/121505/news_20051215074.shtml
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