BikeAthens Update

January 18, 2006

• No bike-ped funding through 2012
• NEW: Give to Safe Routes online!
• BikeAthens to co-host movie night
• Correction
• BikeAthens in the news
• Transportation in the news

NO BIKE-PED FUNDING THROUGH 2012 Commission vote February 7

At their February 7 regular session, the ACC Mayor and Commission will decide how some $8 million in SPLOST Local Road Improvement funds will be spent over the next six years.

Despite Athens-Clarke County’s stated commitment to improving bike and pedestrian infrastructure, embodied in public-driven documents including the ACC Comprehensive Land Use Plan, the MACORTS Long Range Transportation Plan and the ACC Bike Master Plan, under the current proposal *zero* Local Road Improvement dollars will be devoted to bike-ped projects.

SPLOST transportation funds are allocated entirely at the discretion of the mayor and commission, and can be used to attract federal funding that is available to support 80 percent of project costs. In other words, every dollar ACC devotes to eligible transportation projects can be multiplied by five with no additional burden on local taxpayers. Unfortunately, while the county government takes advantage of this arrangement on a regular basis to fund auto-centric road projects, it habitually passes up the opportunity when it comes to human-oriented transportation infrastructure.

If current plans are approved on February 7, this pattern will continue through at least the year 2012. At a December 13 mayor and commission work session, a number of commissioners spoke favorably of a SPLOST priority list prepared by ACC Transportation & Public Works. This list includes millions for projects designed to move more cars at higher speeds - like the Jennings Mill Parkway - but no money to address our community’s basic need for sustainable transportation facilities.

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 such 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.

The mayor and commission will discuss upcoming ACC transportation expenditures at their agenda setting session this Thursday, January 19. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall. Public comment will be accepted.

January 19 agenda materials are available here: http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/documents/index.htm#clerk

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

NEW: GIVE TO SAFE ROUTES ONLINE! Safe Routes to School

The Safe Routes Athens web site is now equipped to accept credit and debit card contributions.

A project of BikeAthens, Safe Routes Athens is the local chapter of the internationally recognized Safe Routes to School program. Safe Routes to School brings together parents, teachers, children, businesses and other members of the community to encourage kids and their parents to walk, bicycle, or take the bus to school. The primary goal: to promote physical activity among school-age children while making our streets safer for those who cannot or do not drive.

Safe Routes Athens launched modestly but enthusiastically in Fall 2005 at Barrow Elementary. Our hope is to be able to expand it to all Clarke County public schools over the coming years.

Please help us get this important project off to a successful start. Give today by following this link: http://www.saferoutesathens.com/donate.htm.

If you are a business owner and are interested in becoming a corporate sponsor of Safe Routes Athens, please e-mail info@saferoutesathens.com.

Read about Safe Routes Athens’ recent effort to help Athens-Clarke County update its sidewalk inventory: http://onlineathens.com/stories/122405/news_20051224041.shtml

Thanks!

BIKEATHENS TO CO-HOST MOVIE NIGHT January 25

BikeAthens, along with Athens Global Justice Collective and Common Ground, will co-host “Peak Oil & Athens Politics” - a showing of two films - on Wednesday, January 25.

- “The End of Suburbia” : A full-length documentary discussing urban sprawl, peak oil, and automobile dependency

- “BikeAthens’ 2003 Tour de Sprawl” : A mini-documentary about the popular local event

Please join us at the UGA Student Learning Center, Room 148, at 6:15 p.m. Suggested donation is $3.

CORRECTION Barnett Shoals/Old Lexington “roundabout”

In the December 17, 2005 Update, BikeAthens’ account of a proposed traffic “roundabout” at an eastside intersection contained two errors.

The intersection in question was identified as Gaines School at Old Lexington. It is actually Barnett Shoals at Old Lexington.

Also, Commissioner Carl Jordan was cited as recommending the installation of a roundabout to improve safety for motorists and pedestrians. In fact, ACC Transportation & Public Works Director David Clark proposed the roundabout, while Jordan was the only commissioner to voice support for it.

Despite the staff recommendation and the proven track record roundabouts have in reducing collisions at intersections in other parts of the country, the concept was dismissed by commissioners as too confusing for Athenians.

Here’s a write-up of the roundabout discussion from the ABH: http://onlineathens.com/stories/122105/news_20051221034.shtml

BIKEATHENS IN THE NEWS

“Group maps out sidewalk improvements,” Athens Banner-Herald, 12/24/05 http://onlineathens.com/stories/122405/news_20051224041.shtml

TRANSPORTATION IN THE NEWS

“Budget constraints questioned on Baxter Street improvements,” Athens Banner-Herald, 12/15/05 http://onlineathens.com/stories/121605/news_20051216041.shtml

“Trails committee back on track,” Athens Banner-Herald, 12/19/05 http://onlineathens.com/stories/121905/news_20051219030.shtml

“A-C will move up Jennings Mill Parkway Plan,” Athens Banner-Herald, 12/20/05 http://onlineathens.com/stories/122005/news_20051220024.shtml

“Project ideas drive talk on improving eastside intersection,” Athens Banner-Herald, 12/21/05 http://onlineathens.com/stories/122105/news_20051221034.shtml

“Probation in hit and run,” Athens Banner-Herald, 12/31/05 http://onlineathens.com/stories/123105/news_20051231027.shtml

“Bus shelter design competition opens,” Athens Banner-Herald, 1/10/06 http://onlineathens.com/stories/011006/news_20060110029.shtml