Prince Avenue today is a vital commercial corridor surrounded by intown neighborhoods. Unfortunately, it is also a very dangerous road for all users - car drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Why? Because Prince Avenue is currently designed to move cars as quickly as possible, with little regard for other road users. This is true in spite of the fact that like downtown Athens, Prince Avenue is teeming with businesses that encourage foot and bike traffic, with locations in close proximity to downtown and surrounding walkable, bikeable neighborhoods (not to mention limited parking availability).

Like Prince Avenue, downtown Athens was once an unfriendly place for those not travelling by car.
Today we are used to a busy downtown alive with foot traffic, but not long ago the heart of Athens was fighting a losing battle against the newly constructed Georgia Square Mall and car-dependent strip malls. Back then downtown Athens was not a very attractive place to walk, with narrow sidewalks, few street trees, unrenovated old buildings, and street cafes forbidden to exist.

But instead of trying to encourage more auto-dependency to revive downtown businesses, downtown Athens was redesigned to encourage pedestrian acitivity and in turn, economic rejuvination. Improvements included widening narrow sidewalks, installing street trees and visible crosswalks, and allowing sidewalk cafes to operate. Today, in part because of these sound urban enhancements, downtown Athens stands out as one of the more vibrant and commercially successful downtowns in the Southeastern US, drawing locals and tourists with its street life, popular businesses, and historic charm.

The rest of the tour will focus on specific problems now facing Prince Avenue and what can be done to increase safety and encourage foot and bike traffic along this important corridor.

Please join us for a walk along Prince Avenue!