Work begins on College Station Rd bridge!

At last:

Workers began clearing out trees this week to make way for a new bridge off College Station Road near Riverbend Road.

The bridge will provide access to an Athens-Clarke sewer treatment plant under construction beside the North Oconee River near Horsehoe Bend and will open up an adjacent tract of University of Georgia-owned land for development.

UGA and the Athens-Clarke government will split the $3 million cost of the bridge, said County Manager Alan Reddish.

Construction will take about a year, and the bridge will include bike lanes and a pedestrian walkway that Reddish said can be tied into the county's river greenway program.

-from the ABH

Time for T-SPLOST

Frow our friends at Citizens for Progressive Transit:

The Georgia General Assembly needs to approve a long-term plan to fund transit. For the past two years, the legislature has come excruciatingly close to passing a bill that could let counties join together to form regional transportation funding districts. Once established, those districts could seek voter approval to levy Special Purpose Local Option Sales Taxes ("T-SPLOSTs") for transportation uses including transit. In 2008, the Georgia House passed T-SPLOST legislation, but the Senate balked. In 2009, the Senate passed T-SPLOST legislation, but the House balked. This year, these legislative shell games need to end.

Not only could an Atlanta-area T-SPLOST district provide a broader funding base for MARTA, it could help build the world class transit system the region so desperately needs. Now is the time for transit advocates to get in touch with their legislators. You can find contact information for your state senator and your state representative at www.legis.state.ga.us/legis

No more sidewalk riding

The ACC commission voted unanimously Tuesday to ban people over the age of 12 from riding bicycles on sidewalks, bringing Athens-Clarke County into compliance with state law.

I applaud this vote. While it may seem safer to ride on the sidewalk, it's more dangerous than riding on the street. For adults, street cycling is a better idea for a number of reasons:

1) Drivers are not expecting bicycles on the sidewalk when they enter and leave driveways. Every curb cut, side street, and entry/exit drive is an opportunity for a quick-moving cyclist to be cut off or hit by an unwary motorist. Biking on the street ensures that cars see you and know what to expect from you, provided you wear visible clothing and ride safely & predictably!

2) Sidewalks are for pedestrians. Sharing sidewalk space is fine on a wide paved surface like the Greenway, but, on typical sidewalks, sharing the space with pedestrians increases the likelihood of a collision.

3) Bicycles are vehicles. Under state law and common sense, bicycles are vehicles. Cyclists have the same rights and responsibilites as motorists and should take full advantage of public infrastructure.

Stay warm & ride safely!

Georgia's Statewide Strategic Transportation Plan

See a copy of the plan (including a readable executive summary) at:
http://www.it3.ga.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Alternative Fuel partnership benefiting the community!

n 2009, Jittery Joe's introduced Alternative Fuel, a special coffee blend designed to support the programs and activities of BikeAthens. Available ground or whole bean, Alternative Fuel sales directly enable BikeAthens' safety & advocacy efforts as well as direct service programs such as Holiday Bikes for Kids.

Thanks to the support of Jittery Joe's and drinkers of Alternative Fuel, BikeAthens was able to refurbish and donate over 60 children's bicycles to local families in need this holiday season. Every bicycle was thoroughly cleaned and repaired by volunteers, then delivered in time for the holidays with a brand new helmet.

Proceeds from the sale of the Alternative Fuel coffee blend have been instrumental in the growth of programs like Holiday Bikes for Kids. The extra revenue has allowed for the purchase of tools, work stands, cleaner, helmets, and much more. Since the partnership began, Jittery Joe's has contributed $1,169.50 to BikeAthens!

There's still time to get your Alternative Fuel - a great gift for the cyclist in your family!
Order online here, or visit the Jittery Joe's Roaster on E. Broad St or any of the Athens-area Jittery Joe's locations.

BikeAthens extends its sincerest thanks to our generous neighbors at Jittery Joe's for supporting our work. Fore more about Jittery Joe's and Alternative Fuel, please visit www.jitteryjoes.com/fundraising/alternativefuel.html

Holiday Bikes for Kids delivers 41 bicyles

Thanks to the hard work and organizing efforts of the Bike Recycling Program volunteers, this morning BikeAthens delivered 41 fully refurbished youth bikes and brand new helmets to Fowler Drive Elementary School!

The bikes will be picked up tomorrow morning by parents, who will pass these along to some very happy children on Christmas morning.

Way to be, BRP!

Some pics of the delivery below:

Art Bash & Holiday Party

Thanks to everyone who contributed art, helped organize, and attended. We had a blast!

Thursday: BikeAthens Art Bash!

Holiday social & silent auction on some very cool bike-themed pieces from local artists.
6:00 - 10 pm at The Globe, upstairs

1/2 price pints of New Belgium beer all night!

New thinking @ Atlanta Regional Commission?

Tad Leithead, the newly elected chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission, looks like an advocate for better public transportation in Georgia:

He is keen to resurrect the North Cobb to Akers Mill to Perimeter light-rail line that would alleviate congestion along interstates 75 and 285. Commuter lines from Atlanta to Macon and Athens rank high too. The so-called Northern Arc, connecting interstates 75 and 85, deserves serious reconsideration, Leithead said.

Marta needs a steadier flow of money to maintain, let alone upgrade, its system. Public-private partnerships could turn HOV lanes into toll lanes.

Leithead said the General Assembly must give the 10-county metro region the financial tools to solve transportation woes. A penny sales tax would raise $7.9 billion, he said, with federal matching dollars adding another $5 billion.

“To be a great metropolitan city, we must have that great transit system,” Leithead said.

I'll amend his comments a bit: to be a functional, responsible, and sustainable society, we must have a reliable, convenient, and valued transit system. Here's hoping Leithead succeeds in his transit goals.
The northern arc...not so much.
You can't build automobile infrastructure and expect people to use transit. Every road widening and new road construction project guarantees the congestion you're trying to eliminate.

Video from holiday parade

BikeAthens' "float" featured in this video at minute 17:50.