Commissioners Agree to Three-Lane Two Roads

Bicycle lanes and dominated the discussion at Tuesday night's meeting of the Mayor and Commission.

By large margins, commissioners agreed to reduce Pulaski Street and Athens West Parkway from four lanes to three, adding bike lanes in the process. The Commission also voted unanimously to leave Hawthorne Avenue between Oglethorpe and Prince in its current four-lane state.

The proposal to change the lane configuation on Athens West Parkway passed 8-2, with District 1 Commissioner Doug Lowry and District 3 Commissioner George Maxwell voting against it.

"I went out there to observe bicycle traffic and I saw none," Maxwell said. "If it's not broken, don't fix it, and I don't see where this is broken."

Commissioners also approved a proposal to three-lane Pulaski Street between Dougherty and Broad Streets. The plan passed 8-2, with Lowry and District 2 Commissioner Harry Sims voting no. Sims argued that creating more bike lanes should also come with tougher enforcement on bicyclists who fail to observe traffic laws.

"We're spending a lot of money for people not to use something," Sims said.

Commissioners also approved a final design for expanding the Classic Center by a 9-1 vote. District 5 Commissioner Jared Bailey voted no, citing concerns he raised at about access for pedestrians getting from Thomas to Foundry Streets, where the Multimodal Transportation Center is located.

The Classic Center has agreed to keep the building's atrium open during the same hours the Multimodal Center is open, currently 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. At other times, pedestrians can use the bridge from the Classic Center Parking Deck to the Multimodal Center, County Manager Alan Reddish told commissioners.

Commissioners also heard from a small group of people concerned about a change to Athens Transit's bus routes which they say leave them and their neighbors cut off from Athens Transit's "The Lift" service, which provides transportation for mobility-impaired citizens. 

Commissioners directed Reddish to look into the matter.

Finally, Mayor Nancy Denson opened the door to changes to Athens-Clarke County's leaf and limb ordinance after several commissioners noted that their constituents had contacted them about the matter.

Currently, citizens can expect leaf and limb pickup about every two months, although the department will be going to a nine-week cycle soon. Some citizens have complained that the longer pickup cycles should prompt changes to the maximum amount that can be left at the curb, as well as other parts of the ordinance.