Top Issues For 2008
1. Traffic and Infrastructure
Here's one that few, if any, are talking about. When I was in college about 10 years ago, it would take me an hour and a half on the nose to get from Athens to Augusta, and that was living out off of Timothy Road. Today I live off Oglethorpe Avenue and it takes me roughly two hours, and those 30 additional minutes come within the Athens-Clarke County limits. There used to be a time when residents would take a measure of relief with some students heading home during the holidays and summer, but those days are gone.
Why? Because our community has grown, yet our traffic infrastructure has remained relatively the same. And this goes beyond our own growth as it also has do with the growth of our neighboring counties. Consider our primary entry corridors ... Prince Avenue has to double as a neighborhood/commercial street close to downtown, but also serves as the main means for residents from the westside of Athens, Jackson County and some parts of Oconee County to enter the community. Lexington Road, albeit more equipped in some areas, has to provide the same dual function.
Compounding this problem is the fact that our primary bypass system, The Loop, is woefully inadequate in actually getting these commuters where they need to go. For example, if you're heading out to Lexington Road to travel to Oglethorpe County, McDuffie County or Augusta, the bypass puts you out several miles away from the outer edges of the community and into one of the most confusing and congested series of intersections and stoplights in town.
Into this mix, we have considerable traffic congestion in-town, which is evident anytime I go home for lunch, head to the grocery store or simply try to visit a friend's house. There are simply more cars on the road, and the roads are reflective of a community with a smaller population. Making this more difficult is a series of stoplights that don't appear to be in-sync with each other, leading to folks backed along key corridors like Atlanta Highway or Hawthorne Avenue.
While we have plenty of important issues on our plate heading into 2008 - poverty, economic development, water usage, landfills, etc. - it's essential that we don't overlook this one. Whether it involves an influx of federal and state dollars to update our existing roads and, if necessary, add additional ones, or creative thinking at a local level to alleviate traffic, it's one we need to tackle.
2. Regional cooperation
Every key issue we face ultimately will have an impact on our neighboring counties. Athens-Clarke County has emerged as the metropolitan hub of Northeast Georgia, and such a position means we need to reach out to Oconee County, Jackson County, Madison County, Oglethorpe County and beyond when it comes to transportation, poverty, economic development and more. No where is this more imperative at the given moment with regard to landfill management and water usage. Good reading on this topic comes from Brian.
3. Poverty
It seems like we always talk about this, particularly since the inception of Partners For A Prosperous Athens in 2006, but this will have even more focus coming on the heels of the proposed career academy's denial of state grant money. With a poverty rate of more than 30 percent, the academy - the first step to be put into action by OneAthens - is one of the most essential pieces of puzzle in addressing our dropout rate, developing a strong and diverse workforce and equipping low-income citizens with skills to help them in the economy.
4. Water usage
We all deserve a round of applause for helping Athens-Clarke County cut back on its usage by 35 percent, making us the top conserving county in the state. But, with another dry season forecast for us, it's important to not let up. As a result, we'll see discussions in Atlanta regarding peeling back the red tape to enable water systems to build more reservoirs and here at home Kathy Hoard's water management committee will develop a long-term plan that will more than likely involve a price-tiered structure.
Here's one that few, if any, are talking about. When I was in college about 10 years ago, it would take me an hour and a half on the nose to get from Athens to Augusta, and that was living out off of Timothy Road. Today I live off Oglethorpe Avenue and it takes me roughly two hours, and those 30 additional minutes come within the Athens-Clarke County limits. There used to be a time when residents would take a measure of relief with some students heading home during the holidays and summer, but those days are gone.
Why? Because our community has grown, yet our traffic infrastructure has remained relatively the same. And this goes beyond our own growth as it also has do with the growth of our neighboring counties. Consider our primary entry corridors ... Prince Avenue has to double as a neighborhood/commercial street close to downtown, but also serves as the main means for residents from the westside of Athens, Jackson County and some parts of Oconee County to enter the community. Lexington Road, albeit more equipped in some areas, has to provide the same dual function.
Compounding this problem is the fact that our primary bypass system, The Loop, is woefully inadequate in actually getting these commuters where they need to go. For example, if you're heading out to Lexington Road to travel to Oglethorpe County, McDuffie County or Augusta, the bypass puts you out several miles away from the outer edges of the community and into one of the most confusing and congested series of intersections and stoplights in town.
Into this mix, we have considerable traffic congestion in-town, which is evident anytime I go home for lunch, head to the grocery store or simply try to visit a friend's house. There are simply more cars on the road, and the roads are reflective of a community with a smaller population. Making this more difficult is a series of stoplights that don't appear to be in-sync with each other, leading to folks backed along key corridors like Atlanta Highway or Hawthorne Avenue.
While we have plenty of important issues on our plate heading into 2008 - poverty, economic development, water usage, landfills, etc. - it's essential that we don't overlook this one. Whether it involves an influx of federal and state dollars to update our existing roads and, if necessary, add additional ones, or creative thinking at a local level to alleviate traffic, it's one we need to tackle.
2. Regional cooperation
Every key issue we face ultimately will have an impact on our neighboring counties. Athens-Clarke County has emerged as the metropolitan hub of Northeast Georgia, and such a position means we need to reach out to Oconee County, Jackson County, Madison County, Oglethorpe County and beyond when it comes to transportation, poverty, economic development and more. No where is this more imperative at the given moment with regard to landfill management and water usage. Good reading on this topic comes from Brian.
3. Poverty
It seems like we always talk about this, particularly since the inception of Partners For A Prosperous Athens in 2006, but this will have even more focus coming on the heels of the proposed career academy's denial of state grant money. With a poverty rate of more than 30 percent, the academy - the first step to be put into action by OneAthens - is one of the most essential pieces of puzzle in addressing our dropout rate, developing a strong and diverse workforce and equipping low-income citizens with skills to help them in the economy.
4. Water usage
We all deserve a round of applause for helping Athens-Clarke County cut back on its usage by 35 percent, making us the top conserving county in the state. But, with another dry season forecast for us, it's important to not let up. As a result, we'll see discussions in Atlanta regarding peeling back the red tape to enable water systems to build more reservoirs and here at home Kathy Hoard's water management committee will develop a long-term plan that will more than likely involve a price-tiered structure.
posted by Jmac at 11:02 AM
2 Comments:
re: traffic, all of our corridors need to be slightly streamlined, with the design encouraging increasingly slow speed as one hits town. North Avenue is a good example at this stage. And we need to invest whatever is needed to get the loop up to speed. It's nearly incomprehensible for visitors. Lexington is a nightmare. Prince functions well, but could function better. and the Atlanta Highway doesn't function at all.
People rave about Athens being a "walkable" community, but when it comes right down to it, most folks are climbing in their cars everyday and driving distances that could be walked, biked, or bused.
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