Athens receives a grant to add bike lanes | City News

Athens-Clarke County Unified Government announced that they received an $800,000 grant through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Grant Program.

This addition will address transportation inequities and enhance connectivity in the corridor and with surrounding communities. This funding will help with the planning process to design and recommend measures to enhance safety, connectivity and accessibility for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and individuals with impaired mobility.

According to Daniel Sizemore, ACC bike, pedestrian and safety coordinator, the planning phase is set to begin in fall 2024 and is anticipated to last 12 to 18 months. After the planning is completed ACCGov will need to apply for implementation grants. As of right now there is no set timeline, according to Sizemore.

There have been concerns that this addition will take away space from cars, but ultimately the main goal of this project is to increase traffic safety. Sizemore wanted to assure the public that this money is not coming out of peoples local property taxes. All the money that goes toward sidewalks and bike lanes come from Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

“The primary focus of this will be to improve walking, rolling (wheelchair, bicycle, scooter, rollerblades), basically giving that sense of safety for a safer corridor to travel,” Sizemore said.

This implementation will give people the opportunity to decide whether they want to utilize these bike lanes or not. These bike lanes are just another form of transportation to make the city more accessible for those in Athens.

“Our goal is to create safe pathways and infrastructure that can give people an opportunity to decide how they want to get there,” Sizemore said.