The temporary "zippers" and flex posts on Prince Avenue will be replaced with concrete or some other type of permanent barrier. Photo courtesy of Athens-Clarke County Athens-Clarke County commissioners voted unanimously to make the bike lanes on Prince Avenue permanent, while a resolution declaring Athens a “safe haven” for the LGBTQIA+ community also passed but proved somewhat more controversial.
The commission voted 8–0, with commissioners Allison Wright and Tiffany Taylor absent, to replace the temporary “zippers” and flex poles protecting cyclists on Prince Avenue with a permanent barrier. A commission-defined option from Wright, Jesse Houle, Dexter Fisher and Melissa Link instructed ACC staff to consider a more visible barrier than a concrete curb, and to look at ways to improve traffic flow and visibility for drivers on side streets in the area.
The bike lanes only run between Pulaski Street and Milledge Avenue because that portion of Prince is locally owned. The Georgia Department of Transportation has plans to install bike lanes along the rest of Prince at some point; however, that project may not involve removing car lanes because the road is wider further out.
Dozens of people spoke for nearly two hours at the Dec. 3 commission meeting in favor of both the bike lanes and the LGBTQ+ resolution . In particular, transgender residents said they felt under threat after an election in which the Trump campaign fearmongered against trans people. No one spoke against the bike lanes, and only one—former mayoral candidate Bennie Coleman—opposed the resolution, citing his belief […]
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