Posted Feb 3, 2020, 7:28 PM
|
|
Registered User
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 8,584
|
|
|
Midtown transportation improvements favor alternates to cars
https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/..._news_headline
Quote:
Midtown’s rapid growth can be seen in the growing number of cranes that dot the skyline and the increasingly numbers of cars, bikes, scooters and people that fill its streets and sidewalks. It’s also changing how city leaders think about getting those people in, around and out of the district.
“We need to really build out our public transportation infrastructure to accommodate this growth through ways that we haven't in the past,” said Dan Hourigan, Midtown Alliance’s director of transportation and sustainability. “That means more transit options, safe places for people to ride bikes and walk and ride scooters. It really means creating a true multimodal network that's connected and safe.”
Along with its more than 17,000 full-time residents, Midtown draws more than 82,000 workers every day, according to Midtown Alliance data. Both those numbers are set to grow significantly in the coming decade.
A survey last year found 96% of respondents wanted the district to make walking a high priority for future transportation investments. Transit was important for 90%, while bikes scored 79% support. Cars lagged far behind, with only 39% saying they should be a priority, down from 50% in the 2016 survey.
Cars are declining in importance. Only 60 percent of trips to Midtown are made by car now, according to an Atlanta Regional Commission survey.
A common view is that even if all the bike lanes and sidewalk improvements are made, Midtown, like the rest of the city and region, will still be car-oriented. Plans call for repurposing about 8% of the total lane miles in Midtown to “create this kind of connected and safe multimodal network,” said Hourigan. “We're preserving 92 percent of the capacity for people who choose to drive to Midtown.”
Improvements include new traffic signals at several intersections and enhanced pedestrian crossings at others. Among these projects, Juniper Street and Piedmont Avenue will get the “complete streets” makeover as part of an ongoing initiative to transform city thoroughfares into safer roads for all users.
Plans include wider sidewalks, street trees, pedestrian‐scaled lighting, trash/recycling receptacles and a network of stormwater planters.
The Juniper Complete Street Project spans 12 blocks between 14th Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue. The project would create a bikeway and improved pedestrian amenities and also slow down traffic moving through the area.
The West Peachtree and Spring Street Complete Street Projects will still be one-way streets, but a travel lane and several on-street parking spaces will be converted into a protected one-way bike lane.
The city also has identified 20 one-way streets, including MLK and Mitchell, that may be converted to two-way traffic, and speed limits also likely will be reduced.
|
|
Prev
Linear Mode
