Athens has been recognized as having one of the best transit systems in the country for a city its size, but the hub-and-spoke model has its limitations. Every bus leaves from the Multimodal Transportation Center and comes back, so traveling from, say, the Eastside to the library requires going downtown and transferring to another bus, which takes up a lot of time.
Transfer stations would solve that problem, and three are recommended in ACC’s 2018 Transit Development Plan—at Atlanta Highway and Mitchell Bridge Road, the Alps Road/Hawthorne Avenue/West Broad Street intersection and Lexington Road at Gaines School Road.
“A bus transfer is the ability for a passenger to transfer safely from one bus route to another bus route at a specific stop or location where two or more bus routes intersect,” according to an ACC news release. “The three new facilities will reduce headway times between buses, reduce lost time passengers currently face when transferring between routes, and include amenities to enhance the user and operator experience at these new facilities.
“The sheltered facilities will have updated amenities and will be placed in strategic locations close by to job centers, retail, [and] food and beverage locations. The new facilities will accommodate multiple public transit vehicles simultaneously, making it easier for transit riders to switch between routes in less time and for both riders and operators to enjoy the benefits and amenities provided by the new facilities.”
Funding could come from T-SPLOST, the local 1% sales tax for transportation, Federal Transit Administration grants or other sources.
Athens Transit is accepting public input online at accgov.com/transit through Oct. 3, and two public meetings will also be scheduled.
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