Citizens were asked to consider some issues and then present their thoughts and conclusions to Planning and Zoning for their consideration.  CAUTION-Macon was represented at this important meeting and some of the citizen input represented at the meeting are represented below:

Observations re: the Macon/Bibb County 2025 Transportation Plan

Daniel P. Fischer, 10/3/1999

1. Assure that the "higher" goals identified during the 2025 Comprehensive Plan work sessions guide and drive transportation planning. Those goals addressed quality of life issues, such as neighborhood integrity, historic heritage, environmental quality, and economic viability.

2. Maximize utilization of I-75 and I-475 as local arterials; provide additional/improved interchanges; reduce noise levels in adjacent residential neighborhoods through construction of sound barriers.

3. Provide convenient options/alternatives for travel to diverse peak-hours destinations within and outside of Bibb County, including new roadways where necessary (don't accept the premise that all traffic will be accommodated on existing roads, regardless of the damage to existing neighborhoods).

4. Adopt additional street classifications that respect and reflect the character of neighborhoods and the true function of the street (e.g., urban residential collector, rural residential collector, commercial collector, etc.). Protect Macon's scenic and historic roadways by establishing alternative street design standards for rural, scenic and historic areas (drainage swales, detached "meandering" sidewalks).

5. Rural street configurations should be maintained wherever feasible, as they preserve the character of Macon's more scenic neighborhoods and are a cost-effective, environmentally friendly way of handling storm drainage.

6. Many streets are currently over-classified (most "minor arterial" streets should be designated collectors, many of the "major arterial" streets should be designated minor arterials). The current Road Improvement Program has demonstrated that engineers have a propensity to over-design roads, ignoring social and environmental constraints and community goals/values; over-classification exacerbates this tendency.

7. In many instances, we must design "backwards" - determining an acceptable level of traffic on a given street, then reducing current and future loads as necessary. This is a planning versus an engineering approach. One priority should be reduction of the current and future load on the Forsyth/Vineville corridor, and hence on streets in the historic district.

8. Protect and enhance residential neighborhoods; minimize extraneous traffic on residential collectors and minor residential arterials (Edgewood, Forest Hill, Houston, Ingleside, Jeff Davis, Park Street, Rivoli, Telfair, Tucker, Wesleyan, etc.). Don't sacrifice older neighborhoods to accommodate suburban growth!

9. "Design speed" should be consistent with the desired and posted speed limits. It is unrealistic to expect citizens to respect and the police to enforce speed limits dramatically out of sync with design speeds (Edna Place is an excellent example, where the design speed is in excess of 40mph, and the posted speed limit 25mph).

10. More sophisticated signalization, including synchronize traffic lights and intersection improvements, should be the first and preferred alternative for improving system capacity and safety.

11. Provide alternative access points to the CBD, including a logical alignment for the Fall-line Freeway (parallel to the downtown grid on the south boundary of Central City Park), to preserve the integrity of the In-Town historic neighborhoods.

12. Establish safe pedestrian and bicycle circulation systems (ones that supports a viable public transit system).

13. Develop a viable, area-wide transit system that provides dependable access to all areas of the city. Liberally subsidize the bus system to allow expanded service and to make it an attractive alternative to the automobile, recognizing that such subsidies are cheaper than over-building the road system.

14. Take into consideration ongoing maintenance and replacement costs when designing or improving streets; avoid burdening the citizens of Bibb County with excessive carrying cost for infrastructure development and operation/maintenance.

15. Maximize neighborhood and community knowledge of and participation in the planning process.