Tool Design presents updated Athens in Motion plan with 20 priority projects and new implementation pathways

Tool Design consultants presented an updated Athens in Motion active-transportation plan that the commission will review and comment on over the next two weeks. The update replaces the 2018 framework with a denser "vision network" intended to guide facilities that could be built over the next 10–15 years and a prioritized list of 20 projects staff expect to treat as high-priority capital work.

"The vision network represents what will get turned into some sort of facility within the next 10 to 15 years," said Connor of Tool Design during the presentation. The consultants described a scoring system that weights safety, connectivity, equity, implementation and encouragement and noted 94% of schools and 98% of transit stops are within walking distance of the vision network in the updated analysis.

Tool Design emphasized streamlined implementation approaches intended to make smaller interventions possible without waiting for long capital cycles. The consultants described delivery pathways that check resurfacing or developer work against the vision network so that maintenance or construction work can trigger bike or pedestrian facility upgrades. "Anytime a street's being resurfaced or maintenance is planned, ideally that gets checked against the vision network to see if it should trigger some sort of bicycle or pedestrian facility," Connor said.

Commissioners asked for clearer comparisons between the 2018 plan and the update; one commissioner said it was difficult to spot changes in the PDF maps. Tool Design agreed to add a slide showing segments that were added, removed or unchanged for the upcoming workshop. The consultants also encouraged commissioners and the public to leave directional comments in the shared PDF and to provide photos (with releases for identifiable children) as part of the public review process.

The commission will consolidate comments and send an edited packet back to Tool Design; staff said they expect to circulate a cleaned version following the comment period and to present the finalized plan to the mayor and commission as appropriate.