Recommendations / Transportation / Big Idea #2: Woven Together: Making Athens a Leader in Transportation

Big Idea #2: Woven Together: Making Athens a Leader in Transportation

Part of the "ATHENS REGIONAL COALITION" initiative

TransportationAthens-Clark$1,000,000+

Overview

Execute a comprehensive, multi-modal transportation modernization master plan designed to expand regional access, lower commuter financial burdens, and promote connectivity across four interconnected infrastructure tracks: (1) Establish a consolidated Regional Transit Authority combining ACC Transit and UGA Transit frameworks under a single umbrella; (2) Implement an Athens E-Bike Rebate Program supplying targeted point-of-sale discounts for low-income residents to secure affordable micro-mobility; (3) Develop a high-density, multi-use zoning overlay for the Firefly Trail District to incentivize mixed-income housing, trail-facing business incubators, and active transport hubs; and (4) Build the case for securing Commercial Airline Service at Ben Epps Airport backed by a multi-sector Revenue Guarantee Fund.

Action plan

Short-term
(Short Term Goals/Action Items Year 1 - Foundation & Pilots): Contract an expert transit consulting group to draft the structural blueprint and financial parameters for the unified Regional Transit Authority; execute a comprehensive data-driven airline leakage analysis and pitch deck to recruit commercial carriers; launch the initial phase of the Athens E-Bike Rebate Program by setting up software portals, screening low-income eligibility parameters, and signing up local bicycle merchants; draft technical memoranda of agreement (MOUs) for multi-county transit expansions.
Medium-term
(Medium Term Goals/Action Items 6-24 Months - Infrastructure & Expansion): Formally deploy the integrated point-of-sale rebate matching cycles for low-income e-bike buyers; execute specialized trail-oriented development (TOD) master code changes into the upcoming Comprehensive Plan update; establish a 39-mile Firefly Trail zoning overlay requiring trail-facing structural treatments, active spaces, and micro-business alcoves; secure multi-year seed financing blocks ($750,000 baseline target) to capitalize the Airport Revenue Guarantee Fund.
Long-term
(Long Term Goals/Action Items 2-3 Years & Beyond - Maturity & Scale): Finalize the absolute consolidation of ACC Transit and UGA Transit operational fleets, unifying routing, ticketing apps, branding, and transit logic; secure multi-county SPLOST funding referendums to extend cross-jurisdictional transit routes into surrounding counties; complete capital construction of the Firefly Trail corridor expansion, generating $14.7 Million in annual local economic activity; launch full-scale commercial airline flight operations out of Ben Epps Airport.

Expected impact

Projected Transit RidershipInfrastructure

Percentage increase tracking cumulative local and regional multi-modal transit system utilization after fleet unification.

Timeframe: Medium-term
Projected Project Delivery TimeInfrastructure

Average project timeline delivery optimization Driven by direct multi-county SPLOST revenue bonding matches.

Timeframe: Medium-term
Projected Commute TimeInfrastructure

Measured percentage reduction in average work, health, and education commute windows for transit-dependent residents.

Timeframe: Long-term
Projected FundingEconomic

Total combined capitalization value secured across short-term e-bike pilots, airport funds, and Firefly District setup ledgers.

Timeframe: Short-term

Key stakeholders

ACC Transit & UGA Transit DivisionsBen Epps Airport & Airport AuthorityLocal Bicycle Merchants & WholesalersBikeAthens & Active Mobility AdvocatesACCGov Planning & Zoning DepartmentsNortheast Georgia Regional Commission (NEGRC)

Estimated budget

$6,215,000 Total Capitalization and Deployment Capital Across All Phased Recommendations. • E-Bike Rebate Pilot Subtotal ($1,000,000 direct outlay): Includes $750,000 for direct point-of-sale customer rebates, $150,000 for multi-agency administration/portal management, $50,000 for BikeAthens community education/outreach, and $50,000 for third-party program evaluation. • Airport Commercial Service Setup Subtotal ($1,127,500 direct outlay): Includes $50,000 for the market leakage study, $750,000 for the initial airline Revenue Guarantee Fund, $300,000 for first-year airline landing fee waivers, $15,000 for airline marketing, $6,000 for route development conferences, $5,000 for airline familiarization tours, and $1,500 for printed proposal decks. • Firefly Trail & Regional Transit Subtotal ($4,087,500 direct outlay): Includes $70,000 for the Firefly Trail small area study, $100,000 for zoning change consultancies, $3,875,000 for affordable housing land banking allocations, $4,000 for video production, $20,000 for community marketing, and $18,500 for town halls, impact fee consulting, and project contingencies.