What will they hear? Georgia DOT Commissioner Gena Abraham is on a listening tour of the state, and coming to our fair city Tuesday, September 23 at the Coastal Georgia Center from 4-7pm.
GDOT has hired a consulting firm to assist in this commenting process:
McKinsey and Company will be working directly with the Governor and the GDOT and GRTA Boards for input, guidance and direction to get a big picture view of our strategic plan for transportation in Georgia. In order to get the best possible view, we want you to show us your big picture! DOT Commissioner Gena Evans and GRTA Executive Director Dick Anderson will head out with members of our leadership team to listen to your vision of what Georgia’s transportation system should look like for the future.
We’ve selected 7 sites around the state for listening tours: Macon, Savannah, Dalton, Atlanta, Valdosta, Columbus and Augusta. We’ll take your feedback and suggestions and share them with McKinsey and Company and the entire leadership team so that your voice can be heard. We’ll also post snapshots of our meetings and the feedback we’ve received so that you can see what others are saying.
Your participation is key, because if we as bicyclists don’t speak up, the demands of developers, road builders and SUV drivers will be all they hear.
Tell them we want a statewide Complete Streets policy where bicycle, pedestrian and transit facilities are included in all new road projects. Tell them that widening roads to lessen traffic is like loosening your belt to lose weight. Tell them to regularly sweep debris from shoulders and bike lanes on state roads. Tell them that we need to prioritize alternatives like bicycles in this era of $4 gas and shrinking budgets for road construction.
Tell them next Tuesday at the Coastal Georgia Center from 4-7pm. Or, if you can’t make it, tell them online using this form. Better yet, do both!
