The City of Brookhaven is updating its multimodal plan for the first time since 2016 when the bicycle, pedestrian, and trail plan was adopted by the city council.
After two years, several community input meetings, a firestorm of feedback from the community, and going back to the drawing board in 2023, Alta Planning and Design will present the final multimodal plan to the Brookhaven City Council for a vote on Aug. 27.
The multimodal plan is a system of accessible paths, trails, and sidewalks used by the entire community.
Disconnected trails and sidewalks are one of the main issues according to residents’ feedback. Alta has addressed this by suggesting micro-mobility hubs, shared bike lanes, added signage, speed reduction, and education – some of which are low-cost and no-cost solutions.
The plan includes an extensive analysis of existing conditions, program and policy recommendations, and a prioritized “Top 10” list of projects for the city to consider.
ALTA’s Eric Scott said the goal was to connect parks, and green spaces, and increase bike and pedestrian safety. Equity was a priority and quality of life was a major factor, Scott said.
One high priority project is to create a micro mobility hub at the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station, where the city is building a city hall complex, with bikes and scooters “to close first- and last-mile gaps and reduce demand for car trips.”
ALTA noticed during their fieldwork that the Cliff Valley Way corridor by Cross Keys High School needs improvement to allow students and residents safer access to sidewalks and trails for transportation.
“This is a long term vision. It’s going to take some time for all these projects to get built out, but we separated the recommendations into short term as well as long term,” Scott said about the plan.
Brookhaven Bike Alliance (BBA) members are pleased with the plan after three community meetings, a firestorm of feedback from the community, and the deep involvement of the BBA.
“I have never seen such a pivot between a preliminary draft and the final draft in a plan like this,” said Jack Honderd, BBA founder. “It’s a very actionable plan.”
