A Step in the Wrong Direction Makes Floyd Street More Dangerous for All

By Maurice Carter, Sustainable Newton Co-Founder & Current President

Sign the Petition

I don't doubt City of Covington officials were acting in good faith to solve a real problem with speeding and reckless driving when they implemented "traffic calming" measures on Floyd Street recently -- in the form of traffic islands, bump outs, and the mother of all speed bumps.

But, while only time will tell if these changes slow traffic and keep cars between the lines, what is immediately clear is that Floyd Street is now a much more dangerous place for bicyclists, joggers, walkers, and residents retrieving mail from their mailboxes. To prove it, I mounted a camera on my bicycle handlebars last Friday afternoon to ride in the "bike lane" (what's left of it) from my house near the Cricket Frog Trail crossing to the Library and back.  I made it safely home, thank goodness!  But it was much scarier than I imagined. I can't really recommend anyone else try it.  But here's a video from one of the worst moments.

Someone Is Going to Get Hurt -- or Worse

This clip shows only one intersection where "traffic furniture" causes the bike lane on each side of the road to suddenly end, forcing people on bikes, joggers, walkers, etc. to merge into 35 MPH+ motorized vehicle traffic. If you have moving traffic to your left when the bike lane runs out -- as I did here -- there's nowhere for a bicyclist to go. I was forced to take the lane in front of the third car blocking me in, but I could just as easily have ended up vaulting over the curb if that car did not yield.  Also, as the video shows, accelerating away from a stop sign at a crowded intersection with no bike lane is an unsafe situation. If you want to see more, I've posted the full videos of my eastbound & westbound adventure on YouTube.

As a local doctor said to me:  "Someone is going to get killed."  (Jump to the petition.)

When we make our community safer and more inviting for pedestrians, bicyclists, and persons using other mobility devices, we directly benefit everyone by reducing air pollution and traffic congestion on our streets.

It's Not Like We Hadn't All Prepared for this Moment

Even if you sympathize with the plight of everyone forced to navigate this dangerous street by bike or foot, you may still wonder why this is a sustainability issue?  As I wrote in a blog post early last year titled, Two Wheels, Four Wheels, No Wheels, Go!, walking and biking are important as zero-emissions, healthy transportation alternatives. They are a part of the Drawdown Georgia solutions framework. And, as I said then "When we make our community safer and more inviting for pedestrians, bicyclists, and persons using other mobility devices, we directly benefit everyone by reducing air pollution and traffic congestion on our streets."

However, Sustainable Newton is not the only entity promoting more walking and biking in the community. Just look at these excerpts below from the City of Covington's own 2023-2027 Comprehensive Plan adopted by the city council in early 2023. The city's official plan, filed with the State of Georgia's Department of Community Affairs, calls for putting a priority on active transportation (walking & biking), trail connectivity, and a "complete streets and trails" plan. ​

The very first paragraph in the city's official document explains the purpose and intent of having a formal comprehensive plan:

A Comprehensive Plan is a community’s long-range guide for growth and development and is a living and breathing document that is publicly accessible. This plan, designed distinctively for the City of Covington, outlines the vision and goals identified by the community, and establishes the actions required to achieve those vision and goals. The plan serves as a decision-making guide for local government officials and community leaders and was developed based on input from the public, city staff, elected officials, and a steering committee. The document illustrates Covington’s needs and opportunities, goals and policies, land use practices, and implementation framework, also known as a community work program. The plan seeks to answer three questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to be? How do we get there?

The city's Comprehensive Plan was developed with extensive public input -- including a survey, a series of public input sessions, and two public hearings.  I know, because I attended every session (see the sign-in sheets).  So I know how much active transportation, connectivity, and complete streets were discussed.  Simply put, this SHOULD have been the first place Covington officials looked when considering how to address their concerns with speeding on Floyd Street.

We Already Had a Better Way

No matter how well-intentioned the modifications to Floyd Street are, it's crystal-clear they don't promote bicycle and pedestrian connectivity or safety.  Indeed, they have accomplished the opposite, making it impossible for any reasonable, sane person to bike or jog there. (My temporary insanity to film the video not withstanding.) When the mayor, council, and staff decided they needed to slow traffic on Floyd Street, they were within their authority to act. But that requirement could have been met without sacrificing the connectivity provided between the Cricket Frog Trail and the Eastside Trail by the Floyd Street bike lanes, which are now useless because they are too dangerous.  As just one example, here is the design proposed for the City of Covington and Newton Trails by the PATH Foundation and Kaizen Collaborative when they developed a master plan for the Cricket Frog Trail and connecting streets in 2018.  To connect the Cricket Frog Trail and the Eastside Trail, PATH and Kaizen proposed this street design between the points where each trail intersects with Floyd Street.
​

Note: the proposed trail, buffer, and travel lanes in the second figure fit within the same width as the then-existing sidewalk, bike, and travel lanes in the first figure. Implementing this design would have required no additional right of way be taken from property owners. The design would have both calmed traffic in the travel lanes and provided a much safer, buffered path for bicyclists and pedestrians. That this design was not considered or discussed publicly suggests that the city's documented objectives to IMPROVE active transportation and connectivity were not considered at all in the planning for what has now been implemented on Floyd Street.

Connecting the Cricket Frog and Eastside trails is important not only for recreation, but also as a vital active transportation linkage for residents of the Render Covington apartments and the Neely Farms and Wildwood neighborhoods, making it possible for them to safely bike to town instead of driving.  It also provides downtown residents with safe access to the grocery store, bike shop, doctors offices, banks, restaurants, the pharmacy, and other services.  Not implementing a complete streets design like the one put forth in the 2018 masterplan is a big miss. It sets us back substantially relative to the objectives and actions laid out in the comprehensive plan.

And so, we find ourselves faced with the predicament lamented by John Greenleaf Whittier in his poem Maud Muller: "Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'"

So, Now What?

Since the traffic islands went in, I hear every day from people who -- for a variety of reasons -- want what I want:  "Pull those islands out and put the road back the way it was!" The practical side of me says "That will never happen. We can't just rewind the tape and have a do-over" But then, are we willing to just let people get hurt or die because someone is unwilling to say "we were wrong"?  There are really three steps the City of Covington needs to take:

1. The current conditions on Floyd Street are unacceptable and cannot be allowed to stand as is. The city must Immediately act to eliminate the hazards posed by the compromised bike lanes.
2. City officials must recommit and develop a plan of action to honor the promises they made when they adopted the 2023-2025 Comprehensive Plan.  Live up to those objectives.  Make future decisions with the committed plan in mind. And start working now -- with broad stakeholder input -- on the "Citywide Complete Streets & Trails Plan" referenced with a 2025-2026 timeline in the city's Short Term Work Program of the Comprehensive Plan. 
3. City staff should reach out for professional assistance with expertise in active transportation planning to help the city plan comprehensively to meet the needs of all transportation system users -- not just motor vehicle drivers.  Go Georgia (formerly Georgia Bikes) is a statewide non-profit working to "advance safe, equitable, and sustainable transportation and recreation as vital components of a thriving, livable Georgia."  (Full disclosure: I am a current board member with Go Georgia. I am not suggesting they are the only resource to assist in this, but they do offer programs specifically designed for this situation.)

Sustainable Newton wants to be a stakeholder in all of the above activities, and we encourage Newton Trails, the Covington Conyers Cycling Club (C4), our local bicycle shop (C-Town Bikes), and the walking, biking, and running community in general to join us in pushing for the actions outlined above.  We will need more transparency and collaboration from all parties to achieve the immediate and long-term objective our community wants and needs.

Sign the Petition

If you support these requests and are willing to join us in pressing for more accountability from city officials to the maintain safe streets and fulfill the active transportation objectives spelled out in the Comprehensive Plan, please sign the petition.

Sign the Petition