Athens’ “second most dangerous” street could see renovations next year if the city engineer’s plans to bring safety and traffic flow improvements to Richland Avenue come to fruition in 2013.
Richland Avenue falls only behind East State Street with most accidents and enforcement activity in Athens, said Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle.
Andy Stone, Athens Director of Engineering and Public Works, is planning to fix the problem street with a redesign of Richland Avenue’s traffic pattern.
Stone proposed four different possible plans for the street last week and, after receiving feedback, Stone said he plans to reduce the roadway from three lanes to two with a bike lane and sidewalks.
The city engineer said the high number of accidents and the frequent traffic backups on the street motivated the renovations.
In 2011, 62 total accidents were recorded on Richland Avenue; 8 of them involving injuries, with the other 54 involving property damage, Pyle said, adding that no fatal accidents occurred.
The number of traffic accidents has decreased in recent years both on Richland Avenue and across Athens, said Pyle.
There has been a 64 percent decrease in accidents over the past year, with 2,213 in 2011 and 1,346 in 2010, said Pyle.
Likewise, property damage traffic accidents fell 12 percent, from 556 in 2010 to 494 in 2011.
“Our increased enforcement in traffic has really helped the number of accidents fall,” said Pyle.
Though Stone said the renovations would help reduce traffic accidents, Pyle remained neutral in his support of the project saying the department’s primary focus is on the enforcement of traffic and activity.
Because many of the accidents on Richland are a result of left-turning vehicles and large driveways, Stone said providing turn-arounds and U-turn areas would increase safety and allow extra room for safe turning.
Mike Rider, of Rider Insurance Services, located at 473 Richland Ave., said he was skeptical of Stone’s proposal.
“I don’t see many people riding bikes, so I don’t understand why bicyclists and runners can’t simply share a sidewalk,” Rider said. “What is the concern for making a separate bike path?”
Rider said he was more concerned with the street’s surface, saying, the road becomes tough to drive on and can damage people’s car during the winter months.
“(Richland Avenue) is in really poor condition,” said Rider. “People may ultimately start avoiding the road altogether.”
Christine Fahl, member of the Athens County Regional Planning Commission, said she was satisfied with Stone’s proposal to improve the street’s safety.
Richmond is a dangerous road for pedestrians and bicyclists and, with the large amount of Ohio University students, the renovation “makes sense,” Fahl said.
The project, which will cost $2 to 4 million, is still in the planning stage and Stone said he intends to apply for government grants to fund the project by the end of April.
“It’s not going to be an overnight job,” Stone said.
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