Public input sessions are happening this week, giving residents a chance to share their ideas on how to make travel safer and more accessible. The city partnered with Tool Design, a transportation firm from Atlanta, to study crash data, speed patterns, and infrastructure gaps. The plan is funded by federal RAISE and Safe Streets for All grants and will stay in the planning phase through next summer.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Thomasville’s planners say they’ve done the research, but now, they need to hear from the people who walk, drive, and bike these streets every day.
Transportation has always played a big role in Thomasville’s story. The city was built around the railroad that once brought visitors here from across the country.
But as the city grows and infrastructure ages, neighbors have asked for safer, easier ways to get around.
That’s why Thomasville has been working on a new Multimodal Transportation Plan since 2018, a long-term effort to connect sidewalks, bike routes, and streets in a safer, smarter way.
But what does “multimodal” really mean?
“Multimodal is very simply making sure that anyone can travel however they would like to. If they want to walk, the streets and sidewalks are safe and comfortable for walking. If they want to bike, there are slow streets or protected bike lanes. Or if people want to or need to drive for whatever reason, the city is also convenient for driving as well,” said Rushing.
Byron Rushing is a senior transportation planner with Tool Design, a firm out of Atlanta that’s helping the city shape the plan.
They’ve been walking and biking local roads, talking with residents, and studying crash data to better understand what needs to change.
“They’ve also done some really interesting mapping, where they’ve started to use a lot of the open data, crash reports, speed history, some of the data that we have of the city where our sidewalks currently are, the bike infrastructure that we have where that exists, and started mapping out some of these potential routes and networks,” said City Planner Kenny Thompson.
Thompson says the main focus is safety and comfort especially along high-traffic areas like South Pinetree Boulevard, South Hansell Street, East and West Jackson Streets, and the Broad Street intersection.
Those roads have some of the city’s fastest speeds and highest crash rates. City leaders are meeting with neighbors this week to discuss safe and efficient solutions.
“Well, one of the biggest problems is, because we’re a smaller town, we don’t have taxis…We may have one or two. There are not a lot of Ubers, if you will, in this city. Seniors are a huge part of our community. Some of them don’t drive. So I think we do need things like smaller buses and trolleys, as mentioned, to allow for that,” said Warren.
If you want to speak up about what changes you’d like to see, the city is holding several public input sessions this week.
Wednesday, October 22 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. at Grassroots Coffee, 118 S. Broad Street Wednesday, October 22 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Cherokee Park, 300 Covington Avenue Thursday, October 23 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at Hubs & Hops, 209 W. Remington Avenue
You can also scan the QR code to take an online survey and share your ideas directly with planners.
City Planner Kenny Thompson tells me the project will be in the planning phase until next summer.
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