GAINESVILLE — From public transit to air travel to traffic congestion, a group taking a "transportation awareness tour" got a quick look at some of the biggest transportation concerns in Hall County during a Tuesday morning bus tour.
Sponsored by the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce Vision 2030 Transportation Committee, the tour allowed interested partners to see some of the locations where transportation challenges are greatest in the county.
Mike Giles, committee chairman, said his group knew it was important for officials concerned about transportation to get a clear picture of the issues.
"It's one thing to hear a briefing - see it on paper - but [it's] another thing to get out and actually put your eyes on it and see the project described in the context of 'here it is,'" said Giles.
Participants on the tour bus took two hours to travel from historic Green Street to the Gainesville Connection Terminal to Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport and to the Park & Ride/UNG parking lot at Exit 17 in Oakwood. At each stop, they got an overview of the transportation challenge at that stop, as well as possible solutions to the issues.
Giles pointed out that the Vision 2030 committee has no power to push any of the projects forward, but he said the committee can help to forge relationships among those who can.
"One of the missions of the committee is to be an advocate and facilitate transportation projects that improve connectivity in the county and quality of life," said Giles. "I see the role of the committee and the Chamber at large as being partners with the community and local governments that are charged with seeing these projects to fruition."
Doug Hanson of Gainesville is a community volunteer on the committee, and he said while there are solutions on the planning table for transportation, he's ready to see some action, particularly in the area of rapid transit from Hall County to Atlanta. (NOTE: AccessWDUN will have a detailed story on the rapid transit proposal this weekend.)
Some 24 people took the transportation tour Tuesday morning, including elected officials and business leaders from across the county.
