AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Downtown Augusta businesses are up in arms over plans to replace parking with bike lanes -- something that could affect all of us.
The businesses - including restaurants on Broad Street - have launched a petition drive that's gained 1,500 signatures so far.
Downtown Augusta is full of parking on the street right now. That includes convenience spaces in the "parking pits" in the median of Broad Street.
That could all change as part of a plan to revamp downtown - all on the heels of the removal of countless towering trees, a move that's drawn criticism from some.
"It's challenging because Augusta, as desperately as we want to be a Greenville or Savannah, even I'm not sure that we're quite there yet," said Emma Claire Hansen, who works at Merry's Home Furnishings. "I hope that we do get there one day, where it is full of pedestrians who are coming down the sidewalks and riding their bikes downtown. Right now, I'm not sure that it's all that necessary. But perhaps they see a different end goal than we do. I would be more concerned with parking than the bicycle lane, but it's all a part of the bigger plan is the hope."
Luigi's Italian restaurant started the petition that's been joined by other downtown businesses like Merry's Home Furnishings, Tribeca Lounge, the Imperial Theatre, the multi-restaurant Frog Hollow Group, Nacho Mama's and the Sports Center.
One business told News 12 off camera that a key concern is surviving through the construction that downtown construction work will bring.
The businesses seem to agree on wanting to see improvements downtown.
They just don't want to lose business because of it.
Another business even hired its own architect to look at improving Augusta with more parking - developing a plan to show local leaders.
News 12 reached out to local officials, and we're still waiting to hear back.
But there's a meeting Wednesday about this that we will continue to follow.
That meeting is at 5 p.m. Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Fat Man's Cafe on Greene Street.
It's a time when downtown business owners and others can learn about work timelines and their impacts.
The question of parking came up less than a month ago at a meeting of Augusta Commission members.
The transportation engineering staff told commissioners:
Commissioner Jordan Johnson said city leaders need to keep in mind the businesses that are struggling with parking deficiencies.
He asked city engineering chief Hameed Malik what can be done to speed up the work on Broad Street, but didn't get a clear answer.