By Paul Bolster and Brent Huff
At the July meeting with the South Moreland Avenue Working Group (SMAWG), there were a number of items to celebrate. The big news was the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)’s installation of six medianettes in the center lane on Moreland Avenue between I-20 and Ormewood Avenue. The working group has given this project strong support with the hope it will slow traffic and provide improved pedestrian safety.
Speed Limit Feedback Signs are now in place on both the north and south side of Moreland. The data from these monitors is shared with the Atlanta Police Department. Our Zone 6 commander, Major Andrea Webster, participated in the meeting and announced that her patrol officers were enforcing speeds based on the data collected and are coordinating efforts with the Georgia State Patrol.
The northbound Speed Limit Feedback Sign had not been turned on as of the meeting date, but the southbound sign has been operating for months, collecting data. The highest rate of speed recorded southbound was a whopping 158 miles per hour.
In other news the Major reported that street racing is down. She credited the construction at the former Value Village Moreland Shopping Center as the major reason for the reduction, as construction took away the rendezvous point racers were using. Gathering points have apparently moved to Gwinnett County.
Crosswalks across Moreland are still an issue to be determined. GDOT is still planning three on Moreland between I-20 and Ormewood Avenue. Unfortunately, the cost of the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons (PHB) has risen sharply to $300,000 per installation, and that puts the cost over the amount allowed for a Quick Response Project. GDOT engineers said it will take more than a year to get the PHBs into a project budget. In the meantime, they will be collecting data on the brave souls who use the medianettes to cross the road.
Atlanta’s DOT said there is $2 million of Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) money for improvements of the sidewalks on both sides of Moreland, within the city limits. They hope this project will start construction in 2024.
