Last year at a Cedarcroft neighbors’ meeting with the builder, Ravin Homes, safety, vandalism and golf cart traffic issues were discussed. There were complaints from the people that live next to the cart paths, as their homes are built too close to them. The resolution was to close the golf cart paths that bring outside traffic to Walmart through our community and redirect the traffic outside of Cedarcroft.
As residents of Cedarcroft too, we understand and respect the people that live close to the paths. We support them if they want to have the Turnbridge Circle-St Albans Way path closed, but please, do not leave us without the path that connects Cedarcroft to the Ga. Highway 74 bridge nor the one to Walmart.
The main complaints were trash, damaging of property (mainly stepping on grass) and noise. If the vandalism offenses were severe and numerous enough, could the traffic of 500 golf carts a day justify the installation of security cameras? Why not educate our people by enforcing our safety through signs and security cameras?
Just as the intersection of Willowbend Rd and Ga. Highway 54, we could have the same cameras. Offenders could get identified by the cameras or prevented by the signs. Some redirection of the traffic might be wise too, if we make them go through Turnbridge Circle, but without isolating our community completely.
We could also think of automated barricades, like those found in many cities in Europe. Those barricades could open at 6 a.m. in the morning and close the paths at dusk, say 7 p.m. in winter and 9 p.m. in the summer time. At night, people going to Walmart will have to go around our neighborhood, therefore minimizing the risk of night vandalism.
What would become of Peachtree City if we set precedent of closing a path and isolating a community from the golf cart path system? Wouldn’t many other neighborhoods start to ask the same? Instead, we can set precedent by pioneering with clever, simple and common sense solutions like the ones mentioned above.
We believe we belong to an open golf cart community, and the path that connects Cedarcroft to the Hwy. 74 bridge benefits most of the residents. Many of the residents use it many times a day to go to school, work and more. We too, when we go to school, Target, the pools, visit friends, cross many neighborhoods and pass close to lots of homes.
We believe the benefit of reopening is superior to the inconvenience of traffic. The loop we have to do now is totally annoying and makes no sense. Just wait until school starts next week!
We believe the path that connects Cedarcroft with the Hwy. 74 bridge path, which was still to be developed, can be reopened and done wisely, by providing more space and privacy to the future homes to be built. As residents of Cedarcroft, we see no inconvenience in having the main traffic being redirected through the main street, Turnbridge Circle. Please, reopen the Cedarcroft-74 bridge cart path now.
Valeria Zimmermann and Javier Solanet
Cedarcroft residents
Peachtree City, Ga.
