Peachtree City staff has recommended a first for Peachtree Parkway: three “traffic calming” medians near Loring Lane and Tinsley Mill to slow cars down.
But the city council put the brakes on the concept, at least for now, during a workshop meeting Aug. 2. Council asked for more data on how they will effect vehicle speeds, and whether the medians would indeed reduce crashes.
The two intersections combined have had 24 auto crashes since 2005, most of which were rear-end collisions, according to City Engineer David Borkowski. The crash data was significant enough at Loring Lane for it to be named a “major accident location” in the city’s 2010 transportation plan, he noted.
The medians would be installed in the center of the road, forcing vehicles to veer to the right and then back to the left to continue driving along the road. Installing three would cost the city an estimated $68,000, Borkowski said.
A host of other options were considered, including a 3-way stop, a compact roundabout and the addition of a left turn lane for southbound motorists, Borkowski said.
The left turn lane, however, would likely increase the speed of southbound cars, potentially increasing the danger at the intersection, Borkowski said. A three-way stop would defeat the purpose of the parkway being a scenic route and also could cause significant backups during peak travel hours, so that option was thrown out too.
The other possibilities were far more costly than the traffic calming medians, he added.
The compact roundabout didn’t get a warm reception from council either. Such a design has an inside center of about 40-50 feet wide, about half of the traditional-size roundabout.
There was sentiment on council that the median project could wait at least until that section of Peachtree Parkway is up for repaving, at which point the city could determine if the project was necessary or not.
Doing the project in conjunction with the paving work will drastically lower the cost, noted Councilman Eric Imker.
Council asked Police Chief H.C. “Skip” Clark for his impression of the traffic calming medians. He noted that once drivers acclimate themselves to the medians, their speeds will most likely go back up.
In terms of traffic congestion, city staff has evaluated the area, Borkowski said.
“There is not a huge delay caused by left turns,” Borkowski said.
