North Decatur Road Initiative Notes (6-7-2023)

From June 7, 2023 presentation

Big thanks to Monica Morgan for providing this summmary of the June 7 meeting:

"Quick recap of the meeting this evening in case you missed it, and info below on the meeting tomorrow.

The section of N. Decatur Rd. and sidewalks from approx the six-way intersection up to Webster Dr. will have some changes - could be minimal, could be quite significant, dependent on public input.

WHAT: Presentation of N. Decatur road study- a range of options were presented to address safety concerns, traffic, and drainage. Details, impacts, and costs were all presented. Lane changes, turn lanes, roundabout, sidewalks, crosswalks… etc.

GOAL: To gather public comment and determine what the neighbors’ priorities are.

If you weren’t able to attend the meeting but want to learn more and give your feedback there’s another meeting on JUNE 8th 6-8pm at Decatur Recreation Center (231 Sycamore Street). The same information will be shared.

If you are able, please attend tomorrow and give your feedback! This is how they’ll decide what direction to go with the design. They did a quick digital poll with us while we were in the room using our mobile devices."

To access the slides of the presentation, click here.

North Decatur Road Safety Audit: community meeting notes

Big thanks to the North Decatur Presbyterian Church for lending their facilities to this meeting.
Close to 60 people gathered to learn about the safety audit and discuss North Decatur Road's future. 

September 26, 2013.
This  meeting was part of the North Decatur Road Safety Audit that began in July (click here for all our N. Decatur Rd. safety audit posts) and provided an opportunity for local government to respond to the audit report and for community members to ask questions and offer feedback.

The meeting was led by Joe Greear (area resident), Rebecca Serna (Atlanta Bicycle Coalition) and Leah Yngve (Emory University's Rollins School of Health). Following an introduction and a presentation of audit findings and recommendations, Commissioner Jeff Rader, Patrece Keeter (Public Works, Transportation Division) and Peggy Allen (Deputy Director of Traffic Engineering) provided DeKalb County's response. Representatives from the City of Decatur and Emory University (Bike Emory, Emory Police), PEDS, and Commissioner Kathie Gannon's office were also present.

Audit Recommendations:
The audit suggested three possible ways to improve safety:
1) a complete street conversion ("road diet") to reduce North Decatur Road from 4 lanes to 3, by creating a center turn lane and bike lanes. Study of this option suggested.
2) create a multi-use trail to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists
3) widen the street to create a "complete street boulevard" (which includes 2 traffic lanes and a center turn lane, dedicated bike lanes on each side, and dedicated pedestrian sidewalk on each side)

Local government response:
Commissioner Rader noted that North Decatur Road predates the Civil War and as the area developed, this road was designed as a residential street--with lanes for traffic and some space for residents to park in front of their homes. As the area grew and traffic increased, the road was reconfigured as a four-lane road. The presence of Emory University, CDC (and other large area employers such as the VA Hospital and DeKalb Medical) draws many people to an area that lacks direct access to large-volume highways. This is the reality that we have to work with. This audit brings the opportunity to look at "big picture" ideas but these projects are costly.

Patrece Keeter shared that she has been working on our traffic and safety concerns, including working on trying to reduce the speed limit on Scott Blvd (after the Ponce de Leon section) to 35 mph vs the current 40mph (likewise for Medlock on the City of Decatur side, and for Sycamore). She shared Rebecca Serna's concerns that the complete street conversion sounds ideal but our current traffic levels may exceed that proposal's target. One of the concerns in the audit was the lack of ADA-compliant ramps and Patrece said they will do a ramp inventory, and will begin by adding them where none are available.

In regards to vegetation posing visibility threats, Patrece and Peggy Allen both mentioned that the County has limited resources and the crews that do such clearings work other jobs with the County full-time; in other words, they are not landscapers and when they are called to clear an area, they will do exactly that. This can create friction because often, property owners have grown used to depending on that same vegetation bank as as a visual or sound buffer from nearby traffic. Thus, they recommend that  property owners get together to discuss how to control vegetation in a manner that balances public safety and their privacy concerns then pitch in to maintain the area to their satisfaction.They can also communicate with the County to oversee more targeted vegetation control (but obviously this would require volunteers on site to coordinate with the work crews).

Another innovative possibility from the audit was to improve traffic flow at the N. Decatur Road / Clairmont intersection by using Webster Dr. to route traffic from N. Decatur Road to Clairmont. This kind of approach is being used in other areas to good effect and would require new signage to educate drivers about how to navigate the area. Residents of Webster Dr. of course are concerned about increased traffic under this proposal, and Fred Boykin (owner of Bicycle South and Cit of Decatur Commissioner) noted that this area is experiencing an increase in foot traffic because more young families and children now reside in the area (Emory Woods in particular) and more people are overall choosing to walk to restaurants and grocery stores (Publix, Rainbow). Thus, (1) it makes sense to pay attention to current demographics of the area, and (2) the Webster Drive proposal would require careful study to ensure pedestrian safety and limit impact on residents.

Patrece was also excited to report that

1) the Wolverton pedestrian improvement study commissioned by Selig Enterprises (owner of Suburban Plaza) is now available

2) she has been negotiating across agencies to try to improve the 6-way intersection (N. Decatur Road/Scott Blvd./Medlock Rd.). She still needs to submit a permit application but has negotiated a collaboration as follows:
- GDOT's Maintenance will do crosswalk striping
- GDOT's Regional Traffic Operations Program will help with signals
- DeKalb County will take care of the ramps

 MARTA planned transit expansion,
Clifton Corridor. From pdf document page 187 of
DeKalb County 2014 Transportation Plan.

Patrece also asked everyone to visit the DeKalb County 2014 Transportation Plan website, and attend the final meetings to take place in November. The website includes a link to the existing conditions and needs assessment plan [large file, but see pdf document page 185 for discussion of the Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative]. Previous meetings narrations are available on the website as well. Technical analysis is in progress, whereby they are interconnecting this study with other area concerns (LCIs, active living, City of Decatur initiatives). The list of projects being evaluated includes pedestrian and bike improvements to North Decatur Road.

Bicycle and/or Pedestrian Potential
Future Demand, per pdf document page 228
of
DeKalb County 2014 Transportation Plan.

One audience member asked if the County has looked into storm drainage on North Decatur Road. As is, when it rains, it really floods suddenly; drivers may hit the brakes suddenly or hydroplane, and large amounts of water are also splashed by traffic, hitting yards and pedestrians alike. Currently, water just drains into the creek. Patrece answered that if we get to the point where N. Decatur Rd. is improved, drainage would be part of the development plan.

Peggy Allen added that the County's resources are limited for doing necessary improvements. For example, the County has ~2,000 miles of roads but, with a $120 million resurfacing shortfall, the budget only allowed for the resurfacing of 35 miles of roads. Patrece added that road maintenance is HOST based, so, the County splits available funds with its cities.

Regarding signalized crosswalks, Peggy noted that these can be quite expensive and can be as costly as signaling for major crossings. For example, a HAWK signal costs ~$100,000; flashing beacons are less costly but also less effective.

Commissioner Rader again stressed budgetary constraints and how the County will be continuing to contribute to safety by clearing vegetation and adding short stretches of sidewalk but overall, the community needs to be thinking of the big picture and big solutions that can really address the magnitude of our traffic capacity problems.

ADDENDUM 1: September 28, 2013, from Joe Greear:

I found it encouraging that the County did not immediately reject the concept of a Complete Streets conversion (aka "Road Diet") and in fact is going to study the possibility for this stretch of N. Decatur. If a Complete Streets is to be done, then the intersections of N. Decatur and Clairmont and N. Decatur and Scott need some attention. The Road Audit had some recommendations for these intersections that the County is going to review.
In the short term, Jeff Rader and Patrece Keener said that the County is actively working on making the pedestrian crossings at the Scott/Medlock/N. Decatur intersection more pedestrian/bike friendly including re-striping, re-timing the walk signals, and updating the signal buttons. The County is also going to work on the existing sidewalk on the North side of N. Decatur including cutting back the vegetation and providing ADA ramps where there are none. Also in the short term, the County is going to study where to place signs on the South side of N. Decatur to warn pedestrians that the sidewalk ends ahead. There was some discussion of placing a crosswalk at Clairmont Circle so that pedestrians can cross to the North side. 

 Jeff Rader mentioned installing a sidewalk from Landover to Superior Ave. so that pedestrians on the South Side would be able to cross from the south side to the north at a signal.

The long-range solutions will require further study. Jeff and Patrece mentioned that residents of our neighborhoods have influence of what projects are implemented by participating in the DeKalb County 2014 Transportation Plan meetings. There are meetings in November where we can help put N. Decatur on the top of the list.

ADDENDUM 2: September 30, 2013. Presentation slides added.

ADDENDUM 3: October 1, 2013.  We encourage readers to visit DecaturMetro to join the ongoing discussion of this road safety audit. Your comments help capture concerns and suggestions that can help North Decatur Road more accessible for all.

______________________________________________________________________________

A big thanks to the individuals and organizations that have driven and continue to publicize this safety audit, and to our municipalities for being responsive.

Selig releases "Pedestrian Improvement Study for the Scott Boulevard at N. Decatur Road Signalized Intersection"

Images via report prepared by Wolverton and Associates for Selig Enterprises, Inc., November 2012.

For the full report, see
Pedestrian Improvement Study for the Scott Boulevard at N. Decatur Road Signalized Intersection

REMINDER: North Decatur Road Safety Audit [Sept. 26]

See all posts about the road safety audit.

North Decatur Rd. Safety Audit: notes from Sept. 5 meeting

Road Safety Audit focus: North Decatur Road (purple) and Clifton Road (blue). Orange bursts highlight problematic intersections (Clairmont, Wendan, Scott/Medlock). Click to enlarge.

For those who could not make this afternoon's meeting, the September 26 meeting will also cover the audit's recommendations. The audit is an incremental process where new comments and concerns are added to the study as more community members chime in. The September 26 meeting will also include comments from representatives from involved municipalities (DeKalb Co., City of Decatur).

Many thanks to Leah Ingve (Emory School of Public Health) and Rebecca Serna (Atlanta Bicycle Coalition) for leading this audit and today's presentation. The meeting was well attended and there is great energy to work together and start the process that will improve safety and quality of life in this high-traffic corridor.

A few highlights from the meeting:

Previous traffic counts estimated ~19K cars/day for the North Decatur Rd. area between the Scott Blvd and Clairmont intersections. The presenters update these counts as follows:
~17K at Suburban Plaza (North Decatur Rd / Scott Blvd. / Medlock intersection)
~23K at Wendan and North Decatur Rd
~16K at Emory Village

The unexpectedly high count at Wendan (which also shows highest travel speeds) may make a road diet less effective. The emphasis on improving traffic flow relates to lowering risk at intersections (where most accidents happen) and making roads safer so that cyclists use the road rather than take to the sidewalk, where their presence increases pedestrian accidents.

Unsurprisingly, the Medlock/Scott/North Decatur Rd intersection was perceived to "not work on foot or bike." At the very least, there is a need to complete striping on crossroads, improve pedestrian signals, and make sure the light timing is long enough to allow a pedestrian or cyclist to cross. Ramps are also needed. The intersection requires further study. As we have heard many times, this is the busiest intersection in the County. GDOT does not want to implement changes that interfere with vehicular flow, and that is the very thing that is necessary to ensure safe passage for pedestrians  and cyclists.

The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition will post an updated version of the slides used in today's presentation, which will include details on recommendations by area (Clifton Rd., North Decatur Rd at Wendan, Clairmont and Scott Blvd.).

North Decatur Road Safety Audit: Community Meeting to Discuss Recommendations [Sept. 26]

As noted elsewhere, concerned citizens and local organizations have come together to conduct a road safety audit of North Decatur Road.

The recommendations from the audit will be unveiled on September 5.

The next step in the process is to invite comments from the community in response to these recommendations. Joe Greear asked MANA to help schedule a venue for this meeting, during which Commissioner Rader, DeKalb County traffic planners, Bike Emory and the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition will present the audit and discuss what the County can do to make N. Decatur safer.

This meeting is now scheduled for
September 26
7pm
Fellowship Hall of North Decatur Presbyterian Church
611 Medlock Road
Decatur, GA 303022

Road Safety Audit Report [Sept. 5]

Road Safety -- North Decatur Road (Part II)

Share and share alike: room for everyone on North Decatur Road.

Here are some info nuggets from the July 29 workshop:

• Many of our road standards (e.g., sign height) are relics of the original studies conducted in the 1950’s. Consider 1950’s road conditions, vehicles (size, materials) vs today’s cars and driving habits.

• Pedestrian deaths are proportional to impact speed. A 20 mph impact has a 5% death probability for the pedestrian; at 30 mph, those odds go to 45%; at 40 mph, 85%. {Thanks to Marian at PEDS for correcting the above figures and adding that "It’s amazing that doubling one’s speed means a seventeen-fold increase in risk of fatality and also speaks to why we at PEDS are so focused on getting drivers to slow down. More information on speeding in urban and residential districts can be found on our website: http://peds.org/issues/reduce-speed-limits/."}

• Intersections are the most dangerous place for pedestrians.

• Most people have trouble judging distances, and people tend to drive at what they consider a “comfortable” speed (as opposed to the posted speed limit). The combination—a speeding driver who overestimates his/her ability to stop—is deadly. 

• Cyclists: riding against traffic is dangerous because it places the cyclist in an area outside the driver’s expectation.

• EVERYONE is a pedestrian at some point: while getting out of a car in a parking lot, while leaving a bus or building. Of the US’s ~300 million population, around ~200 million hold drivers licenses. Children, the elderly and the impaired are often, by necessity, pedestrians.

• Crossing lights are timed to a 3.5 foot/second standard (the old standard assumed people would walk at ~4 foot/second). Not all individuals are able to travel at this idealized speed, which means they may not have enough time to cross even when they use crosswalks correctly. 

• If foot traffic is vital to business, protect foot traffic.  

• The young and the elderly have slower reaction times than adults. 

• The young and the elderly have limited peripheral vision (30% less) relative to adults.

• Intersections are dangerous. The biggest number of crashes at intersections are due to left turns, with right turns being the second most dangerous turn.

• Crash sources: ~64% are human factors, ~28% are due to road/environmental conditions, ~9% are due to vehicular malfunctions.

human factors [drivers go too fast, drivers are stressed during commutes, drivers allow themselves to be distracted by their cell phones (talking or texting/browsing web)] 

+   

environmental factors (drivers may not notice they are picking up speed on the downhill; limited visibility due to topography, weather, light conditions; tunnel vision due to distractions)  

North Decatur Road at rush hour is a minefield... 

• Maintenance is one of the first things that suffer during budget cuts. Overgrowth of vegetation can create road hazards.

• With regards to cyclist fatalities, roads without bike lanes pose the highest danger. Sidewalk riding increases the risk of crashes. 

• Bikes belong in highways unless prohibited.

• An ideal bike lane (one way) is 4’ wide.  When a bike lane is added next to a parking lane, the overall lane width should be 12’ (to shelter cyclists from car doors that suddenly swing open). A 10-11’ lane can be equally safe, if posted speeds are 45mph or less. 

• North Decatur Road moves around 19,000 vehicles/day. Likely solutions for existing situations include a road diet or reversible lanes.

• For pedestrian safety: make eye contact with drivers and never assume that  “waving” signifies that the whole passage (across whole roadway) is safe. 

• Faster speeds and busy roadways create tunnel vision for the driver. The busier the road and the faster the speed, the smaller the area that the driver is aware of (peripheral perception suffers!).

Links from the presentation: a treasure trove!

Walkinginfo.org: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center
Includes a report titled Road Diet Conversions: A Synthesis of Safety Research (May 2013)

"The primary purpose of this review is to assess the available evidence regarding the safety effectiveness of reductions in the number of motorized traffic lanes, widely known as road diet conversions. Although road diets have been implemented since at least the 1970s, earlier reviews and a search of the literature identified no controlled safety evaluation studies conducted prior to the year 2002. A systematic search of literature dating from 2002 was conducted. Six studies in total were initially identified, with four serving as the basis for most conclusions in this review."

This site also includes the PBCAT (Pedestrian/Bike Crash Analysis Tool).

APBP (Association of Pedestrians and Bicycle Professionals)
Includes the Women Cycling Project and the Bicycling Parking Guidelines document [pdf]

NCHRP (the National Cooperative Highway Research Program)
Want to know the outcomes of research projects funded by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies? Check out the project list.

"The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) conducts research in problem areas that affect highway planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance nationwide"

PEDSAFE (Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System)
Don't miss their recommendations for sidewalks/walkways, crosswalks, or their case studies (featuring examples grouped by state/country and also by countermeasures--great set of examples of what's available).

"The Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System is intended to provide practitioners with the latest information available for improving the safety and mobility of those who walk. The online tools provide the user with a list of possible engineering, education, or enforcement treatments to improve pedestrian safety and/or mobility based on user input about a specific location."

BIKESAFE (Bicycle Countermeasure Selection System)
Yet more great info, including crash factors.

The Bicycle Countermeasure Selection System (BIKESAFE) is intended to provide practitioners with the latest information available for improving the safety and mobility of those who bicycle. The information on the site falls into two categories, Resources and Tools

US Department of Federal Highway Administration's Safety Program

"The focus of the FHWA Safety Program is to ensure safer roadways The FHWA Office of Safety works with Federal, State and Local partners and others in the transportation community to develop and promote programs and technologies to improve the safety performance of our Nation’s roadways to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries (safety facts). Safety should be integrated into all programs and projects and considered every time and during every stage from development to completion.  This office provides decision-makers the tools, resources, and information necessary to make sound safety investment decisions."

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Don't miss the "Everyone is a pedestrian" section.

"NHTSA was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 and is dedicated to achieving the highest standards of excellence in motor vehicle and highway safety. It works daily to help prevent crashes and their attendant costs, both human and financial."

Institute of Transportation Engineers

Safe Routes to School
With Druid Hills High School being so close to North Decatur Road, that's another reason to focus on pedestrian and cyclist safety.

CDC's Pedestrian Safety site.

Road Safety -- North Decatur Road (Part I)

On July 29, I attended the Roadway Safety Audit (RSA) Workshop introduction organized by Bike Emory, Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health, and the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. The workshop was ably led by Craig Allred, FHWA Resource Center Technical Specialist.

RSA's are a formal process through which community members are trained to (1) recognize safety challenges that a particular section of roadway poses for pedestrians and cyclists, and (2) propose improvements or modifications that enhance safety and access for all. The resulting audit (observations and suggested improvements) is shared with local authorities and other stakeholders (e.g., developers, institutions, local government) who are in a position to secure funds and implement improvements. Local government typically issues a written response to the audit.

image via Googlemap

This workshop was a preamble to an audit being conducted for the section of North Decatur Road between Clifton Road and Church Street. It was attended by several GA DOT employees, several City of Decatur employees, and Commissioner Jeff Rader. The impetus for the workshop comes from recent pedestrian and cyclist fatalities on North Decatur Road. Ghost bike and ghost chair memorials had been installed near the location of these fatalities (corner of North Decatur Rd. and Superior Ave.) by family, neighbors and friends of the victims; these memorials were removed by unknown parties on August 26.

Joe Greear (Clairmont Heights resident) has been very active in bringing these safety concerns to the fore and participated in the North Decatur Road RSA. He shares this message:

...I participated in a Road Safety Audit focused on pedestrian and bicycle traffic on N. Decatur Road. The audit was sponsored by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (ABC), Emory University School of Public Health, and Bike Emory and was led by a Transportation Safety Specialist from the Federal Highway Administration. The audit team included members of ABC, Bike Atlanta, PEDS, DeKalb County traffic engineering, our county commissioner, and members of the local community. We spent two days studying the conditions along N. Decatur from Clifton Rd. to Church street. The team traveled this stretch of road several times, reviewed daily traffic counts, crash data, and traffic flow. We then brainstormed solutions and will develop a report with recommendations by mid September.  

I am confident that the recommendations will be both feasible and effective. The Safety Specialist from FHWA is experienced in developing solutions for situations just like ours and presented several examples of solutions from around the country. I don't want to get into the details yet, but some of the items that MAY end up in the recommendations include road diet measures, sidewalk improvements, additional crosswalks, and repaving N. Decatur. Please hold comments until the final report is made available. 

I hope to present the report (with the help of ABC and Bike Emory) to our neighborhood associations in a community meeting. At the presentation I would like to begin a petition drive to request that our county officials implement ALL of the recommendations in the report. 

You may have noticed the PEDS “Slow Down” signs along North Decatur Road. That was the work of Joe Greear and Deanne Thomas, Mary Shellman and Meck Stockman. Thanks, y’all ☺

So please drive the speed limit and be a pace-setter! As soon as the audit is complete and ready for sharing, we will schedule a meeting venue and being the petition drive.

UPDATE: Mr. Fred Boykin, City of Decatur Commissioner and owner of Bicycle South, posted on the DecaturMetro blog (comment section) that the results of this RSA will be shared on September 5.

Read part II of this item.