Free-For-All Friday 3/20/15

Feel free to use this post to ask questions and make comments about local issues not yet discussed here over the past week.

97 thoughts on “Free-For-All Friday 3/20/15”


  4. DO NOT miss DHS’s production of PIPPIN!!! Running all weekend! I was blown away by the talent of the kids at last night’s performance. It is truly MAGIC! Tickets are still available for all shows (Fri., Sat. @7 and Sun. @2). Students and seniors $8, reg folks $12.

  6. Will someone help me understand what the road diets are supposed to accomplish. I’m imagining College Ave all the way through Avondale and Decatur with only two lanes. What is the logic behind this? (I’m actually really asking – not being sarcastic 🙂 )

    1. Right now College Avenue is configured in favor of automobile traffic, with no bicycle accommodation and pedestrian accommodation that’s neither pleasant nor particularly safe. Decatur and Avondale both have master plans with goals to make certain streets more conducive to more modes of travel. So, slower traffic, better sidewalks, bike lanes or properly configured shared lanes, etc. In short, the problem being solved is not congestion, but that public space is not being shared as equitably as it could be.

      That’s typically where the disconnect lies. For people who aren’t interested in walking or biking along College, or in making adjacent property more conducive to urban development trends, lane reductions can be counter to the personal goal of speed of travel. So, like all things associated with community change, whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on where your priorities are.

      1. In the hope of establishing credibility, I live on S. McDonough, walk to the square, Oakhurst and East Decatur Station whenever possible. I’m all about walking. However, we are talking about expanding Renfroe and the high school, narrowing the roads in front of both schools, paving green space to encourage more kids to drive to school. In addition, Covington highway is a major route into Decatur for all those going to work from far away as well as jurors, etc. I pass miles of backed up traffic every morning as I head out of town on my way to work. Creating absolute traffic nightmares for the dream idea that people will magically walk and bike everywhere just because they can is not realistic.

        1. Well, as I said, it’s a matter of priorities. The problem you’re concerned about is not the one either community is trying to solve (first and foremost, I’d imagine, because congestion is not actually something you can solve in an otherwise healthy economy). The road diet projects are not intended to ease congestion and/or expedite pass-through commuter traffic. They’re intended to better achieve parity among different users of the streets we all share and to encourage other means of travel around town besides cars. So your objection is not so much with the road diets themselves as with the underlying transportation policy and adopted plan that the city is working off of.

        2. Are all those cars backed up on College because of the fact that it is two lanes on either end of that stretch? I really wonder what would truly happen if the full stretch was just 2 lanes. It seems pretty clear that the vast majority of the traffic at issue is the East/West traffic and not the traffic feeding in from Clarendon or Candler. Does having it wider for that short area really solve problems or just make people happier for those few blocks as they finally get to zoom before grinding to a stop again?

          I have to admit that I grumbled about the road diets in Decatur and predicted impending doom with each one, but have only been mildly inconvenienced in the end. And with the proposal for College, I just can’t come up with a rationale that makes that small stretch worthy of so many lanes. I commute from AE to downtown Atlanta along that corridor and it seems like turn lanes would alleviate as much of the delay as the lanes do. Most of the lane switching I do is to avoid the cars waiting/slowing to turn right or left. I’m far more concerned about the proposal to remove the changeable lane on Dekalb than narrowing College.

    2. There is actually quite a bit of pedestrian “traffic” on College now; particularly, it seems, with folks heading from Avondale toward MARTA. I always feel bad for these pedestrians that I see quite often having to navigate the inhospitable pedestrian environment around Sam’s Crossing. So the “demand” for walking and biking is clearly there in that area, even despite the obstacles. It is likely many more people would choose to walk or bike to MARTA if the conditions were improved for them. A more friendly pedestrian environment would potentially “pull” people out of their cars, enticing them walk or bike, and taking some cars off the road.

      Further, creating a more human-scaled transportation network near transit is known to catalyze redevelopment and will very likely do the same here. That is, this area is characterized by unsightly car shops and blank asphalt parking lots, all with limited tax collections. A road diet on College will help bring about more lucrative redevelopment, increasing each city’s tax collections from commercial properties and decreasing the dependence on single-family residential collections to fund their budgets.

      1. I agree that those businesses are not great, and there could be better use of the commercial property along that road. But I don’t think the cars will go away – what happens when cars divert off of College and past my house where my kids are playing. That road diet scenario has external costs for me and my neighborhood – in the hopes that someone might walk along College Ave…

        1. Lots of someones do walk along College Ave. already. Their safety is important too.

          Correct that all the cars won’t go away. College Ave. will still handle them. The road was built for maximum auto capacity, which occurs less than a total of an hour each weekday. The impact of a road diet will likely not impact travel times for the other 23.5 hours per weekday, if it impacts it at all.

          1. I regularly walk along and drive on College and have not noticed cars going super fast (compared to other roads, such as S. candler, traffic seems slower on College). As a pedestrian, when cars are backed up with congestion I find it extremely unpleasant to breath in their exhaust, so if a road diet increases conjestion I don’t see how that will benefit pedestrians.
            I am most concerned about the safety of the railroad crossings along College, which still have not been improved. Improved sidewalks and crossings will make the road safer.

        2. Mac, this is not a criticism of you specifically, but I wanted to use your post as an opportunity to share my point of view, that these conversations about road diets invariably turn into traffic NIMBYism.

          I believe that we should all accept that our neighborhood roads are for public use and should be used by the public, not sheilded from use. I believe a dead end or cul-de-sac is a very inefficient use of public resources, as it really only serves a very few. Interconnecting roads through neighborhoods should not be viewed as cul-de-sacs but as transportation options for all to share.

          Asking for this shared viewpoint also allows us all to accept that road diets and calming measures are reasonable and warranted – we all have skin in the game. And as long as traffic is calm and measured, we accept more of it – I mean traffic in the sense of activity. And this makes our transportation options not only safer but more efficient, as it opens up several routes and options to work around trouble spots, rather than funneling all activity through single points of failure.

          It’s a paradigm shift for sure but it’s one that has been proven out as real and effective. It sounds like moving backwards but in reality it is a progressive path that has been enlightened by data. The big problem with it is that it requires broad acceptance of a paradigm shift, which is tough to achieve, but I think we can get there here in Decatur.

  8. How in the world are buses and delivery trucks going to negotiate/navigate East Lake/Oakview/Hill St when the street scape is finished?

    1. I’ve been wondering the same thing. It seems very narrow with the bump-outs and even in my car, I feel like I might have to cross the center line. Maybe they will be repainting the lines? I’m happy to see the streetscape plan underway, but it feels very cramped the way it is now. I hope when it’s done that is not the case.

    2. The number one design criteria associated with the OV streetscape project was pedestrian safety, so bringing speeds *way* down was the highest priority. But that said, all the lanes and turning radii (how angular vs. how curved corners are) comply with DOT standards so if any truck, bus or car can’t navigate it, it’ll more likely reflect user error or lack of sufficient caution. Or maybe it’ll send a message to Sysco that delivering to neighborhood restaurants with an 18-wheel semi might not be the best idea. Smaller trucks do, in fact, exist.

      1. “Or maybe it’ll send a message to Sysco that delivering to neighborhood restaurants with an 18-wheel semi might not be the best idea. Smaller trucks do, in fact, exist.”

        + a truck load.

      2. These delivery guys should take a page from our trash collection approach – park the mother ship someplace and send out mini-me trucks to zip around the alleys.

      3. Having driven in The Netherlands where every street considers the pedestrian and cyclist, too, I can say that speeds may come down in Oakhurst and College – but traffic will more than likely keep moving. We will get used to driving the speed limit through town, instead of speeding up in sections only to hit bottlenecks and adopt a stop-start approach. Your net commute may end up being very similar.

    3. I am happy that the investments made in our neighborhood clearly prioritize pedestrian safety, particularly for the kids walking to school. If these pedestrian safety investments cause buses and delivery trucks to reform their sometimes unsafe and illogical maneuverings, then that works for me. For me, I’d rather build our city with people in mind first, rather than with big vehicles in mind first. It seems to have worked well downtown so I’m quite certain it will work in OAK too. The trucks and buses will find a way, I’m sure.

      1. I agree, but the buses that I’ve seen having trouble are school buses. I presume when the lanes are repainted and the other construction materials are removed that the lanes will be appropriately sized for the vehicles that do, in fact, need to use them.

    5. Actually, more concerning is the impact on fire trucks. I mean, there’s a fire station _right_there_. One stalled vehicle or weirdly parked car could effectlvely block their access, right out of the station.

      Granted, as Andres Duany would tell you, it’s questionable whether the Oakhurst fire station needs huge ladder trucks to serve a built environment that is almost entirely under 3 stories. But I guess they respond across the tracks at our taller buildings too and so they are probably justified.

      Now, while we’re talking about it I will point out that having the raised curbs around the tree beds in the new sidewalk is not exactly pedestrian friendly. Especially in an area known for all of the stroller traffic. Again, that’s probably a stupid government code problem and not a design decision but it bugs me.

  10. Anyone know of a good listing or resource for identifying senior living (independent living) communities in the area (Dekalbish)? I’ve gone through A Place for Mom but they have few contracted facilities. Any other suggestions on beginning to navigate this search would also be appreciated. Thanks.

    1. Contact Agewise Connection at the Atlanta Area Agency on Aging at 404-463-3333. A great resource for all things aging.

    2. Agewise Connection sounds great. Also, consider speaking to a lawyer certified and experienced in elder law (may not have term exactly right), especially before entering a community that requires a buy in, e.g. a continuing care retirement community. There’s also elder care consultants but pick carefully because it’s easier for them to just call themselves that without necessarily having the experience you need. Of note, at a recent presentation on financing elder care, Park Springs in Stone Mountain was highly touted as a CCRC by a couple of lawyers and its nursing home has the highest rating for the Center for Medicaid/Medicare Services.

      1. I know someone at Park Springs and she loves it. An elder law attorney is a great suggestion, and they can also update your mom’s will if she has moved to Georgia, and educate you on public benefits. There are only a handful of certified elder law attorneys in Georgia. Heather Nadler is great. (To find one in another state look in the directory at Naela.org and try to find someone with the CELA designation.)

        1. I have some friends at Park Spring who seem satisfied. I have been there a few times and it looked very nice and well maintained.

    4. There are long term care ombudsmen who can help you with these issues. Marsha Bond is the LTC Ombudsperson for this area. Her number is 404-371-3808.

      You can also check the five star safety ratings of long term care facilities on HHS’ website.

      1. The LTCO are really advocates for people already in long term care, not a referral center. They are also charged with holding facilities accountable for care, inspecting facilities and investigating complaints. Marsha is a lovely lady and a dedicated social worker with a big job. But she really is not the right person to call for referrals.

  12. Not a comment – I’m supposed to verify my email address, but can’t find anywhere to do so.

  16. I noticed that the pawn shop next to Bicycle South closed. Is there a back story? Seems like it had been there forever.

    1. I noticed that too and thought of commenting. I was wondering if that was a reflection of the area becoming upscale or if pawn shops are just becoming extinct in general. Is there an internet/Craig’s List equivalent of pawnshops?

      1. I’ve been in that pawnshop a few times over the years (trying to indulge my audiophile habit on a budget), though not recently, and it seemed to me more of a place that had interesting, often high-end stuff for sale rather than a typical pawn shop that relied on making loans. That probably spelled the end for them, since ebay and especially Craigslist have taken over the market for used merchandise.

        1. I went in there a couple of years ago, and the owner told me that Craigslist had taken 90% of his business. He was probably exaggerating, but you are right that the used merchandise market is now online.

    2. The owner of Cut Zoo claimed many of his display cases. It sounded like the pawn shop owner couldn’t or wouldn’t absorb the rent increase and decided to close. Apparently the landlord is looking for another potential restaurant although that space is very small for anything but a carryout.

  18. Need a contact for a mason who can build a cement wall cap to match one 90 years old.
    any suggestions?

    1. Charlie Lee with State of the Art Stone. Call him at 770-256-7352. I’ve used him several times for rock and brickwork around my yard. He is an amazing craftsman, and one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. And his prices are very reasonable.

  20. If the College/Howard corridor is the “dequator,” can we call Commerce Drive the “derimeter”?

    2. Nope. Because many of us would live “OTP” and we are “ITP” people.

  22. This weekend is the kickoff of the second Atlanta Science Festival – – I’d just like to point out that Fernbank Science Center has a slew of ASF-related events starting Saturday and all through the week. Great stuff for little kids and the sci-curious of all ages.

    1. Stuff You Should Know is doing a live podcast this Monday night as part of Atlanta Science Festival, at SCAD Show (formerly 14th Street Playhouse). We’re looking forward to going!

  24. Reminder that Spring Electronics Recycling Day is tomorrow (Sat. March 21) from 9am – 1pm at Decatur Public Works, 2635 Talley St.

  26. Good morning. Looking for opinions, experiences, etc. re: buying from Stivers Subaru. Good, bad, neutral? Can you even negotiate the price of a new Subaru, seeing as how they seem to be in such demand around here? It is time to replace our 13 year old Forester and Mr. Decatur mom wants a new one.

    1. I was recently shopping and had several people tell me of recent poor experiences with purchasing from Stivers. I drove out to Gwinnett and worked with Lance Wilhite and he was great.

    2. I browsed there and would absolutely never go back. A way overly aggressive sale person made me literally escape when he went inside to get keys, because he was basically insisting that I drive something without knowing a price first. I asked how much a particular car was, and he kept asking me what I wanted to pay for it. If you can’t straight up tell the price of a car, I’m out. My experience may not reflect everyone’s, but it was incredibly negative.

    3. I can’t answer your question about Subaru dealers, but I’d recommend anyone shopping for a new car listen to the This American Life episode from a couple of years ago. They did a whole show about a Jeep dealership in New York, and it was really interesting to hear, from the inside, how the whole process works. And you might pick up some tips on how to get the best deal.

      thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/513/129-cars

      1. Just throwing this out there, but I was similarly enamored of this episode. So I recommended it to my brother, who began working (as an IT guy, not a salesman) at Lexus dealership two years ago. And he said while he doesn’t think TAL misrepresented anything, they unfortunately chose as their subject what sounds like a pretty dysfunctional dealership (It was New Jersey, after all) and that a lot of the conclusions drawn should not be extrapolated to dealerships in general. At least, he says, his dealership does not operate anything like that.

        1. I wondered about that. If I remember correctly, though, they pointed out during the episode that there were several other Jeep dealers in the area, so maybe that was a marginal one anyway. I don’t think Lexus would have the issue of too many dealers, but that’s just an assumption.

    4. I’m sorry to hear the negative experiences at Stivers. We bought from them shortly after they opened and did not have any of those problems.

    5. thanks for the replies about Stivers. I read some reviews and they were definitely mixed, with several people saying they went to Gwinnett Subaru instead and had a much better experience. It’s been ten years since we last bought a car (a Honda) and we bought it online because my husband hates to haggle (I don’t enjoy it either) even if the atmosphere is low key and the salesperson isn’t pushy. We’re considering a few other cars in addition to a Forester so we are going to have to suck it up and go to a dealership for test drives.

      There was a time I would have loved shopping for and having a new car, but now the thought of the buying process, the monthly payment/increased insurance/more expensive tag just makes me wish I could wave a magic wand and take about ten years off the Forester. I guess this is a sign that I’m a real adult now…..

      1. If you’re also considering an Infiniti, BMW or Nissan, I would highly recommend avoiding the Nalley dealerships at all cost.

          1. We’ve had really good experiences at Gwinnett Place Nissan. We bought our Altima there a few years ago and would have bought a Rogue from them if we didn’t unexpectedly get such a good deal on a Kia Sportage from friends who moved out of the country. Their service department is so good that we routinely brought the car all the way back up there for regular service while it was under warranty rather than deal with Nalley just two miles away. Even after the warranty expired, we had a few issues that they were able to diagnose and fix much faster and cheaper than any local independent mechanic could. Good luck on the car shopping!

            1. ” any local independent mechanic”
              Keep in mind that some of the guys at Decatur Pure are factory trained Nissan techs.

        5. both my husband and I have bought/leased at Nalley Nissan with no problems (I bought –he leased). Very good experience for both of us. What were your issues?

          1. Even if I had all day to list them, I wouldn’t know where to start. Glad you had a better experience. Maybe it was just me.

          2. Nalley Nissan was so pushy at the dealership and after that I had to send an email to the General Manager threatening to sue if they did not stop calling me. The GM never responded to my email and the calls finally stopped 48 hours later.

      2. Have you considered haggling via email? I’ve often heard that you can get the best deals emailing with the internet salesperson and playing the different dealerships off each other.

        1. Better yet, use email but don’t haggle. Figure out what you can afford to pay in cash or get pre-approved by your bank or credit union for a loan. Then tell them you’ll be paying cash and you want X car with specific options for a certain fair price that you’ve arrived at through online comparison shopping and kbb/edmunds reference. Email all dealers in a reasonable radius and one of them will likely be able to meet your price if it’s actually reasonable. The interwebs have really made car shopping much easier and less mysterious.

          1. +1. I essentially did the email offer thing you recommend when buying a Mazda a few years ago (ended up at Jim Ellis). It took about as long to get to the dealership as it did to complete the transaction once we got there.

        2. Or just buy it through Costco, if you have a membership. Easy, quick, and no haggling.

        3. Many banks have on-line car pricing services. You fill out an on-line form from the bank’s website about your car preference and general location, and dealers in the area send you price quotes. The dealers typically will match prices. We were able to get quotes from dealers throughout the metro area but purchase from a dealer in a location convenient to us. One unfortunate side effect: expect to get inundated with e-mail from the dealers….

      3. I recommend Carvana. They get new cars frequently so check in on regular basis until you find what you are looking for. It was simple, no muss or fuss, or haggling. Really couldn’t recommend more if I tried.

      4. +1 on Gwinnett Subaru. I used the same saleman in 2005 and again in 2014. Very little pressure, and for the most recent purchase, all was negotiated via email. I did one of those “dealer cost + X%” plans offered by an organization I belong to.

        I did get my warranty oil change done at Stivers and was happy with the service. They had no customers and I was in and out in 45 minutes. I’m not sure what that means when the service shop has that much free time …

    6. I actually had a good experience at Stivers in June last summer when buying a 2014 Outback. The salesman, Brian Foster, was very decent and not smarmy or pushy. I had never purchased a new car from a dealership and approached the whole process with trepidation and wariness. The sales manager, however, would give the entire dealership a bad name. I walked away and held my ground on what I was willing to pay and accept as a trade in. A few phone calls later we worked it out and I felt confident in the entire process. They eventually scouted out the combination of color and interior we wanted from another location. We ended up with the base model Outback which is a great car for my college age son and his trips here from NC. It was all a shell game I suppose but their trade-in deal was better than what Carmax was offering.

    7. I bought a Forester from Stivers last year and they were fine. I used the Consumer Reports new car Buying Service (which I think is essentially the same as True Car) and got quotes from 3 different Subaru dealers via E-mail. Stivers was the lowest price and the closest, so I bought from them. No haggling. If you go to the auto show next week, the Subaru reps are very knowledgeable and they will give you a coupon for an extra $250 off your purchase. Stivers honored the Consumer Reports quote and the coupon with no problem.

      1. I bought a Forester from Stivers and had no problems at all in the transaction. Everyone I encountered there was friendly and definitely not pushy. I chose them because of the location. I bought the bare bones model of Forester and it arrived from another Subaru dealership with no rack on the top and no trunk cover. I wasn’t told that and had to pay extra to get these though.

    8. I had a terrible experience at Stivers. The salesman did a good job of selling the car on the test ride. Once we got back to his desk the pressure was on. I wasn’t ready to buy yet but he was really hot to trot. He wrote down a price and kept asking “so can I tell my manager you’ll pay this price?” If I had a dollar for every time he repeated it I would have gotten the car half price. I went to Gwinnett. It was a better, more laid-back experience.

    9. Two cars from Stivers with no pressure or problems. Wish I could recall the salesman name. We’d go back.

  28. I’m writing for a co-worker who has a focus group (health issues) coming up and needs
    1) groups to contact to participate
    2) food or money donations

    Any recommendations for either will be appreciated. Thanks

  30. Stivers is great. I requested they not put their blue logo on my Tribeca and they honored my request.

    1. It seems the majority of cars I see are rolling advertisements with dealer license plate frames and dealer stickers on the back. I never really understood why people don’t remove them.

      2. On one of my cars, the dealer sticker on the trunk was actually crooked, so it stayed less time than usual.

      3. I dunno, I was behind a car in traffic once that somehow had gotten multiple sets of those Rick Case decals and spelled out “KICK ASS” on their trunk lid.

        1. As a long time Zappa/Mothers fan, I smiled big when I once got behind a GMC SUV and the back read:

          Jimmy
          Carl Black

          The Indian of the group!

  34. Attention all volunteers! Do you want free admission to this years festival while garnering a snazzy new free t-shirt all while giving your time to a great Decatur summer tradition? Of course you do – Volunteer sign up is now OPEN!!!

    http://www.decaturbbqfestival.com/volunteers/

  36. I am wondering when people forgot what a blinking yellow means. I was at College and Commerce, and the light was blinking yellow. Everyone was treating it as a 4 way stop. It isn’t.
    Hmmmph. Grumble.

    1. This is a common grumble on DM (and of mine). I don’t know what you mean though about people forgetting- I’ve never seen the blinking yellow go smoothly in the metro area (other places, yes). For safety’s sake, I think the metro area should abandon the blinking yellow and just go to all blinking red, definite 4 way stop.

      1. Re abandoning the blinking yellow: but it warns drivers that they may soon encounter drivers who don’t understand the blinking red!

    2. I love it when you treat it as you are supposed to and people act like you are crazy and a danger to society.

  38. My experience last year at Stivers was positive; but I want to know if other folks are experiencing the terrible Bluetooth problems like I am for a 2014 forester?

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