Free-For-All Friday 8/18/17

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

20 thoughts on “Free-For-All Friday 8/18/17”


  4. Glad to see that Howard, Trinity, and McDonough projects appear to be mostly completed and the roads back in use. I know it’s been rough on residents, visitors, and City officials. IMO, there is a dramatic improvement to pedestrian safety and general appearance of these streets, and it was well worth the wait.

    Thanks COD!

  8. I ate at the recently opened SideChick, and I thought the sandwiches and sides were very good and reasonably priced….It was a one man operation when I went, so a little slow perhaps but then again, it was cooked to order too.

    http://sidechickdecatur.com/

  10. Question for parents of school age bikers. Are Decatur schools teaching kids to “own the road” when they ride bikes on city roads? As one parent who I spoke to described it was to “ride in the middle of the road”, not in either an actual or virtual bike lane near the right side of the street. I had to follow two young boys in my car for quite a while on both a one-way street then a two-way street who “owned the road”

    1. I think there’s a difference between “taking the lane” and riding down the middle of the road. There needs to be a much beefier bike education program for both parents and kids. I see lots of parents doing really bone-headed things. (I’m not taking about bike commuters, but rather people casually riding their kids to school). I am so glad that there is so much love for and emphasis on biking in Decatur.

    2. Hmmm. I have 3 school-age kids who bike all over the place, so I can describe what I generally tell them to do (and what I myself do).

      If conditions permit, generally ride over to the right so that cars can easily pass you. But don’t ride too far over to the right, so that you’re through a bunch of the crap (gravel etc.) that’s over on the side of the road. And don’t ride so far over that you might run into the curb, or low-hanging branches, or the side mirrors of parked cars. (And the latter is unsafe anyway just in case somebody opens up a car door and isn’t looking.)

      And finally, there are some situations where you definitely should “own the road.” For instance, if the road is narrow enough where, if you went over to the right, cars trying to squeeze past you would come uncomfortably close to you. (I bike squarely in the center of the lane when I’m going through the Krog Tunnel on my way to work.) And if you’ll be making a left-hand turn at an intersection, get over to the center of the lane so that you don’t have a line of cars stacked up on your left blocking your way.

      I think it’s friendlier to get over the right when you reasonably and safely can, in the ways described above. But bikes do have a right to the road–in fact, sidewalk biking is dangerous and, if you’re over 13, illegal. And if a car has to wait a little while before passing you, it’s not the end of the world.

  12. Anyone hear any buzz about new plans for a mixed use development of the Bank of America site on Clairemont?

    1. I believe it’s under review. It is on the Planning Commission agenda for September 12. See here: https://decatur.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/2137

      1. Interesting, thanks. Looks like MCRT’s Atlanta area holdings are all Modera-branded properties — upscale apartment/retail. Modera Decatur?

      1. My answer was kinda smart ass so let me now be a bit more respectful.

        I had ordered some glasses on Amazon that turned out to be less than what they promised. Amazon did refund my purchase price but left me short of what was needed to watch and be safe. I tried to replace at all the recommended places (Circle K, Wall Mart, Loews) but they had all sold out. At this point, I cannot point you to a reliable source.

        A co-worker had ordered a couple of more certified glasses than was needed and kindly gave me 2.

        You can try Amazon if you have Prime delivery but you will pay big bucks at this stage.

        My suggestion at this point is to rely upon the kindness of strangers or friends that have excess.

        Apologies for being a smart ass.

    2. Late this afternoon there was a lady selling them on Euclid Ave in Little 5 points, not far from Rag-o-rama and Outback Bikes. She had quite a few left this evening and said she’d be there till they were gone. $10 each.

      1. Just a little PSA to be careful what you pay for and especially what you end up wearing on Monday. Not all of these glasses are created equal, and a large number were recalled last week for not providing adequate protection for looking directly at the sun. At this point I certainly wouldn’t be buying them from some rando off the street.

        I’m still running into people who tell me, “Oh, I’m only going to take my glasses off for the totality part, when the sun is blocked, so my eyes will be safe!” That’s swell if your going to be somewhere in the path of total eclipse. But that’s not metro Atlanta. We’ll get to 97% obscured here, which is a lot, but still not safe for viewing with the naked eye. There is no point during the eclipse here when it is safe for you to remove your viewing glasses.

        More info from NASA: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety

  18. To the irresponsible disrespectful and I hope nonresidents of the city of Decatur who spread feces on the memorial to the deceased confederate soldiers your disrespect for society is disgusting. Irrelevant of your position on history or the confederacy to deface public property with feces shows your low level of humanity. Not too many people saw your nasty work because you caused the city workers of Decatur to clean up your destruction early in the morning. Our fine city workers should never have to clean up after rejects to society, people like you. If you want to state your opinion attempt to do it in a socially acceptable way and not like an animal.

  20. After repeated visits to the Dunkin Donuts on Scott, I have to give it a C. They can’t handle a routine morning crowd. Every visit has hiccups. Other DDs I frequent (Memorial Drive, BellSouth tower in midtown) run like smooth well-oiled machines.

    I hope this is just new store growing pains and will go away with further training of new employees.

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