Decatur City Commission Delays Decision on West Ponce “No Parking Zone”
Decatur Metro | January 4, 2011City Manager Peggy Merriss summarizes the decision by the Decatur City Commission last night to delay approval of the extended “No Parking Zone” along West Ponce de Leon Avenue between Pinetree and Adair Street.
The City Commission postponed a decision regarding the “No Parking” zone on West Ponce de Leon to allow Hugh Saxon and David Junger time to assess the vehicle lane transition of West Ponce de Leon from the intersection of Northern Avenue through to Adair Street with the caveat that we could take any action necessary if it was needed to assure safety.
The “No Parking” zone on Feld Avenue was approved.
It’s now been two times that I’v been traveling westbound on Ponce in the right lane preparing to turn left onto Adair and someone else traveling westbound on Ponce in the left turn only lane keeps going straight and almost rams into me in the Trinity intersection. Not sure what could help besides more warning that the lane is turn-only now.
I have had the same experience both mornings this week- almost ended up sideswiped and had there been a true bicycle rider in the lane it could have been horrific. The lane markings (or lack thereof) are very disappointing for a change at a busy intersection- it appears the city had their constructions hats on before their safety hats.
What can be done or who do we contact to get this monitored for safety?
Fortunately there will probably not be many cyclists in that lane – the only ones I’ve ever seen at that intersection are making left turns onto Trinity or Adair so they’ve already moved into position for a turn. Adair is a very popular cut-through for cyclists as well as motorists. Does anyone actually ride a bike west on Ponce from that point? to go where? to the bottom of the hill?
Not too far past the bottom of the hill is the connection to the new Deepdene “sidepath” and subsequent Olmstead parks which, if I’m reading the maps correctly, can get you to or near the Freedom Park path which can take you to the edge of downtown Atlanta.
Networks are made one segment at a time. Use of the lanes will increase over time as the gaps are filled in.
Yeah, I believe you can ALMOST get to the Freedom Park path without getting on Ponce, but you still gotta use it from at the Ponce/Scott intersection. A path from there to Deepdene would be killer.
I do, daily.
I’ve seen these lane configurations in NYC and they only reason it works is because they DO allow parking in the lane closest to the curb.
@Altmod – They’ve basically taken 2 non-traffic issues (W. Ponce & Church near pool) and made them somewhat confusing and thus dangerous traffic issues.
Agree with you DHD, at least re Adair at Ponce – they’ve taken a section of road that was never an issue as far as I can tell and turned it into a confusing and dangerous spot.
And even though I had read about the change, I blew through the lane last week and then was awfully happy that there was no one around for me to have hurt. Needless creation of danger. Don’t understand what it was supposed to have fixed.
I think what it was supposed to fix is the perception that this stretch of residential street is an extension of Scott Boulevard that may be traversed at unlimited speed. Decatur may not have control over Scott but it had the foresight, thankfully, to change the driving habits of folks entering and leaving the City.
Tom L – the lane reconfig I am talking about is Ponce at Adair LEAVING the city. If you are turning from Ponce and left onto Adair, with the city behind you, then you have to take the straight through lane and then turn left, immediately after the turn lane that looks like it is supposed to serve West Trinity. If you are in the left turn lane and go on up to Adair, you side swipe any traffic driving straight up Ponce and out of the city.
As you are leaving our strangled little city at that point anyway, and have likely just come through a light or an intersection, and around the corner, I am doubtful that “traffic calming” could be the reason they changed the lane. I still do not understand what they were trying to fix.
I also agree with DHD. I think the city is also planning to narrow McDonough. Commerce is being narrowed in sections as we speak.
Maybe we should just get it over with and ban cars from the City of Decatur. Free Bikes for Everyone!
Looks like our good friends at the AJC are back in full force in the Decatur City Hall for the commission meetings!
“Decatur commissioners cover lots of ground at first meeting of 2011″
Of note from Hugh Saxon…
“There’s no question we need to reduce it to one straight-through lane only,” he said. “As for the [Saint Thomas More] parking, we’ll look at that a little further. I’m sure we can come up with an answer that’s satisfactory for both the church and the city.”
Also, I followed up with the Mayor and he provided a bit more perspective on the issue…
“I drive through that intersection frequently (Trinity & West Ponce) and I did agree with the city that some change is necessary for safety and for convenience. But I do not think that restricting parking in that area will fix the problem. So we asked them to go back and consider other options (maybe changes down West Ponce toward the Post Office) that are available. We also gave them authority to make immediate changes if they considered the situation warranted them. This is a simple answer to a complex discussion.”
It seems to me one straight thru lane does not address the issue for those who wish to turn left onto Adair while traveling westward on Ponce. When I went to the dog park today I noticed that the bike lanes begin on the west side of the Trinity intersection. I noted, on a Tuesday at 5:30pm, several vehicles using the bike lanes to pass at least four stacked cars which were waiting to turn left onto Adair. During peak traffic hours many more of us will be using Adair, as well as Commerce and McDonough to access the city’s limited track crossings once Fifth Ave. is opened. I have not spent much time studying this situation, but it may be helpful to re stripe the road so that the bike lanes begin west of the Adair intersection, which occurs just after a curve in the road, thus allowing the transition between bikes and cars to occur on a straight away instead of just after a curve with limited visibility. It seems to me there’s too much going on at one time. As an added bonus folks would be able to legally pass the cars waiting to turn left onto Adair ( is it legal to pass in a bike lane? I never know. ) And those of us who still drive cars will also not have to back up traffic all the way to the post office while we’re trying to get our kids to school.
EVERY time I have been through this intersection since the changes, I have seen the same problems described in these posts. Traffic engineers have created a problem where one did not exist.
My biggest issue with this entire road project, as well as the one on Church is that they are counter-intuitive. They ABSOLUTELY go against normal driving patterns. As you leave downtown Decatur and a single lane, the road becomes 2 lanes at the post office, then you almost immediately run into a left turn only lane while coming up on a bike lane to your right that also has an unfamiliar parking lane that buttresses the curb. HUH??????
Oh, and you cannot, by law, go around the cars looking to make the left turn on Adair because that will place you in the bicycle lane. However, since 99% of all drivers don’t know that, you will have cars zooming on you from the rear in an effort to get around the traffic. Now if they further complicate this matter by then making W. Ponce a no parking zone, then it’ll be a nightmare. Why?
Now you wold forbid cars from parking on W. Ponce. Well, how do you intend to keep cars in the new single lane if you don’t have any “traffic calming” in the form of parked cars that will help to ultimately protect cyclist from drivers who will invariably use the bike lane as a passing lane.
I wish they’d used that money to expedite the opening of the Decatur Diner.
I think the commission and the city agree with you. Hugh Saxon stated to the AJC that they would just make it one lane at Trinity/Ponce and the City Manager mentioned reevaluating the road back to the Northern intersection, which is where it goes from 1 lane to 2.
Parking limits across from Thomas Moore School will continue to be needed as a transition from two to single lane traffic. Remember the orange cones that were placed in front of the big house during construction? White diagonal striping will replace these as a “visual” indicator of how traffic should proceed at that point. A valuable and necessary addition in my opinion.
Edited to add: The slower one travels these streets the more obvious the needs and solutions.
It was refreshing to meet joggers in the lane between the bike lane and sidewalk on my commute yesterday. : – )
I don’t understand why it is so complicated. ?
I agree with you, TomL, at least on the hinted at need for slower travel. I hate seeing people driving fast on Adair. I used to live in the neighborhood and believe it always has had cut through traffic to contend with. A heavier car volume and faster speeds make it more dangerous for the kids and pets and walkers, etc. to enjoy their neighborhood. I am sure the city planners did not intend to put more pressure on residential streets as they made driving through downtown more difficult, but I would bet that has happened. In a city where its residents must cross the tracks constantly for work/school/groceries/etc., it wonder how we take pressure off the residential cut through streets.