Tyrone's Police Chief Brandon Perkins is suggesting speed humps as the most viable solution to the high volume of cut through traffic in the Magnolia Farms, Lake Windsong, and Windsong subdivisions. Perkins said the traffic volume and speed of motorists in these areas generate some of the town's most prevalent complaints about overall quality of life, and he emphasized in particular that Ashland Trail has a "definite problem."
The majority of the problem began when McDade Street was paved several years ago. Perkins says drivers traveling from Coweta County to Peachtree City and other areas began using the newly paved road, prompting the town to designate Ashland Trail in particular as a "No Through Traffic Zone." Perkins said that has been "difficult to enforce and has been largely ineffective."
Perkins said a 24-hour analysis of traffic through the area found 1,000 vehicles passing through Ashland Trail. Upon reaching McDade, a "significant number" of those vehicles turned left and cut through Magnolia Farms; the remainder turned right and used McDade and Kenmare Row to get to Dogwood Trail.
The situation is a public safety concern, as neither Ashland Trail nor Magnolia Drive have side walks, and some of the speeds captured in the 24-hour study were "alarming," according to Perkins.
While a number of options were considered, including blocking or barricading certain roadways to discourage cut through traffic, Perkins concluded the most reasonable solution would be to install speed humps, starting with Ashland Trail and then proceeding to Magnolia and the Windsong subdivision as budget permits.
Speed humps aren't as steeply graded as speed bumps, so the effect is not as harsh for drivers. At the least, the hope is speed humps on Ashland Trail would discourage speeding and improve safety. Ideally, the humps would also discourage drivers from cutting through these areas at all, reducing traffic volume.
Such a project would involve purchasing and installation of the humps, which Perkins says can cost between $90 and $200 each, as well as working with the town's contracted engineer to decide the optimal spacing and placement.
Council agreed to have town staff move forward with gathering feedback from residents in those neighborhoods as well as to ascertain the cost of the project, including an engineering study. |
