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CAUTION Macon
Macon-Bibb.com
Macon, Georgia |
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College
Street at Oglethorpe St. |
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Roundabout work drawing praise, objectionsBy PHILLIP RAMATIpramati@macon.comApril 10, 2014 Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2014/04/10/3041093/roundabout-work-drawing-praise.html#storylink=cpy Is it a traffic safety enhancement that will boost the look of the neighborhood near Tattnall Square Park or an annoyance that will yield only marginal benefits? When it comes to the roundabout being built at the intersection of College and Oglethorpe streets, it depends on whom you ask. The $1.3 million project, scheduled to be finished by late August, is the first publicly funded roundabout on a city street in Macon, said J.R. Olive, program coordinator for the College Hill Alliance. The College Hill Master Plan identified several areas for potential roundabouts in the corridor, but only the one under construction was feasible because it is being built primarily with money from a Georgia Department of Transportation grant of nearly $1 million. Traffic engineers identified the intersection as one of the most dangerous in the corridor area, Olive said. “We were not going to do anything to make it unsafe,” he said. “All of the research we did showed that people traveling (through the roundabout weekly) would figure it out and there would be less chance of a vehicle-on-person interaction. “A lot of people like roundabouts. It’s always better not having to stop at red lights.” For nearby residents and businesses, however, the construction has proven to be an aggravation. They say the city didn’t give them enough warning to prepare for road closures, and signs in the area have been confusing for drivers. The owner of the Bears Den restaurant on Oglethorpe Street said the restaurant has taken a significant financial hit since construction began, arguing that some customers have stopped coming because of the inconvenience of trying to navigate around the roadwork. Owner Kristi Lyles said her family’s business has been in the same spot for the past quarter century. Lyles said road closure signs on streets that lead to the business have added to confusion. “Because of the size of the barrier and how (the caution message is) worded, we’re just seeing a tremendous decrease in traffic and business because people don’t understand how to get here,” she said. Anita Dayley, a customer at the restaurant Wednesday and Thursday, said that based on her difficulty in getting to the Bears Den on Wednesday, she allowed herself an extra 10 minutes to get there for Thursday’s lunch. “I was quite surprised” by the roadwork, Dayley said. “But it hasn’t had an effect on me coming here, though.” But Lyles said other customers have been affected. She estimates that since construction began last week, she’s had 100 fewer customers on average each day -- and sometimes as many as 150. That translates into $700 to $1,200 a day. Lyles said she is concerned that if her business takes too much of a financial hit, it could affect her 21 full-time employees. “That’s certainly the biggest fear that we have,” she said. “It’s a problem when jobs are in danger. I’m nervous for my employees, and I’m nervous for my own self and my own family.” ‘Trying to help out’ Macon-Bibb County spokesman Chris Floore said the city is taking the concerns of area residents and businesses seriously. He said Bill Causey and Nigel Floyd of the Engineering Department have met with the owners and residents over the past couple of days to address their concerns, especially about the signs. “We’re working to put out different signs to make clearer what’s happening,” he said. “It’s an ongoing process. We’re trying to help out. We don’t want to harm any business. ... We recognize that there’s going to be some disruptions, but ultimately it’s going to lead to a safer street.” Some mothers of Alexander II Magnet School students said they haven’t been inconvenienced since the work started. They said the school system sent several letters to parents explaining details of the roadwork. Setal Patel waited in front of the Tattnall Square tennis courts Thursday for school to finish for the day. “They’ve taken plenty of time to prepare us for this,” she said. Belinda Whitfield, who also was waiting in the parking lot, said she didn’t know what impact the roundabout would make. “I have my doubts,” she said. “But I don’t have a lot of experience with roundabouts, so I don’t know. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.” Even blocks away, school traffic around Mount de Sales Academy also has been affected. Steve Bell, who lives at the intersection and operates a business from his home, remains skeptical. He said noise from the construction was so bad during the first week that he and his family left their house temporarily. Since then, the noise levels have diminished. It’s not easy going to and from his house, nor for customers whom he is meeting at his home. He said he is disappointed the city didn’t do a better job notifying him of the imminent road closures. He also wonders why there wasn’t a session for community input, as there have been for so many other College Hill projects. “I was not contacted by anyone,” he said. “I was surprised to find we had been completely sequestered by the barricades. On the first day, I had to drive on the sidewalk to get out of my driveway. ... It’s the kind of thing that can kill a small business.” Bell also will lose part of his front yard that faces Tattnall Square Park over the next six months, since that has been claimed as public right of way to widen the road for the roundabout. Bell said he received notice Thursday that his water will be shut off for eight hours Saturday as part of the roadwork. He said he thinks the roundabout will make things worse for foot traffic, not better. “I’m totally not against roundabouts, but I think this one is in a bad location,” he said. “I don’t think this is a project being done out of necessity or safety concerns. I believe it’s a vanity project.” Writer Grant Blankenship contributed to this repor Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2014/04/10/3041093/roundabout-work-drawing-praise.html#storylink=cpy ... Kristi Lyle, second generation owner of the Bear's Den, talks about the hit her business has taken after the start of roundabout construction up the street.VIDEOhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0waUSXI7a0 ... comments Leslie Lowe Brown · Works at Bibb County School District For the record... most of our Alexander II parents were prepared for the construction with all the school notification, but the public traffic is our biggest problem. Signs are confusing and public traffic enters the school via the exit and uses our parking lot (adjacent to the playground) as a cut-thru to avoid construction. Many parents have found 5-6pm dangerous as downtown traffic cuts thru going the wrong way at FAST speeds ~ coming at parents picking up after-school kids head on... The city need to address this ASAP. Rann Rann Rann · Top Commenter · Ashford University Isn't this area a notorious hangou Andrea Lyles Hueble · Works at Mitchell Road Christian Academy (Official) Sure hope the city quickly helps these residents and businesses navigate this construction dilemma. The Bear's Den has many loyal patrons, and they should make the extra effort to get there to eat--it will be worth it! Andrew Silver · Professor of English at Mercer University Excellent story. Just one quibble: the report makes it sound like $1.3 million is being spent on the roundabout. The vast majority of that funding is going to improvements along College Street, including sidewalks, lighting, street trees, crosswalks, traffic lights, bump-out on-street parking, new drainage, and moved utilities. The roundabout is a small part of a very large project, and that large project would have shut down College for a few months as well. "The $1.3 million project, scheduled to be finished by late August, is the first publicly funded roundabout on a city street in Macon." Frank Brown · Top Commenter · U of Southern Mississippi It seems like something could be done to accommodate the people trying to go to the Bear's Den to eat. Personally, one of my very favorite places to eat anywhere. College Street closing at Alexander II school for roundabout, sidewalk workBy LIZ FABIANlfabian@macon.comMarch 26, 2014 http://www.macon.com/2014/03/26/3013272/college-street-closing-at-alexander.html Construction of a roundabout and sidewalks will close a portion of College Street and reroute Alexander II Magnet School traffic for several months. The road will close after Friday’s school dismissal from Oglethorpe Street to College Place, according to a Macon-Bibb County news release. School traffic will be reversed when students return from spring break on April 7. Drivers can park in lots at Tattnall Square Park and walk children to school or drop them off by turning down College Place from the Mercer University side of College Street. “This is a very exciting project for Macon-Bibb and for the College Hill Corridor,” Mayor Robert Reichert said in the release. “From the new sidewalks to the roundabout, this area will be safer and more walkable for our children.” The new traffic design is the result of work from the Macon-Bibb County Traffic Engineering, Bibb County school system’s Risk Management, TE Project Manager, Alexander II Magnet School Administration, the College Hill Alliance, the mayor’s office and Mercer University. The project funding come from a Georgia Department of Transportation grant, the Macon-Bibb special purpose local option sales tax, Mercer University and the Knight Foundation Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2014/03/26/3013272/college-street-closing-at-alexander.html#storylink=cpy ... |
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COMMENTS Traffic Safety Corp. The comments here show a desire for planners to place a high level of importance human beings, not only the continuous flow of vehicular traffic. To facilitate that, would you please look into the warning signs and pedestrian safety solutions found here: www.xwalk.com They allow for more protection of children at intersections (and roundabouts) ands make for safer crossings. Does anyone know if Macon-Bibb County Traffic Engineering have used these devices in the past? James Allmond · Top Commenter · Works at Turner Broadcasting I have experienced roundabouts in other places around the country. With the exception of the Washington, DC area, that has had them for almost 200 years, the word cluster comes to mind. Drivers ignore red lights, traffic signs and speed limits that alone will make roundabouts very interesting in Macon. Near a school sheer lunacy! As far as changing the minds of our unaccountable (unaccountable because only about 20% of us bother to vote in local elections) local politicos once they've made a bad decision, just drive down Forest Hill Road this week. Better yet, want to see traffic engineering at its worst? Go to Atlanta, where most of the traffic planners for the state live and work. One drive down Spring St starting at 14th St. going past the Varsity or Hank Aaron/Piedmont past the Stadium/Capitol past Ellis St. will show you what I mean. Steve Bell · The Idea Guy at Smart Creative Media A roundabout beside an elementary school is an awful idea. Roundabouts are great...in the right location. Currently there are about 4,000 roundabouts in the US but only 4 roundabouts in the US next to a school because smart planners realize it's a bad move. Beth Hyde · Macon, Georgia is there anything we can do to encourage other plans? Steve Bell · The Idea Guy at Smart Creative Media I don't think they care to listen from what I've encountered. Bill Murphy · Georgia Tech I fail to see how continuously moving traffic will be safer for children. Beth Hyde · Macon, Georgia i feel so ignorant about the community->public works process! i mean, obviously, the plans are already in place, and roundabouts are *cool*, but if there is evidence that this is not best for our community and our kids, how do we push for checks on that? James Allmond · Top Commenter · Works at Turner Broadcasting In all fairness, crossing controls work the same as any other intersection, they are back down the road a bit farther. Problems come with the speed one exits the roundabout. It's a lot more than a right or left turn. Pedestrians will have to be alert. Jean Trotter · Macon, Georgia Unless there are plans to permanently redirect carpool traffic, the roundabout will be a round-a-sit daily. Steve Bell, didn't you say before that the traffic study for the project was done during the summer when both Alex 2 and Mercer out? Steve Bell · The Idea Guy at Smart Creative Media That's what I heard Jean. When a parent stops to pick up a child, traffic backs up so I believe you're right Jean. It will cause traffic to stop the roundabout from working. I heard they wanted to create staggered pick ups for parents but that will in no way work. Just the entropy of life wouldn't allow for an on time and orderly pick up. Steve Bell · The Idea Guy at Smart Creative Media Scott you have to remember this roundabout isn't coming from a necessity of a need or safety issue. It's only a vanity project to create an entrance into Mercer. It's using SPLOST money that should be used for things that benefit the community on a larger scale, like recreation in East Macon or South Bibb County. ADA states that you cannot make an intersection more dangerous and one crossing guard cannot safely manage the crossing of children to school. You can add three more crossing guards thus adding more expense to the tax payers. Steve Bell · The Idea Guy at Smart Creative Media When you overlay the Ladera Ranch Middle School roundabout proportionately onto the College Street / Oglethorpe intersection it would destroy the church, two houses, the science garden and a large chunk of the corner of Tattnall Square Park. Phil Comer A roundabout makes NO sense in a historic district. There is no historic precedence, or need for it. Phil Comer When "good money" (read that: available money) falls into the wrong hands, we get things like Forrest Hill Madness and roundabouts in Historic Intown Macon. Ronny Stephens Stupidity on parade. http://www.macon.com/2014/03/26/3013272/college-street-closing-at-alexander.html ... |
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Warner Robins to get
first roundabouts
Published: March 26, 2012 http://www.macon.com/2012/03/26/1963751/warner-robins-to-get-first-roundabouts.html By CHRISTINA M. WRIGHT chwright@macon.com WARNER ROBINS -- The small city of Warner Robins will soon have big city roundabouts, as officials plan for the circled streets as part of the revitalization of the City Hall area. “It shows that we are being (innovative) with our road projects, so we can move traffic on and off the (Robins Air Force) Base,” Mayor Chuck Shaheen wrote in an e-mail. Two roundabouts, to be constructed along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, will include sidewalks and curbing along the short street that runs between Ga. 247 and South Davis Drive behind Macon State College. The first will be placed at University Drive and the other at Wellborn Road. City Engineer Walter Gray said the roundabouts will have three legs and be placed in a low-traffic area. “We’re doing it simple on purpose to get people used to them,” Gray said, adding he’s certain residents will become accustomed to roundabouts, and the city may later add others. Estimates for the roundabouts total $729,000. An alternative plan for the roundabout at University Drive to include a road leading to Sacred Heart Catholic Church would cost an additional $66,000. Gray said the church has not yet been approached with the idea, as the city is waiting to first gain traction in the right-of-way acquisition process. City Attorney Jim Elliott said he is working with representatives of four entities that own property in the area to obtain the needed right-of-ways. He said he hopes the process will be complete by the end of spring. A date has not been scheduled for the roundabouts’ opening. City Councilman Daron Lee, whose district included the area until the lines were redrawn last year, said the revitalization of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard has been in the works for years, and the roundabouts were recently added to the plan. “It’s part of projects to really beautify that area of town from the base to North Davis Drive,” he said. To contact writer Christina M. Wright, call 256-9685 |
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Citizens
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Roundabouts
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