Decatur, GA — The city of Decatur is working to address traffic safety concerns on Coventry Road, from Scott Boulevard to the city limits. The city and consultant team will host a public meeting on Thursday, Sept. 28, from 6-8 p.m. at Westchester Elementary School, located at 758 Scott Boulevard.
The consultants and city staff will be available for discussion, questions, and other input, according to a city website. The community met in July to review and share feedback on potential roadway interventions and traffic data. The input has been incorporated into designs that are now ready for public review.
An online survey will be released after the meeting for those unable to attend.
According to a presentation from the July meeting, the areas of concern on Coventry Road are traffic speeds and volume, addressing cut-through traffic, promoting multimodal initiatives, and promoting safety.
The final traffic-calming recommendations would be made this fall to be included in the city’s Local Maintenance Improvement Grant. The proposed measures would then be implemented in spring 2024.
Currently, there are no separate bike lanes on Coventry Road, no sidewalk on the north side of the road, and no mid-block crosswalk. The speed bumps don’t connect to the sidewalk.
The presentation outlines three potential pedestrian improvement design options. One option adds a new sidewalk to the north side of Coventry Road and a new landscape strip and curb. The roadway would be narrowed from 28 feet to about 22 feet.
Another option creates a new shared-use path on the south side of Coventry Road. There would still not be a sidewalk on the north side. The multi-use path would be 10 feet wide. In this option, the roadway would also be narrowed from 28 feet to about 22 feet.
The third option maintains the current width of the roadway and the sidewalk. It would add shared lane markings to the roadway, so it could be used by vehicles and bikes.
Some of the options for traffic-calming measures include adding new sidewalks, and curb extensions, realigning crosswalks, and adding a raised crosswalk. The design options also suggest constructing a traffic circle at Chelsea Drive and Coventry Road.
To view the full presentation, click here.
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