Home > Duluth.Talk > Archives > 2006 > July > 27 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHow has development inconvenienced you?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Note to readers: Bill Allen’s blog will return soon.
Life in Duluth has come full circle for me of late.
My first blog with the AJC told of my Russian friend getting lost on 120 because of all of the name changes it undergoes. My second blog was about a computer virus that viciously attacked my computer. My third (or is it fourth? My memory ain’t what it used to be) relayed a complaint that some of you had expressed to me about traffic and how development in Duluth was getting out of hand.
I got to revisit all of these subjects this past weekend.
Last Friday, my Russian friend called me in a panic. She had a virus on her computer. A pop-up window kept appearing every time she was in the middle of doing something, shutting her computer down. Could I go over and help her? Eager to demonstrate my technological prowess (and thinking that I had better pull this off or I was in deep doo-doo), I went to her house to play Bill Gates for a while.
She lives in a subdivision just off of Pleasant Hill Road near Buford Highway where they are putting in the new interchange ramps. The DOT completely blocked off the original entrance to her subdivision, moved it down a couple of hundred yards, and erected a traffic light so that she (and her neighbors) have better access (though there are no signs nor street lights to mark the change, adding to the confusion of it all). I got to her house, cracked my knuckles, and went to work. After two hours, I had not only fixed the problem but also fixed several others. I was so proud of myself that I pulled a tendon in my elbow patting myself on the back.
She thanked me by taking me to a movie the next night. We went to see “RV� at Venture Mall, the 99-cent cinema ($1.99 after 6:00. We are both cheap, so this worked out well for us). The last time I had been there, the mall was virtually empty. All of the stores had been vacated. I thought at the time (and still do) that overdevelopment drove everyone away, that it was too hard to get in and out of there (I avoid that area like the plague when possible because of this. It’s not uncommon to take 45 minutes to travel the half-mile on Pleasant Hill from Satellite to I-85). There were new stores, however, and the parking lot was full. The joint was jumping.
Usually when I am in that neck of the woods, I will bypass Pleasant Hill via Steve Reynolds Blvd. Most times it’s a lesser of two evils, but there are times when it offers little or no relief. Saturday proved to be a good night, as we made it from her house to the movie theater in 15 minutes (pretty darn good for a Saturday night, if you ask me).
Leaving the place, however, was a different matter. Too many people were trying to get back onto Venture Drive at the same time. There was no point turning left to get back to Steve Reynolds, we’d be there forever. So, I turned right, knowing that there was a traffic light at the intersection of Venture and Pleasant Hill. I would just turn left onto Pleasant Hill and deal with it.
Except that you can’t turn left at that traffic light any more. Used to be able to, but not any more. I didn’t know that. The first painted arrow on Venture as you approach Pleasant Hill showed that you could turn left, but subsequent arrows showed either going straight or right. I couldn’t go straight – people had the intersection blocked (par for the course), and I couldn’t make a U-turn. So, we found ourselves headed to I-85. As I was getting onto Pleasant Hill, my Russian friend said, “Oh, I have been here before. You turn left on to 85 and then you end up going to 316 because no one will let you over.� Déjà vu.
Long story short, we did in fact end up going up 85, but I showed her how to get to 120 from there, and we had a good conversation recalling our previous conversation about getting lost once she realized where we were, and how her adventure had started my work here with the AJC. Her computer is still working, and traffic on Pleasant Hill is still awful. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
How has development inconvenienced you?
Permalink | Comments (13) | Categories: Bill Allen
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By LB
July 28, 2006 07:57 AM | Link to this
I live in the exact area you are talking about. My subdivision is behind the park and a large shopping center with only a couple of stores that have English interpretations. Across from that is the Walmart and tons of car dealerships.
Has anyone even thought about retiming the lights? That would eliminate a lot of the problem. I have also learned that the vacant Kroger and Target across from Atlanta Toyota is being redeveloped. Thank goodness for that. It’s a relief to know some of these stores that have been vacant for years are not being put to good use. I wonder, however, what that will add to the already bad traffic jams.
Cobb County has a committee who watches computerized videos of traffic flow. Their full time job is to continually retime lights and that has actually solved a lot of their traffic jam problems. Maybe Gwinnett can follow suit.
By LB
July 28, 2006 08:01 AM | Link to this
Correction to a sentence in my above comment.
It’s a relief to know some of these stores that have been vacant for years are “not” being put to good use.
The word should be now instead of not.
By Debbie
July 28, 2006 10:16 AM | Link to this
The traffic on Gravel Springs Road nightly is wicked. Backed up from Braselton Hiway back to the Mall of Georgia it seems. My husband is late getting home every night because it really is the best and shortest way for him to get home…. we just got used to the idea of the traffic backing up. My children and I drove through there two weeks ago on our way to the mall area…. I should have avoided it. The clear cutting along the road to make room for the widening brought my ten year old to tears. “What about the animals? What about the people who have a road now instead of a front yard? What about these 300 year old Oak trees?” Her question to me was “How can someone be so mean and greedy?”. Forgive me if my sentences get shorter…. I’m having a little trouble thinking and breathing with this nail in my conscience and the knife in my heart.
By Tim
July 28, 2006 10:33 AM | Link to this
Hey Debbie, What were you driving to the mall area for? Is cutting trees down ok if you need a closeby mall to shop at? Was cutting the trees and building the road to your house ok? Your conscience bothers you because you are part of the problem. If you hadn’t moved here we wouldn’t need to cut all of our trees down. Do your kids know that driving a car adds to global warming which is killing many animals? Why are you doing these things to your kids and to our once beautiful County Debbie? If you really want to make your kids sad, tell them that the lifestyle YOU have chosen is what is causing the problems.
By Debbie
July 28, 2006 11:03 AM | Link to this
Hi Tim, Yes, that’s exactly the dilemma. We were driving to the mall area to DSW for school shoes. No, shopping at the mall is not our thing. I think you misunderstood my point…. the development isn’t stoppable. We’ve lived in the area for 12 years and it pains me to see the roads getting bigger and yet the developers keep coming… it’s an unfortunate cycle and that’s what eats away. It’s not as if anyone can say “Okay, this area is saturated enough” and the developers will stop. Just like the people who live along Gravel Springs Road weren’t able to foresee thier beautiful strip of road turn into the interstate that it is. You got me wrong Tim, please understand that I love this are and have no sinister million dollar mall trips in my weekly agenda. The conflict for me is that a road I use is being widened and it’s partially because I use it to drive to pick up school shoes and my husband uses it to come home from work. My husband and I own two fuel economic vehicles. Our children know about global warming, we recycle, we compost, we drive as few places as possible and combiine trips. Tim, I’m sorry you misunderstood me. I didn’t post a comment to be attacked, I posted my comment to point out that yes, unfortunately we do contribute to circumstances. And by saying “we” I do not only mean myself.
By Tim
July 28, 2006 11:18 AM | Link to this
You and your kids need to realize what sacrifices must be made if you want to live in a County with Trauma Centers, Malls, Good Schools, skyrocketing property investment opportunity, etc. You are giving them the idea that these roads are destroying the wildlife. I grew up here. There were almost no deer in this county in the 1960’s. Now, there are so many I see them eating in the front yards of subdivisions. Suwanee Creek was expected to be severly contaminated for 100 years by the Leather industry in Buford. The leather factory closed, and Suwanee Creek is now Suwanee Creek Greenway thanks to strong leaders in the City of Suwanee who have carved an environment out of a rapidly growing area. The environmental condition of Georgia is 10,000 times better than it has been since it was settled over 300 years ago. If you want success and your husband wants a good job this is the place to be. Other people also want that and have been moving in by the thousands for 30 years. At the same time, there is more wildlife in Gwinnett County than there has been since Native Americans lived here. If you really want this to slow down, tell people to stop being successful, stop having babies, and stop allowing Capitalism in Gwinnett. If we do that, we should look like Iraq soon enough. But hey, the traffic wouldn’t be so bad.
By Debbie
July 28, 2006 11:39 AM | Link to this
Hi again Tim, Yes, now you see my point and the conflict. It’s a sad truth, the development is a sign of success. I haven’t given the kids the idea the roads are destroying wildlife…. if anything I’ve had to do damage control and explain to them that animals are resourceful and will relocate… as you know, everything is more dramatic when you’re ten; when you’re ten, you feel the dead possum on the side of the road deserves a funeral.
As for the schools, trauma centers etc…. well, we are certainly appreciative of our schools. Our children have flourished in Gwinnett County Public schools and it helps that we stay involved in thier education and not expect teachers to carry the whole load. Second, I work nightly in one of the trauma centers you mentioned…. I see all too terribly often the human cost of development… it comes in many, many forms. Thanks for your understanding!
By Tim
July 28, 2006 12:20 PM | Link to this
Debbie, Your original post was a little too dramatic to be believable. How many 10 year olds can tell a 300 year old oak tree from a ham sandwich? Be that as it may, everyone needs to take personal responsibility for what Gwinnett County is. The only way to stop it is to stop being successful, or stop Capitalism. And we have many in this county who are miserable enough in their own choices in life to try and demonize the successful people of Gwinnett. Land that our families bought for 300 bucks an acre is now selling for $200,000 dollars an acre. If I want country, I can buy a whole lot of desolation somewhere else in Georgia if I so choose. But if I want all of the things I mentioned above, there is a tolerance for the growing pains that must be endured. If your child gets emotionally distraught seeing a dead opossum on the road, what would they do if they lived in the country and got to see where their food really comes from, and have to do all that goes with the country life? There is still plenty of “country” in Georgia. People just need to make decisions and stop choosing to drive downtown to work and then blame our leaders because they can’t get there in 15 minutes. It sends out a major barf alert for me when people move into an industrial area and then want the industrial businesses to curb operations because it bothers them. Life is about choices. Kids who get emotionally distraught over the things in Gwinnett that are making it one of the best places on the planet to live need to have someone help explain reality to them. Show them what they have. THEN, take them for a ride in the country and show them where they would go to school, where they would shop, and how much fun cleaning out a chicken pen or hoeing a garden would be. Hog Killins’ on a 10 degree Winter day aren’t exactly romantic either. I expect the tears would dry up pretty quick once they got back to good ole’ Gwinnett County.
By Debbie
July 28, 2006 12:54 PM | Link to this
Hi again Tim, It would seem words on the computer don’t come across with the right emotion. That’s unfortunate. No one is emotionally distraught over the possum, lol, it’s just that little things like that do come to their attention. They take time to notice things. We actually spend a great deal of time on my Dad’s farm in Alabama… truly backwoods Alabama where he retired from the military. Our refrigerator is stocked with eggs from the chickens that run around his yard and our pantry is full of vegetables we picked and canned last summer, not to mention the work that’s about to begin for this season. We are doingour best to make them aware that everything comes at a cost. You’d be surprised what a ten year old can learn from a very wise grandparent about the life of trees. You’re right, there’s still plenty of “country” left in Georgia, I never denied that. My lament was simply development comes and there are costs… to everyone…. from the homeowners on Gravel Springs Road to the small business owners forced out by larger businesses to the animals moving on to more greenspace to the family from downtown moving into their newer house in a safer neighborhood. Tim, it’s been great having this little talk with you, thank you for your time. I’m glad there are outspoken people around to point out the way things are. Keep spreading your message, my only regret is that I made myself a target today, but you and I actually share some of the same views. Thanks again!
By Michael H. Smith
July 29, 2006 08:17 AM | Link to this
Is development an inconvenience… possibly? In truth though, previous underdevelopment is part and parcel to the focal point of this current discussion in bashing what is seen as the objectionable overdevelopment. Hence we must live through the painful chaos created between having underdevelopment and overdevelopment struggle to achieve the more perfect form of unison found in the balance of development. The sum total of development is simply lacking “balance�.
But what else is new… seems everything in this country is presently out of balance, so why should development be any different in following the established trend?
As far transportation goes or no, might as well face facts people, we are addicted to prosperity and freedom. We want to go anywhere at a moment’s whim and get to that destination in the twinkling of light- speed.
So until the proverbial Scotty can beam-us-up hither and dither we are all stuck in traffic complaining, minus mobility, going nowhere fast here in Earth-Trek 2006.
Bring on the weird music and please (whimper, whimper)… can you fix our “transporter” Captain Bill?
By james carter
July 29, 2006 09:19 AM | Link to this
what is happening at pleasent hill and buford highway, are they going over buford hwy.or going under?
By Ransom Stoddard
July 30, 2006 12:37 PM | Link to this
I suggest you NIMBY idiots watch THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE and see if you can comprehend what it has to say re civilization/progress or wilderness v. garden.
As for the Russkie who is baffled by entering 85 and being ‘forced’ to take 316, learn to MERGE. Hint: don’t ‘creep’ timidly onto the interstate and expect somone to ‘let you over.’
By LB
July 30, 2006 12:41 PM | Link to this
I am under the impression that Pleasant Hill will go over Buford Hwy. There will be a long bridge that will make Pleasant Hill Road go over both Buford Hwy. and the RR Tracks. The project should take two years and the temporary roads are already being made. I feel sorry for anybody who has kids at Duluth Middle School and the traffic jams over the duration of this project.