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Thursday, September 27, 2007
Does your worrisome intersection make the list?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OK, here’s a wild guess.
If you are a Gwinnett driver, you may know of one or two intersections that cause you a bit of concern.
Just a guess.
One such intersection mentioned to me recently by Snellville motorists is where Rockdale Circle meets U.S. 78, an area of increased traffic as development moves to Grayson and Loganville.
The problem, they said, is when westbound motorists on U.S. 78 are turning left onto Rockdale. Drivers now can do so with a green arrow and on a green light after yielding to oncoming traffic. (in engineering lingo, this is called protected/permissive - a protected turn followed by a permissive turn.)
My fellow Snellvillians said turns should be allowed only with the green arrow. The volume and speed of eastbound traffic and problems with visibility caused by motorists turning north make turning on a regular green light too dangerous, they said.
So far, however, the numbers don’t back up the angst.
Gwinnett County Department of Transportation officials said accident figures for that location are not overly alarming. During the three-year period of 2004, 2005 and 2006, only one accident occurred there involving the described left turn. Of the 29 total accidents at the intersection, 20 of them were rear-end collisions. None of the accidents caused fatalities. Such numbers are what might be expected at that intersection, they said.
The one caveat is that the DOT figures do not include 2007, when the citizens recall seeing or hearing about accidents. The DOT is still compiling 2006 accident data, which it hopes to complete in a couple of months.
Transportation officials did supply me with the latest complete list - the one for 2005 — showing the100 Gwinnett intersections with the highest number of accidents.
U.S. 78 and Rockdale didn’t make the list, but U.S. 78’s intersections with Killian Hill Road, Rosebud Road, Ross Road and Hewatt Road did. (The accident totals for those were 90, 42, 40 and 39, respectively.) So did the intersection of Scenic Highway (Ga. 124) at Ronald Reagan Parkway (72 accidents). And where Wisteria Road and Harbor Oaks Road meet Scenic Highway (67), There also were a few mentions of where West Park Place and East Park Place wrap around U.S. 78.
Topping the chart were the trouble spots you might expect — Interstate 85’s connections with Jimmy Carter Boulevard, which accounted for 156 accidents on the southbound side and 130 on the northbound; with Pleasant Hill Road, which racked up 101 on the northbound side and 74 on the southbound, and with University Parkway (101 on northbound side).
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Sugarloaf Parkway, as well as other sites on Jimmy Carter Boulevard and on Pleasant Hill Road, were other common entries.
Click here for the full list.
Chuck Bailey, division director for Gwinnett DOT’s traffic engineering and planning, said accidents are just one factor transportation officials look at when a problem is reported. They also look at volume of traffic and other conditions.
Kim Conroy, operations and maintenance deputy director for Gwinnett DOT, said citizens with a concern about an intersection should call the department’s service request line at 770-822-7474 and provide as many details as possible. You also can E-mail a message about the problem from the county Web site at www.gwinnettcounty.com.
Some problems the county can handle itself. Others may need to be referred to the state, but starting with the county is still recommended, Conroy said.
What intersections concern you the most? Why?
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