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DEL.ICIO.USDoes 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?
Permalink | Comments (15) | Post your comment | Categories: Susan Gast
Comments
By Greg
September 27, 2007 7:46 AM | Link to this
Of the 72 accidents at Ronald Reagan and 124, how many were rear enders caused by those red light cameras? Has anyone analyzed that data from prior years before the cameras were installed and compared it to the stats after they were installed? I’m sure they have looked at it and if it shows an increase they wil not publish that information. That will just prove the point so many made, when the cameras were being installed, that they would cause the accident rate to increase.
By Brett Harrell
September 27, 2007 7:55 AM | Link to this
Regarding Rockdale Circle at U.S. 78, the City has for several years included this intersection for evaluation by both Georgia DOT and Gwinnett DOT. The 2005 SPLOST Citizen Project Selection Committee also included this intersection for evaluation. I know Mayor Oberholtzer in Snellville continues to seek site distance and protected turning modifications.
Improvements to any of the intersections along U.S. 78 will require both Georgia and Gwinnett DOTs support. Fortunately, both DOTs are professionally staffed, focused on safety, and evaluate projects from a reasonable, fact-based approach.
Several of the other intersections mentioned in your article will benefit from improvements as part of the U.S. 78 safety, median project. Improved signalization, turn lanes, acceleration and deceleration lanes, safety islands, crosswalks, modified curbing to improve the turning radius, and more are now under the early days of construction. The intersections mentioned in your article that will benefit include U.S. 78 at Killian Hill Road, at Ross Road, at Hewatt Road, at Scenic Highway, and at East Park Place.
These improvements would not be possible were it not for the active support of our community. The very questions you raise in your article begin the type of discussions that lead to support necessary to engage our partners at the DOT to include projects beneficial to our safety and community in the capital planning process.
I know that it seems to take forever to make a road improvement. There is plenty of room for efficiency and delivery of service improvements, but this is serious business. Our safety, our lives, and our tax dollars are at stake. It’s imperative we make sound decisions in transportation and I respect and appreciate the job our local DOT representatives are doing as they attempt to meet the needs of our community.
By Don
September 27, 2007 10:35 AM | Link to this
Arnold and Hutchins, near Five Forks Trickum. We’re getting a traffic circle. It’s replacing a three-sided triangle of roads, one portion of which is prone to driver mistakes, but, a traffic circle? Traffic circle were the solution-de-jur in the 1920s in many NE states, but those states have been very busy ripping them out and replacing them with conventional intersections - for safety’s sake. So, why now in Gwinnett?
By Kaye
September 27, 2007 1:00 PM | Link to this
The intersection of Highpoint Rd and HWY 124. In fact, there was an accident there this morning. There are always late night/early accidents there. I believe it is due to the lenght of the lights. If you are crossing over 124, you can count on sitting there forever. Some perhaps in the wee hours, people feel they can risk it as traffic is lite on 124.
So with this intersection, a fix may be as simple as installing lights that dectect the flow of traffic.
By Darla Dixon
September 28, 2007 10:22 AM | Link to this
“the numbers don’t back up the angst” because when it’s the busy time of day, locals avoid that intersection. The problem of the left turn is the way the eastbound turn lane across from them is laid out - it has a curve that, when cars are in that turn lane - TOTALLY obscures the view of the drivers trying to make the left turn onto Rockdale.
For drivers trying to get onto Rockdale Circle coming from Loganville area, I recommend you take Rosebud Road and turn on Temple Johnson, then take a right onto Skyland and that will bring you to Rockdale Circle again. It’s a round about way but you will arrive alive.
By Jan
September 28, 2007 8:54 PM | Link to this
Briarcliff Road (and Moreland) and Ponce de Leon Wesley Chapel and I-20 Panola Road and I-20 Briarcliff and N. Decatur Road Lenox Road and Sidney Marcus
Thanks!
By me
September 29, 2007 1:00 AM | Link to this
Any intersection where the light for the turn lane is significantly shorter than the light for the lanes that are going straight through the intersection. Why does the DOT set the time for the cars wishing to turn left at an intersection so much shorter than for the cars that are going straight through that same intersection? It has never made sense to me. If only 1/2 or 1/3 of all the cars wishing to turn left are allowed to go through, but all cars going straight have enough time to get through, doesn’t it make sense that the number of cars in the turn lane will increase geometrically? But that doesn’t happen, only because everyone then tries to avoid this backup by cutting through the parking lots of the businesses at that intersection or doing some convoluted manuver to get through the intersection. All of which is very dangerous, but it’s as if the DOT has decided that that is the way they want it to be. Parking lot cut-throughs must be something the DOT factors into their equation. It’s crazy and very dangerous.
By leeJ
September 29, 2007 7:54 AM | Link to this
As a pedestrian, all intersections in metro Atlanta are unsafe. Drivers are unaware of any thing smaller than an SUV and yield to no pedestrian unless a cop is beside or behind them.
By KEITH
September 29, 2007 1:03 PM | Link to this
WHO CARE BOUT ALL DEM UNSAF ENTRESEXTONS WHUT WE NEEDS IS LESS OB DE WITE MAN LAW AN BE GIT VICK BACK ON DE FEELD AN DE FALCOMS BE WINNIN SOME MO AN VICK GWAN BE GOT DAT RING NOE WHUT IM SAYIN
By RW (the oravaginal)
September 29, 2007 1:51 PM | Link to this
Bad intersection? Yeah, I gotta bad intersection: How about my driveway and my garage? My wife has trashed our 4runner by hitting everything, every bush, every toy, every car that happens to be in the way. You chicks never could drive, and I think you all belong behind bars.
‘muff said.
By Bob
October 1, 2007 7:42 AM | Link to this
How many of those 124 - 78 accidents were caused by idiot drivers who drive over the speed limit and follow too close? I’m sure they won’t publish those statistics as it will only confirm that Snellville area drivers are lousy drivers.
By wendy
October 1, 2007 3:33 PM | Link to this
Darla,
Ms. Dixon, Please don’t have drivers detour onto Skyland. That is a residential road with kids that are out waiting for the bus or riding their bikes. It is NOT a cut through for traffic. Hence, the speed humps on the road.
Sometimes safety of the residents is more important than saving 45 seconds of driving time!
Please rethink your “detour.”
By Bill Avant
October 1, 2007 5:35 PM | Link to this
I no longer use the intersection of 124 and 78 because of the chance of getting a camera ticket.
Also try turning into Harbour Oaks off of 124 if you like taking you life in your hands.
By Darla Dixon
October 4, 2007 12:35 AM | Link to this
Wendy, respectfully, it’s not to save driving time, it’s to keep my family alive!
There are no speed bumps on Skyland, but the speed limit is 30 near Skyland and Pate and 35 from Temple Johnson up to Hwy 78/Skyland intersection. If anyone speeds, they WILL get a ticket. So it’s NOT a time saving way around at all.
Also, the city planners should put sidewalks in, so children don’t have to walk in the street. Period.
By Travis
October 7, 2007 1:45 AM | Link to this
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