At Issue: How should Norcross handle downtown railroad crossing?

Steep incline at this railroad intersection in downtown Norcross has resulted in numerous vehicles stuck on the tracks, two in recent years resulted in train collisions. Photo by Karen Huppertz for the AJC

Steep incline at this railroad intersection in downtown Norcross has resulted in numerous vehicles stuck on the tracks, two in recent years resulted in train collisions. Photo by Karen Huppertz for the AJC

In December, the Norcross City Council heard proposals addressing concerns for transportation and pedestrian safety at the Norfolk Southern Railroad Crossing at Holcomb Bridge Road. The railroad crossing made news most recently when a tractor-trailer was demolished after becoming stuck on the tracks. Fortunately no one was injured, but contents inside the truck were strewn hundreds of yards from the impact.

Maintenance of the railroad tracks has, over many years, resulted in a steep grade leading up to the intersection. Cars and trucks approaching downtown Norcross cannot see oncoming vehicles across the intersection. Signs posted prohibiting trucks weighing over 13,000 pounds or 30 feet in length seem to be regularly ignored.

In a study conducted earlier this year by Norcross Police, 22 trucks became stuck on the tracks at this intersection between 2010 and 2015, two of which resulted in train collisions. But as Mayor Bucky Johnson noted, “this data doesn’t reflect near misses with pedestrians or times the police were not involved in a vehicle stuck on the tracks.”

Ideas for improving safety at the intersection range from relocating the railroad crossing to reconstruction of the existing crossing. Raising Holcomb Bridge Road approaching the intersection, and on nearby Thrasher St., would force a number of homes below street level.

Local businesses fear closing the intersection completely will drive away downtown customers. Many point to Old Town Suwanee as an example of what happens when the city closes a major thoroughfare to focus on new development.

No definitive decisions have been made, but its clear the city hopes to get it right. Results of a new traffic study are expected before the city council soon. We wondered if readers might have ideas of their own for improving safety and solving the problem. Send comments to communitynews@ajc.com. Responses may be publish in print and/or online.


LAST WEEK: SHOULD GEORGIA’S DACA STUDENTS PAY IN-STATE TUITION?

A Fulton County judge recently held that illegal immigrant students, who qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, were eligible for in-state tuition at Georgia state universities. Board of Regents policy has been to charge these students out-of-state tuition. Should they?

Here’s what some readers had to say:

The distinction between in-state and out-of-state tuition is caused by the discrepancy of taxes paid over one's lifetime. A person who qualifies for DACA has already established long-term residency (they didn't cross the border last year and get DACA). They have legal status in the U.S. They have a work permit. Most importantly for this exercise, they have paid taxes: payroll taxes, property taxes in the form of rent payments or mortgages paid by their parents, sales taxes on goods and products sold. Effectively, they have contributed economically in every way to the state's economy as a citizen has. The only reason to deny in-state tuition is spite. There is no legitimate, rational argument for the denial. If someone is here with legal documents and a work permit, don't we want them to succeed? Doesn't it benefit the state if they are educated? Doesn't Georgia succeed if young people achieve their goals and dreams? Refusal to allow in-state tuition to DACA recipients is myopic and self-destructive. — Doug Rohan

As it currently stands for many secondary education institutions, foreign students living in the U.S. for any number of years are not afforded this privilege (of in-state tuition), and DACA students would be no different. Irrespective of them paying state and/or federal taxes, they are not residents of the United States, plain and simple. I can understand and sympathize with some of the students who were brought to the U.S. when very young and only know Georgia as their home, but due to their parents not applying to become naturalized citizens, they are not U.S. residents and should not be afforded the privileges of either born or naturalized U.S. citizens. — Robert Isaac

Knowing my neighbors well, I know that the father of three students in the DACA program has an IRS-issued taxpayer identification number even though he is here illegally. Having a TIN, the father landed two jobs many years ago. With a TIN, the father is paid through a payroll system that deducts all taxes. With legal pay stubs to verify income, the family bought a house about 15 years ago. This means they are also paying property tax. With every retail purchase, family members pay sales tax. Their children did not get a free ride through school. Their parents paid the same taxes that legal citizens paid. They and other students in the DACA program whose parents have a TIN and have been in the system should qualify for in-state tuition at Georgia state universities. — Sarah Zimmerman

Though illegal immigrant students pay taxes, work, and attend/graduate Georgia k-12 schools, they are illegal. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals doesn't change that; it only defers possible deportation. U.S. citizenship is a revered privilege. Illegals – regardless of how they entered the U.S. – should not under any circumstance be allowed to enjoy privileges of U.S. citizenship and/or supersede citizens. Illegals entering the U.S. as children now seeking college have had plenty of time to pursue citizenship. It is grossly unfair to citizens that illegals can not only pay less for college tuition but also potentially bump a citizen from a classroom seat. Illegals should pay the full cost of college and become citizens. — Charles France

I have known my neighbor and family for 18 years. The girl was four when she arrived in the U.S. She excelled in all areas of academia and extra-curricular from kindergarten through 12th grade. She is and was active in civic functions in the community. She had a part in the graduation program in Montgomery County schools, where she was an honors graduate. This child attended college courses in high school, but was the only student who had to pay a high college fee for the course. When she entered the nursing program, she had to and continues to pay out-of-state tuition, even though she was in Georgia schools her entire life. As a Republican, I firmly believe in education, and I know that for our state's future, we should efficiently educate our residents. Her parents worked in pine straw, planting and harvesting Vidalia onions, among other things, to pay for this higher-than-normal educational tax fee on the poor. I personally know of other students who did not obtain continued education because of the prohibitive cost imposed by the Board of Regents' absurd policy. I say educate our population. — Paul Bridges

These are young people whose only home is Georgia. They cheer for our local sports teams and consider themselves Georgians. They have no path to full legal status; our immigration system does not offer that option. Through DACA, they have been vetted and paid the fee to be as much part of our state as they can. But it still does not reach far enough. If you go through our school system, graduate and meet admissions criteria, of course as a Georgia resident you should be allowed in-state tuition. Why would we as a state want to prevent them from attending college? That to me is the question that needs to be directed at the Georgia Board of Regents. Is it not their job to make college education for Georgia youth? These are young people without a home. Their only home does not want them. And it is based on misinformation and fear-mongering. How can we build true community when 55,000 Georgians are excluded? — Maria Lee

"If a person from Chattanooga, Tenn., or Auburn, Ala., or Tallahassee, Fla., has to pay out-of-state tuition, then certainly I think someone who has got no legal status to be in the country should have to pay out-of-state tuition." I don't think it can be said any better. If I live in Columbus, Ga., and go to Auburn (20 to 30 miles away, in Alabama), I have to pay out-of-state tuition. The key word is illegal. — Mike Austin

I am a white citizen born of U.S. citizens in Burbank, Calif., in 1953. My daughter and son are AB540 college students. Their mother blessed me with them 14 years ago when we met and two years later were legally married. If we deny these kids a good education at a fair price, the cost to your state will be incredibly higher. Anything your state can do to encourage these young people to pursue higher education – including charging the DACA or non-DACA kids in-state tuition – is going to make Georgia a better state, save tons of money in welfare or other state costs, and overall help improve the USA. — Pat Moller

I don't understand how cruel the law can be in the State of Georgia. The law should uphold the belief that there is hope to continue to build something within the nature of the law. Instead, they want to morph it so they don't allow certain groups to succeed. The regents found that only 501 "undocumented" people — all paying out-of-state tuition — were among the system's 310,000 students, or less than 1 percent. How can they be so cruel and greedy as to not help this 1 percent of individuals who really want to succeed? Twenty states are already helping these students; why can't Georgia be one of them? Many friends and individuals have asked me why I simply do not move to a state that would aid in pursuing my career. I have a simple answer to that, an answer that is not to be confused with selfishness. It is in my true belief and faith that the Board of Regents will come to see why we are fighting so hard. I have stayed, despite the circumstances, because Georgia is my home, and the community is my family. I stay because I feel like I belong here, and I want to continue being part of this great nation. — Rony Aguilar

David Ibata for the AJC