Alpharetta is considering reducing the speed limit on several streets located near the downtown area.
During a Monday workshop, Public Works Director Pete Sewczwicz asked council members to consider lowering the speed limit on 14 streets. Sewczwicz said the suggested changes are to help reduce accidents and create roadways for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. City officials said they’ve received complaints about unsafe roads.
Public Works advised City Council to reduce the speed limit by 10 mph to an allowable speed of 25 mph on parts of Main Street, Cumming Street, Lakeview Parkway, Mayfield Road and Milton Avenue. The department suggests lowering the speed limit 15 mph on Maxwell Road between Main Street and Brady Place, due to narrow 9-foot lanes, Sewczwicz said.
“It’s a very, very tight area,” Sewczwicz said. “Twenty-five mph is slow, we’re trying to make it safer for pedestrians.”
The speed limit would also be reduced by 10 mph on Devore Road, which links the North Point area of Haynes Bridge Road to downtown. Assistant City Administrator James Drinkard told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution The Maxwell development and other residential lots along Devore have affected traffic and how the road is used.
Drinkard said speed limit changes are discussed periodically by city officials as new building developments arise and residents’ activities change. The city last approved speed limit changes in 2018.
“We compile a list of where we think conditions have changed and what we think warrants changing,” Drinkard said. “There maybe more on-street parking or an increase in accidents, or more curb cuts or driveways along the road.”
New speed limit changes would be enforced as they’ve always been by police radar, laser detectors and patrols, Drinkard said.
The officials said the speed limit recommendations would have to be approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia Department of Public Safety and could take up to nine months before they are changed.
A full list streets that are recommended for a reduction in the speed limit is located on the city website at alpharetta.ga.us.
About the Author
