Decatur’s school board and city commission recently approved a joint resolution supporting vehicle and pedestrian safety improvements along Scott Boulevard. The resolution came out of a report written by a safety committee at Westchester Elementary, which re-opened in August 2014, and is fronted by Scott.
The document asks for city collaboration with Georgia Department of Transportation on, among others, reduction of Scott’s speed limit (currently 40 mph, fastest in the city), installation of radar speed signs, crosswalk and signal improvements, significant sidewalk improvements and lengthened school zone with enhanced signage.
Scott has been subject to increased scrutiny—including a recent resident-driven petition that accrued 1200 signatures—since Westchester’s reopening and a fatal automobile accident last April.
Scott is a state road linking I-285 with downtown Atlanta, but it also traverses a Decatur residential district for roughly 1.5 miles.
So far GDOT has shown some response, with plans to paint wider outer edge lines on both sides of Scott sometime this year, which according to engineers slows traffic due to the perception of a narrower road. Also GDOT is conducting a road safety audit for Scott, with results still pending.
About the Author
