Decatur residents want safer crossings, slower speeds on West Howard
During a recent community meeting about 40 westside Decatur residents reiterated they want safer crossings and more moderate speeds along West Howard Avenue.
The speed limit is 35 mph, though it’s not unusual to see cars going much faster on the wide four-lane road. A road diet is a possible, although that hasn’t yet been determined. But the city has hired a consultant to produce design documents for improvements along a one-mile stretch of West Howard from Paden Circle to North McDonough Road.
Residents submitted a number of suggestions during the meeting including:
- A mural along the long concrete MARTA wall.
- A public garden within the elongated green space between roughly Adair Street and Drexel Avenue
- Better lighting along the PATH trail.
One person even suggested populating the trail with a food cart park.
“This effort is driven by residents and the area neighborhoods and it’s relatively recent,” said City Manager Peggy Merriss. “But it goes back to the 2007 transportation plan which identified this as a corridor needing attention.”
If you didn’t attend the meeting you can still submit comments to Senior Engineer Michelle Hirose at Michelle.Hirose@decaturga.com through June 9. All comments will be collated and final recommendations discussed during a June 20 meeting.
