Correction: A previous version of this article stated that BCID supported the GDOT proposal. BCID has since clarified that they support the process of review for the GDOT proposal.
The Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID) has come out in favor of the review process for the controversial proposal by GDOT to add a dedicated turn lane and bike lanes on some segments of Peachtree Road through Buckhead. In a press release, the BCID and their director Jim Durrett acknowledged that "change is hard," but that it's in the best interest of the community to support the dialogue about the proposed configuration to ensure future vitality and safety in the corridor. Opposition has loomed large from the outset of the proposal, which would see the elimination of travel lanes in order to accommodate turn lanes and space for bicyclists between Peachtree Battle Avenue and Deering Road near Midtown. With the endorsement of the process, the business community (and tax base) is throwing their considerable weight behind the contentious process which drew very large crowds on both sides at a community meeting last week, according to BuckheadView.
The Buckhead CID cites four objectives they feel the GDOT proposal should address with the transformation. The reconfiguration initiative stems from concerns about the effectiveness of the current lane arrangement, which often leads to the obstruction of the innermost lanes in each direction due to left-turners, exacerbating already bad traffic in the corridor.
Those concerns directly translate into safety issues that officials say will also be addressed by the new configuration. Hopes are for the new alignment, complete with bike lanes in the southern portion of Buckhead, to facilitate better multi-modal access and a tie-in with the Beltline. Through all of this, BCID hopes to "be sensitive to neighborhoods, residents and the sanctuaries that utilize on-street parking on Sundays," though given the prolonged backlash to the plan, it's clear that not all community members adore the planned changes.
Though final details have yet to be worked out, it's expected that work could begin some time next year.
· Buckhead CID Supports the Peachtree Road Transformation Process [Buckhead CID]
· 415, with diverse opinions, attend GDOT's Peachtree Rd. input meeting [BuckheadView]
· Current Open House Information for SR 9/US 19 Safety and Operational Improvements [GDOT]
· Buckhead's Controversial Bike Lanes Up for Vote... Again [Curbed Atlanta]
· Buckhead CID Director Talks Growth, Traffic & Planning [Curbed Atlanta]
· Anti-Bike-Lane Atlantans are Getting Increasingly Vocal [Curbed Atlanta]
· ATL Bicycle Coalition Leader Responds to Anti-Bike Outcry [Curbed Atlanta]
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