Recent backlash may have killed a plan to add bike lanes to Peachtree Road — or there may still be time to save it. The Georgia Department of Transportation has fielded an avalanche of 2,000 comments about the project, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The changes also would have converted Peachtree from six lanes to five, which some Buckhead boosters (in high places) have feared would increase congestion.
Typically, the department advertises that it will respond to all comments within 30 days, but they extended the comment period from the original deadline of Nov. 9 to Nov. 16 to accommodate the ongoing deluge of input.
The project would include resurfacing and painting new stripes on about three miles of Peachtree Road, between Pharr Road and Deering Road. The move from six to five lanes would have created a dedicated two-way turn lane, which transportation officials said would decrease accidents caused as motorists sit and wait in the far left lane. The extra space would allow for the proposed new bike lanes.
Though GDOT hasn't made an official decision on the future of the project, Sam Massell, the president of the Buckhead Coalition, which publicly opposed the changes, has said they won't be going through with the project, according to the AJC. Department spokespeople have said they will release an official decision next week.
· Comments pour in on Peachtree Road bike lanes [AJC]
· Seems backlash has killed plans for Peachtree bike lanes [AJC]
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