Pedestrian Safety And Bicycle Trail Improvements

Clairemont - Commerce - Church St.

Community Workshop held on March 19, 2014

A workshop to update the community on the Clairemont-Commerce-Church Street Pedestrian Safety and Bike Lane Improvements was held on Wednesday, March 19, at Decatur City Hall. The purpose of the work is to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians, bicyclists and others using these facilities. The project is based on Decatur’s 2008 Community Transportation Plan and is a project in the 2010 Strategic Plan. A major goal of the Community Transportation Plan is to encourage healthy lifestyles and active living in Decatur.

Below are exhibits from the workshop along with a questionnaire about various features of the improvements. Please send any comments you may have to Hugh Saxon at hugh.saxon@decaturga.com.

Questionnaire
Fact Sheet
Raised cycle tracks fact sheet

Church Street

• Incorporate One-Way Cycle Track on each side of Church Street. 
• Incorporate sidewalk along each side of Church Street 
• Incorporate greenspace between the One-Way Cycle Track and the sidewalk. 
• Provide shade tree and landscape plantings along the western side of Church Street 
• Provide understory tree and landscape plantings along the eastern side of Church Street

Church Street and Commerce Drive Intersection

• Remove one through southbound lane. 
• Remove one through northbound lane. 
• Remove the westbound left turn lane. 
• Use of smaller radii at all four corners of the intersection to reduce the length of the pedestrian crossing, thus reducing the exposure of pedestrian to vehicular traffic. 
• Pedestrian crossing times reduced up to 40% (reduced from 27 seconds to 15 seconds). 
• Narrow the travel lane widths from 12-feet to 11-feet. 
• Add “bulb-outs” at corners of the intersection, where practical. 
• Widen sidewalks

Clairemont Avenue and Commerce Drive Intersection

• Remove the southbound right turn lane and share it with the through lane. 
• Remove the northbound right turn lane and share it with the through lane. 
• Reduce from two eastbound through lanes to one through lane. 
• Remove the westbound left turn lane and share it with the through lane. 
• Use of smaller radii at all four corners of the intersection to reduce the length of the pedestrian crossing, thus reducing the exposure of pedestrian to vehicular traffic. 
• Pedestrian crossing times reduced up to 40% (reduced from 27 seconds to 16 seconds). 
• Narrow the travel lane widths from 12-feet to 11-feet. 
• Add “bulb-outs” at corners of the intersection, where practical. 
• Widen the sidewalks. 
• Outside lanes will be “Shared Lanes”

Community Workshop held on January 12, 2012
About 50 residents attended the second community workshop on Thursday, January 12, at Decatur City Hall to discuss alternative plans for pedestrian safety improvements at the Clairemont, Church Street and Commerce intersections and Church Street bicycle lanes.

The City has received preliminary approval of funding for the entire project, totaling just over $4 million, through the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Transportation Enhancement program and the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative program. The project is also on the approved project list for funding through the Transportation Investment Act (TIA) program. A regional referendum on the TIA is scheduled for later in 2012. 

General objectives of this project are to provide safer gateways for pedestrians and bicyclists to and from downtown Decatur and better facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists along the Church Street corridor. Goals include reducing road widths at intersections to shorten the time needed to cross the street and providing wider sidewalks, bicycle paths and multi-use trails on Church Street to create a safe and pleasant experience for bicyclists of all ages and abilities, from the family-oriented, recreational bicyclist to the serious cyclist. 

Conceptual plans for the intersection improvements and several alternative approaches to the bike facilities on Church Street are available for review below. 

Some of the proposed improvements may result in a slight inconvenience to motorists but will also result in lower traffic speeds on Church Street, as well as a safer, friendlier experience for pedestrians and bicyclists, and will help change Church Street from a thoroughfare into a neighborhood street. All proposed improvements are oriented to achieving the basic goal of the City’s Community Transportation Plan which is to encourage the use of alternatives to the car for transportation in Decatur. 

Also included is a preliminary plan for a possible roundabout at the intersection of Church Street, Forkner and Medlock. This has been prepared to current Georgia Department of Transportation standards and would require the acquisition of some additional right-of-way. Having to acquire right-of-way may affect the feasibility of a roundabout at this location. 

A sketch of what the land use in the area at Clairemont, Church Street and Commerce Drive might look like in 2040, 25 years or so in the future, is also included. 

Fact sheets on various features such as bike boxes, cycle tracks, sharrows and roundabouts are included as well. 

A questionnaire for your comments is available in the workshop materials. Please take time to complete the questionnaire and return it to Hugh Saxon, Deputy City Manager, at hugh.saxon@decaturga.com or by fax to 678-553-6597. 

Conceptual Plans

> Church St.
> Church St. section alternatives
> Church St. intersection improvements
> Church St. roundabout

Fact Sheets

> Clairemont St., Commerce Dr., Church St. 
> Church St. alternatives pro/con 
> Church St. bike loop 
> Church St. roundabout 
> Church St. bike box 
> Church St. shared lane markings

> 2040 Vision

> Comment Form

_____________________________________________

As part of its capital improvements program, the City of Decatur is considering options for pedestrian safety improvements to the Clairemont Avenue-Commerce Drive and Church Street-Commerce Drive intersections and for bicycle lane improvements on Church Street in downtown Decatur. The purpose of the work is to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians, bicyclists and others using these facilities. 

A community workshop to discuss plans for these improvements was held on September 26 at Decatur City Hall. The workshop presentation, information handouts on various types pedestrian and bicycle improvements are presented below. A questionnaire is also included so that you can make suggestions and comments. Please fax your comments to 678-553-6597 or email them to Hugh Saxon, Deputy City Manager at hugh.saxon@decaturga.com.  

The City has retained a design and planning team led by Development Planning & Engineering, of Buford; Hughes Good O’Leary and Ryan, landscape architects, of Atlanta; and Alta Planning & Design, of Charlotte, a nationally-recognized design firm that specializes in bicycle and pedestrian planning. The project will be funded through the City’s Capital Improvements Bond program and grants from the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Atlanta Regional Commission and MARTA. 

The project is based on Decatur’s 2008 Community Transportation Plan and is a project in the 2010 Strategic Plan. A major goal of the Community Transportation Plan is to encourage healthy lifestyles and active living in Decatur. The Decatur Community Transportation Plan is available on-line.

Fact Sheets

> Church Street bike box
> Church Street bike loop
> Church Street on-street parking
> Church Street roundabout
> Church Street shared lane markings