ponce corridor

December 3, 2021

Roundabouts in our future?

The DHCA has been lobbying for reductions in vehicular speed on Ponce de Leon to improve overall safety. The Public Safety Committee has been following conceptual changes being considered for Ponce de Leon at key intersections as it meanders through Druid Hills. 

At a recent meeting, GDOT shared several options which include potential changes to the intersections at East Lake Rd, Ponce de Leon Manor and at the Ponce /Scott Blvd split.  They are also shared improvements under consideration at Ponce and Ridgecrest.

See the GDOT presentation.

Here are the meeting notes from the September GDOT stakeholder meeting. This should provide a good background of what was discussed. If you'd like more detailed information, feel free to reach out to publicsafety@druidhills.org

DHCA position statement regarding the Sept 2020 GDOT public meetings for Road Safety on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

The Druid Hills Civic Association (DHCA) strongly supports efforts to slow traffic and improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and automobiles along Ponce de Leon Avenue through Druid Hills.  We support engineering solutions which work toward these goals while adhering to the CAUTION settlement of 1992. Similarly, the DHCA supports the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance (OLPA) and its positions on engineering solutions and their impacts on the linear parks.

Specifically, the DHCA supports the proposed road narrowing and addition of a pedestrian island at the east intersection of N. Ponce and Ponce to improve pedestrian safety and access to Deep Dene park.

The DHCA does not support the removal of the traffic signal and pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Artwood and Ponce.  This pedestrian crossing is a key component of a safe pedestrian route to Fernbank Elementary School.

The DHCA acknowledges and supports the residents of Ponce de Leon Manor and their concerns that the potential removal of the traffic signal at that intersection may significantly negatively impact safe ingress/egress to and from Ponce Manor which is a cul de sac.

The DHCA supports an engineering solution at the intersection of Ponce and Scott Blvd.  Specifically, replacement of this intersection with a roundabout has the potential to lower speeds at the eastern entryway to Druid Hills and to communicate to drivers they are entering a neighborhood roadway which abuts six parks and three primary schools over the following two miles.

Given that Ponce de Leon Avenue is both a state highway and a residential street within the historic Druid Hills neighborhood and adjacent to a historic linear park system, the DHCA encourages GDOT to consider and investigate additional solutions including:

• A road diet to three lanes with accommodation for bicycle lanes and improved sidewalks.
• Intersection signaling customized to allow for improved safety for left turns and for extended pedestrian crossings at different times of the day and on weekends.

 GDOT RESPONSES TO JANUARY 2020 PUBLIC MEETING ABOUT DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS ALONG PONCE DE LEON AVENUE   Click here for the document. 

The latest timeframe and recommendations from GDOT for modifications to Ponce de Leon.

SR8 RSA Recommendations

Discussions in the neighborhood regarding safety and traffic calming for Ponce de Leon Ave have become more frequent since 2015. Here you will find some documents that reflect work that has been done by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDoT) to date to address these concerns:

1. GDOT completed a Road Safety Audit (RSA) in the fall of 2015. Approximately 2600 responses to that survey were compiled into the following Summary of Community Survey Results , which was distributed in late December 2015.
   
   Ponce de Leon survey results
2. The On-site Audit by GDOT Participants in December 2015.
   
   GDOT Road Audit
3. Report prepared by Gresham Smith and Partners, consultants to GDOT.
   
   GDOT Road Audit Appendices
4. Timeline: This chart suggests a timeline for possible solutions to issues raised by the studies. These are not definitive projects, but rather the starting point for addressing the increase in traffic and the resulting safety issues on this state highway.
   
   Ponce de Leon Ave Recommendations
   

In September 2016 GDoT will be conducting a traffic study at the intersection of Ponce and Clifton Rd.

These projects have been driven by community involvement, including by members of the DHCA Board and its Transportation Committee, who aim to make our streets as livable as possible for all who use them regardless of age and ability.