Street-level atlanta (Marietta, Druid Hills, Gordon: power lines, homes, costs)

[JPD]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

You make a good point, JPD; I guess the point I was trying to make is with the Portman buildings I always felt like I was beneath the action when walking the street, not level with it (some of the businesses you cite are above street level). I never get that feeling in Five Points, Fairlie-Poplar or Midtown.

What you are beneath at Peachtree Center is hundreds of hum-drum office drones making copies and sending faxes, and not what anyone would consider "activity." What do you think goes on in those towers?

The only places in my list that are above street level are Metro Cafe Diner and Azio. Azio's front door and lobby are at street/sidewalk level, so I think it's fair to list it as part of the street activity. I thought Metro Cafe's entrance was on street level, too, but I might be mistaken about that one.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by noah

Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address What is your score. My address shows a 91.

That site has some inaccurate info for every place I've checked, and last time I tried I couldn't find any way to report those inaccuracies. Missing resources withing walking distance, restaurants which never existed, etc.

Addendum: looks like they point you to Google now. They still list a house near us as a "restaurant". Maybe a catering business out of a home? I think I'll toss Google a note.

[K-SawDude]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

That site has some inaccurate info for every place I've checked, and last time I tried I couldn't find any way to report those inaccuracies. Missing resources withing walking distance, restaurants which never existed, etc.

Addendum: looks like they point you to Google now. They still list a house near us as a "restaurant". Maybe a catering business out of a home? I think I'll toss Google a note.

Yeah, some of the data on there is hilarious. For my area, I get walkability points for having a library nearby. Of course, the library listed in my zone is the Fulton County Jail Library. So, ummm, yeah, don't think I'll be walking there too often.

That being said, I like the idea of that site, and I think it works well enough to give you a rough idea of how walkable a neighborhood can be. They just need to work out several of the kinks.

[architect77]

This is what we've got to do something about. Atlanta is too great a city to have intersections looking like this. Burying powerlines and bonafide makeovers aren't realistic expectations, but can we at least install some mast-arm traffic signals and ask Georgia Power/Cable providers to straighten up the leaning utility poles? Half of Atlanta's power poles are so old, warped, and un-honed that you see where every branch was.

In Atlanta, if you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. I'm going to contact the Buckhead Coalition to learn more about how they managed to get Peachtree Road looking better near Lenox. I think they had to pay for it themselves.
Piedmont Road near Rock Spring and Cheshire Bridge:


Buford Highway near N Druid Hills Rd:

Collier Rd. near Howell Mill:

Roswell Rd. at Piedmont Rd.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by architect77

In Atlanta, if you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. I'm going to contact the Buckhead Coalition to learn more about how they managed to get Peachtree Road looking better near Lenox. I think they had to pay for it themselves.

I couldn't agree with you more.

And yes, the Peachtree Boulevard reconstruction started off as a privately financed project spearheaded by the Buckhead CID, a self-taxing group of businesses in the area. Their director, Scotty Greene, spent years putting it together. Eventually GDOT also contributed substantial funds -- I don't believe the city of Atlanta supplied much, if any, funding.

The Buckhead CID is also pretty far along on improvements to the Piedmont/Roswell intersection. That was part of the Piedmont Corridor Study done a few years ago. See the detailed documentation here:

Piedmont Corridor (http://www.buckheadcid.com/piedmont_corridor - broken link)

I believe most of the other intersections you mention have also been the subject of various studies and proposals. As always, getting the money is the biggest hurdle.

[architect77]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I couldn't agree with you more.

And yes, the Peachtree Boulevard reconstruction started off as a privately financed project spearheaded by the Buckhead CID, a self-taxing group of businesses in the area. Their director, Scotty Greene, spent years putting it together. Eventually GDOT also contributed substantial funds -- I don't believe the city of Atlanta supplied much, if any, funding.

The Buckhead CID is also pretty far along on improvements to the Piedmont/Roswell intersection. That was part of the Piedmont Corridor Study done a few years ago. See the detailed documentation here:

Piedmont Corridor (http://www.buckheadcid.com/piedmont_corridor - broken link)

I believe most of the other intersections you mention have also been the subject of various studies and proposals. As always, getting the money is the biggest hurdle.

Thank you for the link. Sometimes I feel silly for focusing on stuff like this, however all I want is good things for a truly magical city.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by architect77

Thank you for the link. Sometimes I feel silly for focusing on stuff like this, however all I want is good things for a truly magical city.

Heavens, don't feel silly! There are a slew of people working on these issues -- jump on in.

[architect77]

I applaud all of the effort that went into the Piedmont Corridor, and I agree with and hope every recommendation is implemented. The timeframe, however, stretches all the way to 2030, and that's before all the typical delays (political, fiscal, nimby objections) are factored in. Plus, I'll bet the study was done when the economy was booming which caused Buckhead's traffic to be out of control, and in tougher times many of the suggested improvements wouldn't be deemed necessary.

I love how they identified the shortcomings of the I-85/GA400 interchange which causes thousands of cars to "bail out" onto Piedmont and Sidney Marcus Blvd. Over 6,000 extra cars per day are dumped onto Piedmont. GDOT should have addressed this 10 years ago and be long finished building improvements.

I am still investigating who to contact to see if any "quick fixes", such as mast-arm traffic signals, can be installed at some of the ugliest intersections. Many signals haven't been replaced with LEDs yet, so they are going to be replaced anyway.

This is North Ave at Piedmont near my apt. today. The loop of extra cable closest to the utility pole has been there since I moved here 4 months ago. I'm hopeful that the new mess of wires means they're back doing something here. The crosswalk sign has just been replaced, yay.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by architect77

I am still investigating who to contact to see if any "quick fixes", such as mast-arm traffic signals, can be installed at some of the ugliest intersections. Many signals haven't been replaced with LEDs yet, so they are going to be replaced anyway.

This is North Ave at Piedmont near my apt. today. The loop of extra cable closest to the utility pole has been there since I moved here 4 months ago. I'm hopeful that the new mess of wires means they're back doing something here. The crosswalk sign has just been replaced, yay.

It's a nightmare but you can't count on anything being done in the next 20-30 years. It can cost several hundred thousand dollars just to hang a traditional traffic light, and more if significant engineering and roadwork is necessary. Atlanta has enormous pension obligations to present and former employees over the coming decades and virtually no discretionary funds for improvements like this. We'll be lucky just to cover what's already owed.

Probably the best option is for residents to donate or raise private funding. One light at a time! It may take a while, but let's say you could raise enough to do one a year. By 2025 North Avenue would be tremendously improved.

[ATLHRLGUY]

Thanks for the google images architect. Wondering, by the gas prices when these might have been taken. When was the oil shortage again fall 08? I forgot. I don't know if it has already been asked but as far as walkability is considered, how far would the avg. person in Atlanta walk on a regular basis to run their errands? Personally, on a regular basis I wouldn't walk more than a few blocks before I would opt for four-wheels. Example: I would walk from 10th and Peachtree to lets say 15th and Peachtree, other than that I'm in the climate controlled car. Also, if I feel I'm not one of just a handful of people walking around then I may walk a little farther, that also plays in the walking experience in my mind.