Controversial bicycle lanes are no longer part of the plan for part of Peachtree Road in Buckhead, the state Department of Transportation announced Dec. 11.
GDOT bowed to intense community opposition to the bike lanes in what it called a “shining example” of public process, but also urged bike advocates to continue their work. The Peachtree Road project will still go forward with lane changes on the road between Deering and Pharr roads, a project slated to start in about a year.
“The goal has always been to seek the best project for the community and the users of the corridor,” GDOT Chief Engineer Meg Pirkle said in a press release. “While we believe in the merits of the project as proposed, we must also consider the needs of the community and recognize that every community has a say in what their transportation facility looks like. This project is a shining example of the process at work.”
“Although bike lanes will not be part of this project,” Pirkle went on to say in the press release, “we encourage our local partners to explore opportunities that reflect the recommendation in the Connect Atlanta Plan and the Cycle Atlanta Plan of providing bike facilities in the area.”
GDOT said it received more than 2,000 comments about the project, with over 70 percent opposing the bike lanes. Among the opponents was the Buckhead Coalition, an group of business leaders.
The current plan includes a dedicated left-turn lane at each intersection. From Deering to around Peachtree Battle Avenue, the plan calls for three lanes northbound, two lanes southbound, and a center turn lane. The section to Pharr calls for three lanes southbound, two lanes northbound, and a center turn lane.
The corridor carries 37,000 to 43,000 vehicles a day and has been the scene of more than 800 accidents in the past five years, GDOT said.