On June 29, citizens will have an opportunity to discuss how to make Dunwoody’s streets safer.
The city of Dunwoody will have consultants and city staff available to share data and preliminary findings about its new Road Safety Action Plan at Brook Run Park’s Food Truck Thursday event from 5 to 8 p.m. The park is located at 4770 North Peachtree Road.
“This plan will provide a path forward to improve street safety with a special focus on vulnerable road users like pedestrians and bicyclists,” Dunwoody City Manager Eric Linton said. “Crash data is important, but we’ll also look to the public to learn about their experiences and priorities.”
Developing a Road Safety Action Plan for Dunwoody will allow the city to tap into federal grant money that will fund safety improvements. In addition, the city has earmarked $1.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for construction projects for the next three years and for Dunwoody Safe Streets Program Manager Jonathan DiGioia’s salary.
In April, the city council unanimously approved a contract to develop a Road Safety Action Plan to improve conditions for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers. The process will involve analyzing crash data, gathering public input, and prioritizing strategies with the goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on Dunwoody roadways.
The development of this initiative has been years in the making. The city investigated pedestrian safety in 2014, corridor improvements along Hammond Drive in 2016, improvements along a 2.5-mile stretch of Winters Chapel Road from Peachtree Industrial Boulevard to Spalding Drive in 2015, and a comprehensive transportation plan in 2017 to explore “multi-model transportation options, the establishment of roadway design standards, and the continued support of regional transit service.”
The most recent study involves the controversial Dunwoody Trail Master Plan, which has been receiving both positive and negative feedback from residents whose properties will be affected by its implementation. While studies have been funded for the trail master plan, most of the construction costs associated with the improvements have not been allocated.
The city’s proposed $60 million bond, if adopted by the city’s voters in November, would allocate money toward the construction of four multi-use trails throughout the city.