Drivers on four major thoroughfares in Brookhaven may soon see lower speed limits.
Brookhaven says that Ashford Dunwoody Road, Johnson Ferry Road, Dresden Drive, and Harts Mill Road are less safe for pedestrians and cyclists due to speeding cars.
A traffic study of these major thoroughfares conducted by the city showed the number of crashes and injury crashes over a period of 10 years. For example, 1,242 crashes occurred on a three-mile stretch of Ashford Dunwoody Road; 275 of those involved injuries.
Dresden Drive, a popular entertainment district, is a highly trafficked road for vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians. The number of crashes – 389 crashes in 10 years – is considered critically high.
City Councilmember Jennifer Owens said she’s heard from residents about Dresden Drive speed limits since campaigning for office in 2023.
“How do we make it safer to walk, bike, and live in our community? When we were trying to think creatively about ways to address street safety, regardless of where you’re in a car or on foot or bicycle, speed limits have always come up,” Owens said.
Brookhaven anticipates the Georgia Department of Transportation approving a proposal to lower the speed limit on the four streets.
Owens said she was pleasantly surprised at how open GDOT has been to the idea of dropping speed limits. Future improvements in the multimodal plan include extending sidewalks, lighting crosswalks, striping bike lanes, and narrowing the lanes.
Brookhaven is also proposing that GDOT extend the Ashford Park Elementary school zone to 1,000 feet from the school on Caldwell Road, from Redding Road to Templewood Drive. It’s something the Ashford Park Parents Action Committee has been working on for a while because so many kids walk and bike to school.
“Lowering the speed limit is going to make a big difference,” Owens said.
City Manager Christian Sigman anticipates new speed limit signs going up as early as January. It’s likely to be a few months before Brookhaven police officers start enforcing the slower speed limits.
“We will have new lighted road signage announcing the change in advance and start off with at least 30 days of writing warnings only, before issuing any citations,” Sigman said.
If GDOT approves, Ashford Dunwoody Road and Johnson Ferry Road will drop to 35 mph, Harts Mill Road to 30 mph and Dresden Drive to 25 mph.
