Airhead 78

We’ve been living at the corner of Emerson and Drexel since 2004. I have a front row seat for watching people blast through the Drexel/Emerson stop signs with unbelievable recklessness. It’s gotten way worse in the last year. I’ve seen close calls that would make most people faint. Cars almost hitting cars, cars almost hitting kids on bikes, pets almost getting run over, etc.

An effective solution is something that the City of Atlanta did in my old neighborhood of Inman Park: Rumble Strips. Rumble strips get attention, even when a self-centered driver is glued to their cell phone. I’ve attached a picture of an intersection near my old house where people constantly ran the stop signs. Rumble strips brought the violations to zero. They’re cheap, easy to install, and they work.

According to the US Department of Transportation’s website: “Unit prices have been estimated to range between $0.10 and $1.20 per linear foot (about $500 to $6000 per mile). In general, contracts where rumble strip installation is the primary item are lower in unit cost than other contracts”.

$1.20 per linear foot to install strips is insignificant compared to an accident, especially if a child is involved.

The City of Decatur needs to fix this before something horrible happens. We need them in front of the Northbound and Southbound Drexel Avenue stop signs, and in front of the Westbound Emerson Avenue stop sign at Drexel. Please get this done.