Roswell Transportation Advisory Commission advances plans for Oxbo Road

By DELANEY TARR delaney@appenmedia.com

ROSWELL, Ga. — The Roswell Transportation Advisory Commission welcomed Lee Hills as its new City Council liaison at a Feb. 21 meeting.

Hills replaces Councilman Mike Palermo.

Commission member Richard Arena asked Hills to “make sure the things we recommend are heard and considered.”

Hills said she looks forward to working with the commission and aims to decrease the length of meetings by doing the “dirty work” and having fruitful conversations outside of the set meetings.

The commission spent the bulk of the meeting discussing traffic calming solutions for Oxbo Road. The proposed solutions come after a month of research and evaluation on the commission’s recommendation.

Commission members Perry Dragon and George Vail gave presentations on the updated calming measures, which included a proposed mini roundabout and “pinch” islands that would narrow the road, as well as three new crosswalks to connect city trails and parks.

Parts of Oxbo Road are closed for construction as part of the city’s ongoing Oxbo Road realignment project, which was proposed more than a decade ago and has faced a multitude of legal issues and work delays.

Vail said the calming solutions are being proposed because the city is “preparing for a lot of traffic that will likely occur.”

In previous meetings, members of the advisory group advocated for a narrower road, in hopes that the shrunken lanes would deter large trucks and pass-through commuter traffic. In the presentations, Dragon and Vail said a previous proposal to add bike paths is not feasible with the existing road width.

Vail said the bike lanes could be part of long-term transportation master plan projects, but for a quick and affordable solution the city should look elsewhere. He proposed adding three crosswalks as an easy and cheap approach to traffic calming.

The crosswalks will connect residential areas to some Roswell trails, including Vickery Creek Trail and Oxbo Trail.

“The goal is to slow traffic down, make it more pedestrian-friendly and connect the trails and parks,” Vail said.

Commissioner Jason Yowell spoke against the short-term solutions and said the city should do the “full Monty,” with a focus on components like the bike paths.

“This piecemeal approach is what’s gotten the city in trouble time and time again,” Yowell said.

Roswell Transportation Director Jeff Littlefield said the city should look at transportation issues overall, but “short term is what we’re living with today.”

The commission ultimately voted to advance the traffic calming measures to the City Council for consideration.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Commissioner Marisa Pereira asked to speak as a resident regarding construction on Grimes Bridge Road. She recused herself from future discussions on the project.

Pereira told Transportation Director Littlefield some Grimes Bridge Road residents wanted him to hold any future presentations on the road as a town hall with public input.

Another resident echoed Pereira’s request.

“I love the idea that (Pereira) mentioned about a town hall meeting as interactive, not just something being presented to us that has feedback and input from citizens,” the resident said.

Littlefield made no commitment as to whether future presentations would be framed as town halls.

Commission Chairman Jason Hudson also announced that a replacement is being sought for member Gloria Libby, who can no longer be on the commission due to family obligations.