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Tranportation Report
Getting Around in Morningside: A Special Report on Traffic
As anyone who lives in Morningside can tell you, we're a neighborhood on the go! Whether motoring under our own power or with the help of horsepower, Morningsiders are out and about. You'll learn in this article just how busy we are-attending workshops, putting up yard signs, hopping a bus, improving sidewalks, bicycling to work and running just to stay in place! Presented herein are all sorts of transportation facts and figures guaranteed to speed you through your day.
Traffic Study
Concerned Morningsiders gathered at Morningside Presbyterian Church for a four-hour traffic workshop one February morning in 2001. The neighborhood is currently the subject of a traffic study funded by a grant secured by State Senator Vincent Fort. The goal of the study is to explore traffic calming solutions for the collector streets that bisect our neighborhood- North Highland, Johnson, Lenox, East and North Morningside, and East and North Rock Springs-some of which see more than 13,000 vehicles in twenty-four hours.
The workshop's aim was to collect input from residents who live on or near the collector streets. Meeting with residents were traffic engineers and planners from URS Corporation, the firm which is conducting the study. Attendees viewed a slide presentation, poured over maps, pooled their insights into calming speed and congestion, and then presented their findings to the group.
In about two months' time URS will present a tentative traffic master plan which combines resident input with URS expertise. The presentation will be open to all, particularly those who participated in the first workshop. A third meeting will also be held to fine-tune the master plan and to identify those all important funding sources for road improvements as we go forward.
What you can do today:
Drive Civilized
One weapon in the ongoing war against speeders is the "Atlanta, Slow Down; Georgia, Drive Civilized" yard sign that has sprouted along thoroughfares throughout intown neighborhoods. Who knows how many drivers have eased off the gas pedal when they catch sight of this reminder? The Drive Civilized Campaign is the brainchild of our At-Large Atlanta City Councilmember Julia Emmons, who lives in Morningside. The campaign also sponsors frequent pedestrian awareness events. To get a sign for your own yard, visit the web site at drivecivilized.org or contact Julia's City Council office at 404/330-6302.
A Village in the City
My friend Martha Porter Hall best describes Morningside as "a village in the city." Our commercial nodes offer goods and services at your fingertips. With just a short walk or just one car trip you can accomplish all the following:
- At the Intersection of North Highland and Amsterdam (just across the border in Virginia-Highlands), you can order an Italian dinner, mail a letter, meet friends over a cup of coffee, furnish your home, enjoy a grilled entre, take a yoga class, get an epic haircut, admire a piece of Italian jewelry, stock up on pet supplies and dine on sushi.
- At the Intersection of North Highland and University, you can go antiquing and then rent a movie; buy and sell your home; enjoy a pizza and then treat yourself to a bakery dessert; work out with a personal trainer and then relax with a massage; invest in a painting and then frame it; find a birthday present and then bite into a Cuban sandwich; buy a wedding gift for a friend and wine for yourself; nibble on noodles and then treat yourself to sorbet; and try out a new hairstyle while your jacket is being altered. Whew!
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
Several MARTA bus routes run through Morningside.
- Bus 16 Noble travels along North Highland Avenue/Johnson Road.
- Bus 27 Monroe travels along Monroe Drive.
- Bus 31 Lindbergh/Morningside/Grant Park travels along Piedmont Road.
For schedule information and maps, contact MARTA at www.itsmarta.com or 404/848-4711. One-way fare is $1.75 exact change.
Bicycling
"Morningside's wide streets make for good biking," says Mike Goodman, owner of Intown Bicycles at 1035 Monroe Drive NE. "Although Atlanta is not very bike-friendly because of a lack of facilities, it is definitely improving." Mike and his staff of four have served the needs of Morningside's bicyclists-both commuters and recreational riders-since 1982. The shop repairs and sells bikes as well as offering accessories and apparel. You can reach Intown Bicycles at 404/872-1736.
Mike's advice to cyclists:
- Be visible.
- Be predictable.
- Wear your helmet.
- Always follow the rules of the road: ride on the right side of the road and obey signs and signals.
He recommends that cyclists new to commuting sign up for the Effective Cycling for Commuters course taught by the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign (404/881-1112).
Walking
"I've always enjoyed walking," declares Lee Kintzel, longtime Morningside resident and faithful dog walker. "One of the reasons my family chose Morningside over Buckhead was the abundance of sidewalks! This neighborhood allows a short commute to work, to baseball, to the symphony-to every thing we enjoy."
"I try to walk at least an hour every day. I love to explore. I've gotten to know every street in Morningside. My experience walking comes in handy since I chair the MLPA's Committee on Sidewalk Repair. When a neighbor inquires about repairing the sidewalk on such-and-such a street, I can picture the exact stretch that neighbor is talking about!"
"For almost two years now we've allocated monies raised from our Tour of Homes to reimburse homeowners 50% up to $250 for the repair of sidewalks. In 2001 we're focused on fixing the damaged sidewalks along busy North Highland Avenue. Homeowners may be unaware that they are obligated to keep their sidewalks in safe condition. I'm always happy to talk about the program. Just call 404/876-9198."
Running
Dick Buerkle of Peachtree Park runs 4.5 miles from his home in Buckhead to his job as a Spanish instructor at Grady High School every day. "I pack as lightly as I can, with my clothes in my backpack," he says. "Like a turtle, I carry my home with me; I have my Walkman and my cell phone. I shower at school and no one is the wiser."
"I pass cars waiting in stop-and-go traffic on Piedmont Road every day. The queue starts forming at the Pep Boys and goes all the way to Cub Foods. Running to work builds my exercise into my day. There's no cost, no gas, no waiting! It's a good feeling and it's good for my heart."
"Whenever students ask me about running shoes, I refer them to the folks at Phidippides in Ansley Mall at 404/875-4268. They certainly know what they're doing."
Other runners create an active lifestyle by purposefully choosing to literally run errands, such as buying a stamp, rather than jumping into a car. Some build on their natural gregariousness by running in a group. A splendid resource for runners, both recreational and commuters, is the Atlanta Track Club at 404/231-9064.
by Susan Drake
First published in the Spring 2001 Issue of the MLPA Newsletter
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