Suwanee Traffic Safety: What Needs To Be Done?

Public comment again is strong on traffic safety in Suwanee after a head-on vehicle collision last week claimed two lives.

"That intersection has been a deathtrap and many of us have (complained)," Suwanee Patch commenter Laura Wade said recently after Jean Strickland of Suwanee and David Dowdy of Bogart were killed November 28 in a collision on McGinnis Ferry Road. The wreck happened at the intersection with Scales Road, between Buford Highway and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.

Similar citizen complaints have been voiced about safety along Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, which regularly has several intersections on police safety "hot sheets."

-- What do you think needs to be done to help traffic safety on Suwanee streets? Tell us in the comments below.

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Regarding PIB, Suwanee Police Chief Mike Jones is quick to blame the 55 mph speed limit as too high. "If the speed limit is 55, people think they can go 65," Jones once told City Council members.

Regarding the McGinnis Ferry-Scales Road intersection, citizen feedback focuses on the increased amount of traffic on the roadway since the connecting bridge over I-85 opened in 2011.

"I have lived in Suwanee Station for 9 years and that intersection has gotten exponentially dangerous over the past year, especially with the increased congestion since McGinnis Ferry extension over I-85. Any talks about getting a light at that intersection?," commenter Katy said on Suwanee Patch.

PIB and McGinnis Ferry Road both are maintained by Gwinnett County, so any speed limit issues or inclusion of traffic lights are up to county officials.

However, Suwanee leaders already intend to place radar-controlled speed limit signs on PIB in early 2013 to try to slow down motorists entering and leaving the city limits. However, those signs will be maintained by Public Works, which has no law enforcement power.

One resident already is mobilizing support from Suwanee city leaders to have them work with the county to investigate the McGinnis Ferry situation.

Commenter Katy also said on Suwanee Patch that she intends to "speak with local members of the community to garner support in the form of letters and to join me in attending the city council meeting on the 18th."

See also:

• Suwanee To Install Speed Radar Signs on PIB
• Fatal McGinnis Ferry Accident in Suwanee Also Results in Injury

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