Early voting nears final days for Aug. 11 election
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Dunwoody officials review plans for start of Perimeter Center trail By HUNTER TERRELL newsroom@northfulton.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody City Council got a snapshot July 27 of where the city’s money will be going in the first phase of a major trail addition near Perimeter Mall. With an estimated cost of $1.1 million, the trail will run on the Perimeter Mall side of Ashford Dunwoody Road between Hammond Drive and Perimeter Center West.
The Ashford Dunwoody Path is part of the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts’ Commuter Trail System Master Plan, a network that includes 46 trails covering more than 14 miles. The trail system was first presented in 2013. Dunwoody Public Works Director Michael Smith confirmed the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts (PCID) will pay for more than half of the
See TRAIL, Page 13
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Cyclists, pedestrians get lift from new Dunwoody law Police crack down on drivers who refuse to yield proper space By JEFFREY ALBERTSON newsroom@appenmediagroup.com DUNWOODY, Ga . — In the three months since it began enforcing Georgia’s toughest pedestrian and bicyclist protection law, Dunwoody police have issued 31 citations to motorists for failing to yield space to other road users. One case cited a motorist for allegedly striking a cyclist on Tilly Mill Road. The Dunwoody City Council passed its vulnerable road user (VRU) ordinance last November. The law became effective May 1. It requires passing a protected user, such as construction workers, bicyclists,
and skateboarders, with at least 3 feet clearance. Drivers are required to stop for vulnerable users at crosswalks and maintain a safe distance behind if conditions are not safe to pass. The ordinance permits a driver to cross an oppositedirection traffic lane when safe. Violations carry penalties of six months in jail or probation, up to a $1000 fine and suspension of the driver’s license. “The number of citations issued so far demonstrates the need for this ordinance,” Dunwoody City Councilman Tom Lambert said. “I am thankful that our police department is using our ordinance as an enforcement tool to make our roads safer.” Lambert called the VRU one piece of the safety puzzle, which includes other important elements like “sidewalks, trails, and bike lanes.” The law works both ways. Vulnerable users are required to
remain as far right as possible in a travel lane except when making a turn or passing another bicycle. They must also take reasonable measures to make themselves visible. The City Council amended the ordinance on July 13 to allow cyclists to ride on a sidewalk, given they make an audible signal before passing a pedestrian. At the July 27 Dunwoody City Council meeting, City Manager Eric Linton said the Dunwoody Police Department recently issued 12 VRU citations while conducting a pedestrian crosswalk detail at Mount Vernon and Stratham Drive and at Peeler Road and Windwood Drive. On July 13, a cyclist was hit on Tilly Mill Road near Dunwoody Glen by an SUV. The driver of the SUV was cited with hit and run, not passing at a safe distance, and violating the VRU ordinance. The mo-
See CYCLISTS, Page 3
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Vulnerable users are required to remain as far right as possible in a travel lane except when making a turn or passing another bicycle.
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