Crabapple Parents Lobby Alpharetta to Crack Down on Illegal Lane Use

Parents at Crabapple Montessori School are asking the city of Alpharetta to do something about drivers abusing a deceleration lane to bypass motorists in front of them. 

The school, which sits along Crabapple Road next to Roswell Pediatric Center, is situated in an office park across an entrance to the Crabapple Shopping Center. 

Parents with the school would like Alpharetta to look at possibly installing some sort of barrier to prevent drivers from using a dedicated deceleration lane to pass vehicles waiting to turn into the shopping center.

One of those parents is Megan Zavieh, who has children who attend the school. Zavieh said "it's really disturbing" how many drivers perform this action and said she wants the city to install a barrier to prevent motorists from doing this. 

"We think that’s a really simple, inexpensive solution," she added. "It would keep everyone much safer."

It's not that simple, according to the city of Alpharetta. First, that stretch of Crabapple Road doubles as Georgia Highway 372 and the Georgia Department of Transportation maintains state highways. 

Second, since GDOT maintains the road, the city has to jump through state bureaucracy to get anything done. 

Crabapple Montessori first approached the city in mid September about its concerns. The problem was initially reported using Alpharetta's SeeClickFix tool, which allows residents to report road problems via its website, said Assistant City Administrator James Drinkard.

Drinkard said the issue at the school is not unusual as it's a common problem through out the city, but added it was the first complain the city formally received on an issue such as this.

Alpharetta Public Works Director Pete Sewczwicz reached out to GDOT and "began the process of reviewing the situation and designing a way to address the issue," Drinkard added.

Installing bollards, Drinkard added, is not an option since he believes it would "actually increase the likelihood of vehicular crashes and reduce safety." While there are no easy answers, Drinkard said the solution most likely would include removing the decel lane and install a left turn lane.

In the meantime, Alpharetta Department of Public Safety has increased patrols in the area to ward off potential violators. 

The assistant city administrator noted personnel have watched the location and notes there's a "problem" with drivers who are using the deceleration lane to pass vehicles and those who speed through the area. 

"That being said, we have not observed such behavior at this location to any higher degree than has been experienced along some other roadways in and around the city," he added. "While we understand that parents at the school are concerned about this issue, the matter is being addressed in a manner consistent with the level of severity of the problem and the safety of the public."

Zavieh said she and other parents just want to protect their children from drivers who thumb their noses at the law and illegally use the lane to go around left-turning vehicles. 

"We have 170 children at this school and we want them to know that those 170 children are just as important," she added. 

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