Message From Mayor Joe Lockwood - Traffic Concerns

In the cities throughout North Fulton, traffic and speeding are constant topics of conversation. By comparison, we are lucky that Milton's roads have less traffic. That being said, however, traffic and speeding are still a concern for council, City Staff, residents and me.

In the past few months, we have looked at traffic and speeding from various perspectives but have always kept the same question in mind: How do we keep the streets of Milton as safe as possible?

Being a resident of this great city and living on what we like to refer as an "open road subdivision", I have great concern for the cars speeding down my road, especially since I have a young teenage driver in my family. A significant portion of Milton residents are living on similar roads with the same apprehension.

Last month, I received a phone call from a worried citizen who wanted to discuss his theories on traffic and speeding in Milton. As a result of our conversation the Council and I decided to hold an informal meeting on Jan. 8 at City Hall, were we discussed the issue. During the meeting citizens from every district shared their stories as well as their opinions and suggestions. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the individuals who took the time to attend this meeting.

Inspired by our meeting and several conversations among council members, staff, residents, and me, we have put ourselves to the test by coming up with new and innovative ways to control the speed and traffic in Milton. I am very proud to say that we have a strong team of engineers, planners and public safety experts on our staff who are focused on keeping our streets safe.

On Jan. 22 we hosted our first Creek Club Drive Short Term Speed Safety Task Force meeting.
Here, individuals from the Public Works and Public Safety departments met with three representatives from Crooked Creek's HOA to discuss and explore the possibility of beginning a residential speed program.

A few months ago, Council and I created a Transportation Master Plan Committee that consists of seven members who are dedicating their time to improving and expanding Milton's transportation plan. Currently, we have engineers, highway specialists, and transportation, land use environmental experts on the committee.

Additionally, the hard working Public Works folks have worked with GDOT to lower speed limits on just over 12 miles of Milton roads from 45 to 40mph. They have also agreed to lower the speed limit on Ranchette Road from 40 to 35mph.

Rest assured your Council, City Staff and I are working tirelessly to make sure Milton's roads are safe. We will continue to listen to your concerns and try our best to make those concerns disappear.

Sincerely,

Joe Lockwood