City Government
On-street Parking in Peachtree Corners – Be safe, be courteous
On-Street Parking means designated spaces where vehicles can be parked on a temporary basis, located on a public highway, street, avenue, parkway, or similar type of road. On-street parking spaces often provide direct access to residential, commercial, office, and other facilities.
While on-street parking is legal on public roads, there are rules that must be followed. The State of Georgia requires that on any two-way road, all street parked cars must be parked with the right-side wheels parallel and within 12 inches of the curb.
Do not park against the flow of traffic. While it might seem safe when the car is parked, you would need to drive on the wrong side of the road to park. The same applies when you pull out into head-on traffic. This creates two potentially dangerous situations and sets up a scenario that is contrary to other drivers’ expectations. Most things contrary to typical driving behavior or driver expectancy are unsafe.
Additionally, double parking is illegal in all circumstances. Double parking is the term used for parking on the street side of any vehicle that’s stopped or parked at a curb.
Other violations include prohibitions against parking in the following areas:
- In a space on public or private property marked for vehicle parking for the handicapped unless you have the legal authorization and the plates or placards to prove it.
- Within 25 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, or sideline of a street or intersecting highway, except at alleys
- Within 20 feet of a fire station without signs. If they post signs, you are not allowed to park within 75 feet of the station.
- Between a safety zone for pedestrians and the adjacent curb or within 20 feet of the end of the safety zone
- On the sidewalk or within 20 feet of a crosswalk
- Within an intersection
- In a crosswalk
- In any tunnel
- On railroad tracks or within 50 feet of a railroad crossing unless you are loading or unloading
- Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
- Within 30 feet of a stop sign, traffic light, or flashing signal
- In a bus stop zone
- In front of a public or private driveway
- Near properly marked street construction
In addition to illegal parking, there are other things that should be done to ensure the safety of your parked vehicle as well as the surrounding community.
On limited-width feeder roads, cars should refrain from parking across from each other on opposite sides of the road. (See image). This is not only unsafe for pedestrians; it creates a bottleneck on the road that increases traffic conflict points.
Also, when cars are parked across from one another, the limited width of the road creates a safety hazard as it does not allow for the entrance and exit of school buses, sanitation trucks, construction vehicles, EMS and fire vehicles, or other larger vehicles into or away from the area.
If your car has mirrors that will push inwards, towards the driver’s window, always do this before leaving your vehicle. This will prevent your mirrors from becoming broken or dislodged due to being sideswiped by a passing driver.
Do not park your car on a street where no other cars seem to be parked. Even if there are no signs saying that you cannot park on the street, there may be a rule that the other drivers are aware of. If a street is completely devoid of parked cars, there is probably a reason why. Take the hint from other drivers and steer clear of it. Street parking that seems too good to be true probably is.
Do not block other cars. Leaving enough space ensures that everyone’s cars will stay free from dents and dings. If it doesn’t seem like drivers and passengers can move around freely once you park, find a different spot.
Don’t take up two spaces on the street. In residential areas where the parking spaces are limited and not marked, always park as close to the end of the open space as you can. Often there is room for two cars between driveways. If you park in the middle, you make it impossible for another car to park in that space.
Remember, safety is of the utmost importance. Street parking can be dangerous to vehicle owners, bicyclists, scooters, and walkers. Let’s all do our best to be safe and courteous.
Source: City of Peachtree Corners
In what has now become tradition, the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce hosted mayors from Berkeley Lake, Norcross and Peachtree Corners at a panel discussion on July 12 at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast.
The conversation centered around strategies for revitalizing and expanding metro Atlanta cities, with a focus on redevelopment, zoning ordinance reform, pedestrian and bicycle safety and investing in local schools and affordable housing initiatives.
Zoning changes
“We are beginning a really big project in our city. We have had ordinances that we’ve been working on ever since the city was incorporated in the 1950s,” said Berkeley Lake Mayor Lois Salter.
“We feel that we need to overhaul the whole zoning ordinance system and hire a consultant to come and elicit understanding and opinions from our citizens. We want them to be a part of that. We have some folks that resist any kind of regulation. They just want us to regulate their neighbors,” she added.
Norcross Mayor Craig Newton agreed that evolving needs are an important reason to change the zoning, and planning for what lies ahead is paramount. He pointed out that all Georgia cities must implement a comprehensive plan to maintain their qualified local government certifications and remain eligible for selected state funding.
Land development
“We intend to focus on improving pedestrian bicycle safety downtown and establish a sidewalk activity improvement,” he said. “We’re also looking at approving parking in our town center and constructing the Norcross Greenway, which will bring a much-welcomed park, green space and a trail,” he added.
The county announced earlier this year that the project involves redeveloping the existing property into a park that will span almost two acres. It will offer various community spaces, including a multi-use trail, playground, covered picnic area, restroom building and a 41-space parking lot.
In addition to its amenities, a 12-foot-wide concrete trail segment will wind through the park and utility corridor, connecting Singleton Road to Dickens Road.
The trail is part of the 2018 Gwinnett Trails Countywide Trails Master Plan‘s Norcross to Lilburn Trail with an internal loop trail connecting to the neighborhood.
Commercial use
Peachtree Corners has had several “community-friendly” projects come online in the past year, but the effects of the pandemic continue to linger.
“When you think about the future, you’re thinking about the landmass and buildings and commerce. Probably the most significant issue facing a lot of us in the near term is modern office space,” said Peachtree Corners Mayor Mike Mason. “There’s a lot of space. The question is, are people going to come back?”
He said that the central retail area has shifted with the revitalization of The Forum and that’s making city leaders rethink city planning.
“We’re having a look at our code and things like that. But from another point of view that will drive the decision about what communities are going to look like,” he said. “For example, there are people coming into the city that say some buildings are technologically obsolete.”
Public safety
Even though Berkeley Lake is the smallest of the three cities and has the highest average home values, all the mayors agreed that public safety is a growing concern.
“Living in Norcross offers residents a dense suburban feel that’s somewhat rural compared to the city of Atlanta,” said Newton. “But some of our public safety initiatives are increasing police presence in high crime areas.”
As the only one of the three cities with a full police department, Norcross is seeking creative ways to implement effective community policing strategies to build trust and communication between law enforcement and the residents.
Newton mentioned programs such as Neighborhood Watch, youth outreach programs and educational initiatives along with enhancing emergency response capabilities with training for the local fire department and EMS services.
“Our response time goal is for an officer to be on-site in an emergency within 30 minutes,” he said. “But that doesn’t happen.”
Extended-stay hotels tend to attract crime, so Newton said the city has worked with owners to improve lighting in the public spaces to deter criminal activity.
“We’ve partnered with nonprofit businesses and local stakeholders to support social services employment opportunities for at-risk individuals,” he said. “By working together with various organizations and entities were able to address the complex challenge of public safety.”
Community accountability
With no police force, Berkeley Lake relies heavily on cameras and old-fashioned “knowing your neighbors,” said Salter.
“Some of our individual HOAs are buying and furnishing and paying for cameras to safeguard their neighborhoods,” she said.
Although there may be pockets of criminal behavior around the city, Salter said a police officer once described Berkeley Lake as a “black hole” of crime because there’s so little crime data.
“One of the reasons for that we feel is that historically we’ve been a very neighborly people,” she said. “There is an amazing system of community cohesiveness.”
Peachtree Corners is taking its own approach.
“We’ve recently added a Marshal Service and as Lois mentioned we’re also leaning on technology,” said Mason.
The marshal department doesn’t take the place of the services provided by Gwinnett County Police, it primarily enforces city code and aids Gwinnett PD when necessary.
“We’re utilizing as much technology as we can,” said Mason.
Gwinnett PD is instructing where to locate cameras and the city keeps adding them. There have been several instances in the last year or so where coordination among agencies and the use of technology have thwarted or caught criminals.
At the end of the day, the three mayors said the cities all rely on each other. Being so close means that economic development, enhanced entertainment and other desirable amenities are boons for them all.
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