Newnan tackles downtown traffic issues | News

They were reviewing traffic flow with an eye to pedestrian and bicycle safety, he said.

The engineers estimated growth using historical growth trends and existing permits, applied that to the existing use of the roads, and tried to come up with solutions. They also tried to avoid disturbing the historic structures and the cemetery at the Clark Street intersections, Patharkar said.

There are a high number of crashes in the area, and 90 percent of them are at intersections, he said. From Jan. 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2022, 346 total crashes were reported within the studied area — 123 sideswipe crashes, 109 angle crashes, and 95 rear-end crashes. Sixty-eight of those crashes resulted in at least one injury.

“The peak of 87 crashes in 2021 — that’s a lot,” Patharkar said. “Usually, we see between five and 15.”

One of the immediate problems they noted was that the signage needed improvement.

“There are just clusters of signage everywhere,” Patharkar said. “You’ve got overhead signs, and you’ve got signs on single posts. For people who live here, it’s almost a daily thing, but for people trying to go through the city, it’s really confusing.”

He said that taking the signs down and adding pavement markings would be helpful.

Patharkar said that pedestrians, particularly in the area by the University of West Georgia campus, needed a safe place to cross the street.

After analysis, the company recommended converting both Posey Place and Clark Street…