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Roads remain in ruins
It's 8:00 PM. After an exhausting afternoon, you are making your way down Bell Road-not your usual way
home. Since there is little lighting and few signs, you hardly expect the sharp curve coming up.
You slam on the brakes, and proceed headfirst into a tree. This is no joke; it's a plausible situation.
Bell Road is a
prime example of dangerous road conditions.
There are numerous potholes, which cause the driver to swerve in a narrow area. It is very dark, and to a driver who has never driven on it - even experienced drivers- such adverse conditions can be dangerous.
And what about everyday hazards?
Driving to school in crunch time is difficult enough, and with potholes and unmarked streets to watch for, it becomes even worse. The Spruill Road Library sign, for instance, was down for approximately five months. Only after numerous complaints was the library sign finally put up last December. Students would miss the turn, panic, and be distracted for a second. Yet, on the road, one second is enough to risk fatality.
Practically speaking, potholes wear down tires and offset wheel alignment.
So the roads are not just potentially hazardous to one's life, but also to one's wallet. On Taylor Road itself, there are at least seven noticeable potholes. Impossible to miss in traffic time, they pose a threat to students. Driving over this every day greatly reduces the durability of an automobile's tires.
Is this all not reason enough to effect change?
Apparently not. Taylor Road,
McGinnis Ferry, State Bridge Road and almost every other road in Alpharetta is devastated by poor road conditions. Potholes cover the roads, road signs are missing and
lighting is inadequate or unavailable.
But that's not the end of the story. Not enough of our hard-earned tax dollars go toward improving roads. Out of the 600 million dollar budget, Fulton County allocates only 10 million dollars for road improvements. If that wasn't bad enough, the Fulton County Commissioners recently voted against the addition of 9 million dollars in funds for Fulton County road improvements.
How can an increasingly urbanized city uphold its dignity if its inhabitants are dissatisfied with such simple problems?
While Fulton County charges among the highest property taxes in Georgia, common concerns such as roads are neglected. If more government spending was allotted to road improvement, perhaps some of this would be alleviated.
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A ‘spec’ of Insight is a monthly column that reflects the opinions of the majority of The Speculator staff
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