Traffic Roundabout near Dunwoody High School Halted

The controversial “roundabout” recommended to ease traffic at the problem intersection near Dunwoody High School was effectively stopped in its tracks Monday.

A budget provision for the city’s upcoming spending plan would have funded the controversial traffic circle at Vermack and Womack roads to the tune of $250,000.

Four council members at the meeting bucked the recommended design – John Heneghan, Lynn Deutsch, Denis Shortal and Adrian Bonser – enough to effectively end the discussion for the loop in the immediate future.

The do-nothing option leaves the council with the same four-way stop that many children and older students use to walk to Dunwoody High School and Dunwoody Elementary School. Studies show traffic is bad in the area.

The city’s public works’ experts said the traffic circle – which create a continuous loop that allows cars to funnel off in various directions – was the best solution to ease congestion.

Residents at the meeting and neighborhood advocates disagreed, Staunchly.

Holding up signs Monday that opposed the loop, they voiced concerns that the intersection would attract more traffic and that pedestrains could be stranded on the loop’s “island,” putting them in danger of being hit by cars that didn’t have to stop as pedestrains crossed.

Councilman Terry Nall swam upstream on the issue.

“These have been proven to be effective and are not unsafe,” he said, noting the traffic at the intersection is already bad. “To do nothing at this intersection is wrong.”