Krog Lake Elizabeth North Highland Transportation Strategy

The Krog-Lake-Elizabeth-North Highland Transportation Strategy was prepared by TSW to address transportation challenges brought about by ongoing development pressure in the Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward neighborhoods. Sponsored by City Councilman Kwanza Hall, the effort sought to develop a plan for multi-modal transportation that balances the needs of different transportation modes, protects the neighborhoods’ quality of life, and does not negatively impact historic resources.

The strategy began with a review of previous planning efforts and an assessment of existing transportation facilities. Among the findings of this task was that many transportation projects were already “on the books” for the area, but had not been vetted or designed. This task also determined that traffic congestion would increase as the area redeveloped, and that a focus on vehicular operations, as the sole metric for judging improvements, would have a significant negative impact on the neighborhoods’ quality of life and character – there simply was not enough money or right-of-way to mitigate congestion without harming non-drivers and adjacent uses.

An inclusive public outreach process was used to explore which types of transportation improvements could be implemented without negatively impacting neighborhood character. This included exercises aimed at identifying priorities and the “trade-offs” of different project types.

The outcome of the outreach process and TSW’s technical review was a series of recommendations focused on pedestrian, bicycle, vehicular, and “shared space” facilities. Projects varied greatly, and included: crosswalk accessibility upgrades; detailed concept plans; commercial on-street parking management; residential parking programs; private parking controls and enforcement; pedestrian upgrades with redevelopment; commercial area bicycle parking; and way-finding. The plan also includes an implementation strategy that contains a list of projects, timelines, responsible parties, and funding sources.