Downtown road could allow for two-way traffic

City council members are pondering going in a different direction on the frequently traveled one-way road of Enota Street in downtown Dahlonega.
“It was made into a one-way street and was formally a two-way street,” said Mayor JoAnne Taylor at last month’s meeting.
That all might change if a majority of council members decide to open up the small downtown road to two-way traffic.
Council member Ross Shirley said this might be a good idea since left hand turns are trouble at certain times of the day.
“This issue is going out on either end of Boyd Circle in the afternoon or the mornings,” he said. “…It’s pretty difficult to take a left-hand turn out of either end of that.”
If the road converts to a two-way, the cost for the switch-over will come in at around $3,000, said City Manager Allison Martin.

PARKING PONDERING

The street initially shifted to one-way traffic when a lane was converted to accommodate a row of 10 parking spaces. Though the intent was to provide downtown bus parking, council member Ryan Reagin said most of the spaces are often used as personal parking for a nearby residence.
“I share a similar perspective to Mr. Shirley,” he said “…I’ve only seen three buses parked there maybe in the past two years. Normally when I drive by, there’s two or three cars, and it is from one house typically that is right out front.”
Both Reagin and Shirley have resided in the area near Enota Street and have frequently found themselves making the tricky turn onto East Main Street.
Meanwhile, council member Johnny Ariemma said that he’d rather not forfeit the parking spots since free spaces downtown are always scarce.
“Parking is a problem,” he said. “Do we really want to get rid of parking? I say no. If we need it, we got it.”
Council member Roman Gaddis agreed.
“I don’t know that we should give up ten parking spaces for two-way traffic,” he said.
He added that it might also create other traffic problems in the process.
“I don’t know if by doing this we’re creating another problem that we’re not foreseeing,” he said.
He used himself as an example as he pointed to his younger freewheeling days in high school when he used to avoid the downtown stop-light by taking the side street.
“I would fly through there and whip around and somebody would see me and tell my parents,” he said to laughter from the assemblage.
Taylor also pointed out that a possible two-way change might not coincide with future planning for downtown.
“As we try to spur development towards the east side of town, those parking spots might come in handy,” she said. “Just a thought.”
The proposal may come up for a vote at a later meeting.