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Peachtree City council votes to open Crabapple Lane to golf carts for seasonal traffic counts
Summary
After hours of public comment split between Kedron Hills residents who warned of safety risks and supporters who sought connectivity, the council voted unanimously to open Crabapple Lane to golf carts only for a months-long traffic-count study beginning Jan. 3 and running through August.
Peachtree City Council on Dec. 24 voted unanimously to reopen the Crabapple Lane gate to golf carts only for a defined monitoring period to gather traffic counts through August.
The decision followed more than a dozen public comments from residents on both sides of the issue. Skip Schaeffer, a Crestman resident, urged the council to install cameras at both ends during the trial to prevent manipulation of counts: "I strongly recommend that when we do this, we install cameras at both ends of Crabapple Lane so that an accurate count can be taken," he said. Robert Clough, who identified himself as a Tyrone resident, said the gate’s closure previously cost the region $1.7 million in road-improvement funding and asked for an impartial study.
Opponents from Kedron Hills told the council the road and bridge are unsafe, lack sidewalks and include steep drop-offs. Joan Brennan said the planned study felt like "a ploy to open Crabapple Lane," warning that the bridge has "no guardrail, and the eroding bank drops off 15 feet to a creek." Supporters including Christine Lewis of Tyrone said a temporary, data-driven trial was reasonable to determine actual cart usage.
Council members said they voted to gather data rather than commit to a long-term change without evidence. "We need data," said a council member during debate. The motion, made by a councilmember who said he had been hearing from residents on both sides, called for counts to begin Jan. 3 and continue through August with video evidence, periodic counts and professionally installed monitoring equipment.
Council asked staff to return with a methods plan — including how counts will be measured and monitored and how to restrict entry to golf carts only — before the trial begins. The motion carried by voice vote with no recorded dissents.
Next steps: staff will post notice on the city website, install monitoring equipment and return to council with a counting methodology and enforcement plan before reopening the gate.
