Nightmare on Huntington Drive

With Halloween looming, it's not ghosts and goblins that frighten city officials in Loganville. The thing that scares them the most is the traffic problem that arises with Trick or Treaters in Huntington Ridge around Oct. 31 every year.

“It’s a nightmare,” said Chief Mike McHugh at Thursday’s city council meeting, adding his concern was getting emergency vehicles to the back of the subdivision if someone had a medical emergency.

In previous years, part of the problem has been a well-attended haunted house on Yearling Drive that drew a lot of attention during the days surrounding Halloween. Councilman Mark Kiddoo said that won't be a problem this year.

However, there are always traffic problems because of the number of children who Trick or Treat in Huntington Ridge. The cars dropping them off or parking to walk through the neighborhood with the children block off many of the streets, particularly Huntington Drive.

“I’ve personally stood with a counter and counted 700 kids,” said City Manager Bill Jones, who lives in Huntington Ridge. He said his concern too is the potential for emergency vehicles not being able to get through if needed. “I couldn’t get in for 45 minutes. What if someone had a heart attack?”

Officials decided the best thing would be to prevent all street parking on Huntington Drive on Oct. 30 and 31.

Councilman Ray Martinez had asked that parking on that main thoroughfare be limited to one side of the street for the two or three weeks approaching Halloween until Nov. 3.

Mayor Ray Nunley said if measures were needed that far in advance, they were likely needed on a more permanent basis. McHugh said other subdivisions, such a Tara, were getting just as bad with cars parking on the streets. The parking ordinance was amended recently to address the problem of cul-de-sacs because utility vehicles and other such vehicles couldn’t turn around if vehicles were parked on the street.

Officials decided to table the matter to look at it in a broader context next month with a view to taking permanent measures citywide. In the meantime, a temporary measure was passed for Huntington Ridge, just for Oct. 30 and 31. Residents would be notified in utility bills prior to Halloween and public works staff members will begin putting up covered “No Parking” signs to be unveiled Oct. 30 and 31.

In a related parking matter, city officials voted to close of east-side parking on Main Street heading northbound to Highway 78. The matter would be turned over to the Department of Transportation engineers for evaluation. If approved, the DOT would do all the necessary street painting and erect the relevant signs. Officials said there had been so many near accidents and mirrors had been broken because of vehicles parked on both sides of Main Street.