Snellville businesses work to keep US78 alive

I was one of those who was against ending the reversible lane system in Snellville, fearing that it would destroy businesses here (like I felt it hurt Memorial Drive/GA-10 in Stone Mountain.) I lived and worked near Memorial Drive during "the decline." Although the median did hurt some businesses, I now feel that the degradation of the area should be blamed on "white flight," not the median. It was once a thriving area, but any town will fail if citizens have irrational fear of people who are different from them.

Now that we have the median on US78 - I really do like it, it really is better looking than what we had before. The lighted street signs are especially nice, replacing lights hung from wires across the highway. I'm no longer on red-alert all the time about vehicles darting into my lane from any direction. I'm more likely to frequent the businesses there, because the driving's easier now - even pleasant sometimes.

Another bonus is that when people leave a business, the median causes them to have to turn right. Turning right is quicker and cuts down on the amount of time someone will sit (and cause others to sit behind them with engines idling) when they try to turn left. This has to be helping our air quality.

I have to say that Mayor Oberholtzer was right, and I was wrong. That's why he's mayor, and I'm just a lil ol' blogger.

Businesses band together to revive US 78 corridor
Gwinnettdailypost.com
SNELLVILLE — More than a decade ago, Dwight Harrison watched as fellow business owners on Memorial Drive in DeKalb County cursed a median put in place of a ...