Hull leaders discuss safety of Glenn Carrie Road

By Jeremy Elrod

Hull city officials talked about the safety of Glenn Carrie Road recently.

“We had originally thought that adding a stop sign would be a baby step towards fixing the speeding issue on Glenn Carrie, but after further review and discussion with Commissioner Mike Youngblood it seems that may not be the best decision after-all,” said councilman Brian Koepnick. “Having cars come to a stop could potentially be a danger, and I don’t want to create a worse problem while trying to fix this one.”

Madison County District 3 commissioner Mike Youngblood spoke up about the matter.

“I’ve talked with the chairman, and in order to make a change like this there would really need to be a traffic study done to address the legal issues of putting up a stop sign,” he said.

Mayor Paul Elkins asked the council for more input.

“So the consensus is that it’s not a good move?” he asked.

Youngblood said he wouldn’t favor the move.

“From a county standpoint I would personally advise against it,” he said. “I agree there is a problem and that something needs to be done, but I believe putting in a stop sign or speed bumps would be terrible.”

Elkins inquired about other options.

“Would there be a possibility of putting in a caution light halfway down the hill or a sign signaling a hidden drive?” he asked.

Youngblood offered alternatives for the council to consider.

“The county is more than willing to work with the city in any way to fix this issue,” said Youngblood. “We’ll see what we can do to help with signage or increased presence of law enforcement along the road, and if the city would agree to it, we could even reduce the speed limit down to 25 mph instead of 35 mph.”

Elkins offered some final thoughts on the matter.

“This isn’t an issue we want to take lightly, and I appreciate all the help and input we’ve had thus far,” he said. “I believe we need to hold off on a decision until we can consult the DOT and engineer for advice.”

OTHER BUSINESS

In other matters, the surveying and staking of pins remains tabled until August 2013. The paving of Yarborough and other roads throughout the city was tabled until May. The council is working on the city’s five-year comprehension plan and will hold a public hearing March 18. Also, Elkins made mentioned the upcoming SPLOST vote in November and shared his thoughts on the issue.

“If anyone asks about SPLOST, it’s the fairest tax there is,” he said. “If you spend money you pay it, but if you don’t, it won’t cost you anything.”