Traffic around Lavista/Clairmont/N Druid (Atlanta, Decatur: house, employment, neighborhood)

[ktloo]

After 8 years on a farm in Stockbridge (!), we're returning to the city in May. We bought a house in the Oak Grove/Sagamore Hills area, near Clairmont and Lavista, and I'm hoping to get an insider's scoop on what to expect for traffic. I work in midtown so I'd likely be taking back roads, rather than the highway home during rush hour. Do any of you travel these roads at that time? (I'm mainly trying to get a read on which roads actually move the best, between LaVista, Clairmont or N Druid Hills.) If you live in the area, does it clear out during off hours, as it does in Candler and Grant Park where I used to live? Any thoughts appreciated.

[JPD]

I don't kow what the rush hour traffic is like at those locations, but here are my impressions of those roads during non-rush hour:

Lavista is not bad during off hours. It's gridlock at Lavista and Clairmont, heading towards the Northlake area, on Sundays when the churches in that area let out. Lavista/Briarcliff and Lavista/Cheshire Bridge intersections can be backed up sometimes. Otherwise I've never experienced problems along Lavista.

N. Druid Hills seems to always be congested between Clairmont all the way to Buford Hwy.

Clairmont can get backed up at the intersections of N. Druid and N. Dekalb (near Emory). Usually it's not too bad, though. Other than those areas I've never had backups on Clairmont.

[slimster]

Rush hour can be sticky on those roads, but off hours are generally ok. The best option for getting to midtown without using I-85 would be to take Clairmont or Lavista over to Buford highway. Both roads will be heavy in traffic near the interstate. But Buford Highway south turns into the I-85 access road and is usually much better traffic-wise.

[xxman777]

The key is to stay away from Emory. Emory is a huge employment center and has very few roads going into it making traffic really bad. The key is to stay away from it. There are side streets you can take but they can be pretty congested also. Lavista isn't that congested of a street, mostly just between Clairmont and N Druid or the east bound approach to Briarcliff or Cheshire. N. Druid is congested anywhere north of Clairmont and Clairmont is going to be heavy near the highway but isn't too bad in other parts.

[ktloo]

Great info here. I appreciate it, y'all.

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by ktloo

After 8 years on a farm in Stockbridge (!), we're returning to the city in May. We bought a house in the Oak Grove/Sagamore Hills area, near Clairmont and Lavista, and I'm hoping to get an insider's scoop on what to expect for traffic. I work in midtown so I'd likely be taking back roads, rather than the highway home during rush hour. Do any of you travel these roads at that time? (I'm mainly trying to get a read on which roads actually move the best, between LaVista, Clairmont or N Druid Hills.) If you live in the area, does it clear out during off hours, as it does in Candler and Grant Park where I used to live? Any thoughts appreciated.

~~~~~~~~~
I have nothing 'Good' to say about the traffic in this area--my area.

Bad--always Bad--if you are going from NLake toward Decatur --Emory staggers its 'Shirts'--if you are going on an 'Early' shift--you can go that way without major hassles before 8AM--can't say there won't be gridlock any later---always 'BAD'--only the GA DOT has the 'Power' to make modifications--or so I have been 'Told'--complained 'Bitterly'---native of this area and each year since the late 90's things 'Have Not Improved'...Road Rage is not uncommon from 3PM on...

Welcome to the 'Neighborhood', other than that--you are living in one of Atlanta's better areas... 'Emory'--They are Good at What They Do...

Tongue in cheek--why do some prefer to live 'Out There'---this is so much better---'Intown' or whatever we are...


sls

[TakeAhike]

Seems to be 'Something' amiss--Lakeside High School Principal Chelf will be looking for a new job for the next school year--a nasty 'Racial' incident last year--and now they say 'Performance is the issue'--give me strength--if 'We' the People cannot 'Get Over' racism there is little hope for a better future...as if the Traffic wasn't bad enough to try the patience of a saint...

AJC--3-29-07

Go Here>>>>>
http://tinyurl.com/ypq7re (broken link)

sls


Go Here---

[lastminutemom]

This probably isn't about race, it is probably about competence and I think there is so much more to this story -- I believe that last year when they removed him, Chelf had already shown that he might not be such a great administrator. However, as always with the oh so efficient and wonderful Dekalb county school system, no one had properly documented incidents. So the system trumped up one incident to justify removing him.

However,what DCSS didn't anticipate was how angry Lakeside community would get over the racial incident not being particularly true. The community felt that they were perceived to be racist or racially strained, when they believed that not to be true. So they fought like dogs and cats to get him to get him reinstated. I have many friends in the Lakeside community who never loved the principal, wheren't overwhelming impressed with his skills, or actually thought he was lackluster, but weren't about to have their beloved school colored in such a bad light.

So, I believe that the issue all along was competence.

[atl1221]

most of those roads are congested all the time.....especially at rush hour. Briarcliff is awful all day IMO.