January 21, 2007

Mr. Daniel R. Brown, Superintendent
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
905 Kennesaw Mountain Drive
Kennesaw, GA 30152

Mr Brown

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the public meeting tonight. As I mentioned at the meeting, I have used the park since 1972 as a motorist, runner, hiker, and cyclist. I have a great appreciation for the value the park offers this community as a memorial site, for it's historical educational opportunities, and for recreational activities. I have fond memories of the park from my childhood, and have seen changes in how the park is used, as well as a significant growth in usage of the park over time. After hearing your concerns, I know you have a difficult decision to make and I wish you the best.

I know your most pressing concern is the possibility of a serious incident occurring on the mountain road before a long-term solution can be implemented. Since you know when the highest use times are on the mountain road, and currently have limited resources, I suggest that you focus your resources on the mountain road during those peak periods to remind vehicle users of the speed limit and pedestrians of their correct placement on the road or shoulder. This would provide the most visibility of park rangers in the highest risk area during the peak use periods, and provide the greatest opportunity to educate the variety of park users of potential problems that may arise.

I support a use fee and hope that enables more funding to flow directly to the park.

One alternative I did not hear proposed was to provide a path on the outside (left side going up, right side coming down) of the road for use exclusively by pedestrians. This could be accomplished with limited raising of the grade on that side of the road with a rock retaining wall. That could potentially provide a 3-4 foot paved walking surface for pedestrians, while maintaining the existing road width for vehicles (shuttle bus, private motor vehicles, and bicycles). The path would be immediately adjacent to the existing outside vehicle travel lane, but separated from the travel lane by a curb.

I would not support the construction of a new multi-use trail from the visitor's center to the mountain top that follows a different alignment from the existing road bed. I believe the environmental impact on the mountain and the historical earthworks would be too significant.

I would not support an alternative that maintains the existing roadway for motor vehicles, while segregating bicycles and pedestrians together onto a shared path. Nor would I support the proposal to convert the inside lane for use by the shuttle bus and convert the outside lane for shared use by pedestrians and bicyclists. It's important to note that bicycles mix well with motor vehicle traffic, but bicycles and pedestrians do not mix well in the same shared space. This is largely because vehicles (motor vehicles and bicycles) tend to travel in a predictable manner and maintain a consistent position in the travel lane, while pedestrians often engage in more unpredictable movements, resulting in conflicts when bicycles and pedestrians share a relatively small space such as a shared path. I urge you to review the bicycle and pedestrian information available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/.

In terms of a long-term solution, I would propose the following:
Institute a use fee or parking fee for private motor vehicles.
Lower the speed limit on the mountain road.
Evaluate alternatives for a smaller shuttle vehicle (maybe a tram or smaller shuttle bus). Given the sharp curves on the mountain road, and the narrow lane width, the size of the school bus currently in use appears to be contributing to the problem. If necessary, the reduced vehicle size could be offset with increased shuttle frequency or additional shuttles.
Maintain the existing travel lanes for vehicle use (motor vehicles and bicyclists).
Add a pedestrian path adjacent to the outside lane, as proposed above.

If no solution can be found that permits continued shared use of the mountain road by all current users, I would propose prohibiting private motor vehicles from the mountain road, extending the shuttle to seven days per week using smaller vehicles, and maintaining access to the mountain road by pedestrians and bicyclists.

I understand that there may be better alternatives that have not yet been proposed, and am interested in contributing to the process to find the right solution for all of the users of our park.

If you wish to discuss this with me directly, feel free to call me at any time.

Best Regards,
Brad Troxel