Sandy Springs leaders debate car-centric vs. walkable city future

Sandy Springs council members have pushed back on traffic alleviation and connectivity plans from their own consultants, staff, and the Georgia Department of Transportation throughout the year.

Whether proposed roadway projects interfere with Sandy Springs businesses and homeowners or prioritize motorists driving through the city, a handful of elected officials want new solutions.

During the approval of the city’s five-year update to its transportation master plan, council member Andrew Chinsky was the only elected official in opposition. He thanked staff and consultants for incorporating some of his feedback, but opposed its “vision, policy, and timing.”

“I would like our policy to be less focused on helping people drive through Sandy Springs and more on connecting our residents and neighborhoods,” Chinsky said. “While we live in a state where GDOT is very focused on roads, our policy can still help move away from car-centric investment and focus on mobility without the use of a car.”

Plan sets up TSPLOST

Sandy Springs officials chimed in throughout the planning process, advocating for a citywide curb management policy for ride-booking and delivery services, an emphasis on well-maintained infrastructure, and more travel options for residents.

The city’s third transportation master plan, and first since 2021, incorporates new projects identified in other consultant-led studies and evaluates all projects on the same criteria.

Mayor Rusty Paul said investments in roadways allow the city to win competitive federal grants because of the desire for improved connectivity and the city’s regional significance as a choke point. He said the Hammond Drive widening project will allow buses to use the corridor, connecting City Springs to the Central Perimeter business district. The project also improves pedestrian and cyclist safety and infrastructure.

Other council members wanted to see specific initiatives included in the plan, like neighborhood traffic calming, congestion management, and regular updates about the pace of project delivery.

Kristen Wescott, the city’s transportation and traffic manager, said the plan helps provide a 10-year road map for city spending on up to $280 million in transportation infrastructure. Most of that funding will come from a transportation sales tax (TSPLOST), up for renewal in November.

“Needs change, and issues are identified that need to be addressed,” Wescott said. “Nothing in the 2026 Transportation Master Plan update limits the city from acting on these concerns. For example, in 2025, my department received over 800 requests for improvements, everything ranging from fixing a broken sign or checking on signal timing to more complex questions about how to improve an intersection for safety and operations.”

General community feedback

The most common community responses about “getting around Sandy Springs” include a lack of walkability and a desire for more sidewalks, speeding and safety concerns along Roswell Road (SR 9), and traffic congestion.

One resident advocated for improving walkability and reducing neighborhood cut-through traffic in a survey response earlier this year. Roadway safety, declining tree canopy, and sidewalks were other recurring themes.

Typically, sidewalk and multi-use path construction reduces tree canopy along existing roadways. City and state roadway projects have decreased the number of single-family residential lots along SR 400 and Hammond Drive.

The city’s project list for the countywide 2027-32 0.75-cent sales tax includes tens of millions of dollars for the city’s capital sidewalk program, which fills gaps in neighborhood networks to improve connectivity.

A small minority of anonymous survey respondents had a completely different perspective, including one local doomsayer.

“Atlanta’s weather and topography make it a car-centric city,” one person wrote. “Please don’t let people who delusionally desire walkability (but still have a car, don’t walk anywhere, and won’t walk anywhere even if we implement expensive changes) ruin Sandy Springs.”

At the Aug. 4 council meeting and plan approval, Chinsky said investing in roadway expansion and adding one more lane won’t reduce traffic or affect speeding. On the timing, he said approval should take into account citizen input on the comprehensive plan.

“You won’t be sitting in traffic; you won’t be getting in accidents,” Chinsky said. “And we can have higher-density residential development where appropriate for our zoning, which touches on so many of our goals all at once.”

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