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NATCHEZ — Is there a specific intersection in downtown Natchez that could use some improvement? How about a gap in the sidewalks?

Residents and stakeholders of downtown Natchez can submit their thoughts in an ongoing traffic study known as the Natchez Downtown Transportation Plan that seeks to identify ways to make downtown safer and more inviting for pedestrians and those living and working downtown.

The number one gripe of downtown business owners attending a Downtown Merchants Group meeting on Wednesday at the Natchez Coffee Company is that traffic moves way too fast to be pedestrian friendly.

Shops at Kress owner Mamie Henry suggested making every traffic light blink red and putting up stop signs at every block “just to try it for a couple months” and see if it would help.

“I know it’s a pain and I don’t want to stop at every block, but I’m one of those who walks downtown and having my shop right on the corner (of Franklin and N. Commerce streets), people come flying around the corner — red or green — to beat the light. If somebody was walking right there, they wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Downtown Natchez Alliance Director Kevin Miers said while the data collection process is ongoing, “Everyone’s main concern is the speed of traffic downtown.”

An online map allows stakeholders to pinpoint particular areas that need attention, he said.

In this map, many have already identified problem intersections, places with invisible stop signs or where visitors often make wrong turns down one-way streets.

Some have made suggestions for parking lots, four-way stops and pedestrian crosswalks.

Find this map in the link below:

https://tsw.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/reporter/index.html?appid=cf1685265dbf475db27515191877a902

 

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