Every weekday morning and late afternoon, Houze Road becomes a kind of race track for commuters.

“We call it the Cherokee Autobahn,” said Jennifer Kuhtz, referring to the glut of Cherokee County residents who use the road to get to and from work, often at speeds exceeding the 35-mile-per-hour limit.

Kuhtz is president of the homeowners association at Saddle Creek, a Roswell subdivision that is bisected by Houze Road, also known as Ga. 140. For the past four years, the association has been trying to get a traffic light installed at the intersection where the subdivision’s east and west entrances meet the road.

Approval for a signal would have to come from the Georgia Department of Transportation, since it is a state road, Kuhtz said. Compounding the mission’s difficulty, is convincing the city of Roswell to back the association’s request.

“Interim Transportation Director David Low has told me the city won’t oppose it, but they won’t back us either because the traffic warrants aren’t there,” Kuhtz said.

Try telling that to residents of Saddle Creek, a subdivision with about 200 homes east of Houze and 300 homes west of the road.

Viki Breeland has lived in Saddle Creek for 20 years, 10 years since the Roswell subdivision was first begun in 1978.

“Back then I worked, and it was very early [afternoon] when I came home. It wasn’t until I retired that I realized how much traffic there is on that road,” she said.

To top off the problem, a rise in the roadway north of the entrances impairs sightlines, making it difficult to know when the next vehicle will be barreling over the hill.

But it isn’t just Saddle Creek drivers who are in a predicament. The subdivision’s club house and pool are on the east side, and pedestrians and bicyclists trying to get across the street for a few hours of recreation are in jeopardy.

Erin Kazmi lives on one side of the road and her friend lives on the other. Taking her 5-month-old son for a stroll in her friend’s company is an exercise in logistics. “We try to walk together every morning, but we have to drive to each other’s house. Some cars just fly over that hill, and if you’re starting across the road pushing a stroller,” Kazmi said, leaving the conclusion unspoken.

Roswell Mayor Jere Wood said he is sympathetic to Saddle Ridge’s situation, but stands by Roswell DOT’s findings that the intersection doesn’t meet the standard criteria for a traffic signal.

“They’ve got a real problem, but it’s not like we’re not trying to find a solution,” Wood said. “We’re actively trying to help. They don’t meet the warrants [for a signal] but we’re trying to come up with a Plan B.”

Wood has suggested installing a traffic island at the intersection. That would give a safe haven in the middle for anyone trying to cross the road on foot or on a bicycle, he said.

Kuhtz said even if the intersection doesn’t qualify for a light this year, it is just a matter of time before it gets one.

“Development north of us isn’t going away, it’s only going to increase. And so is the traffic,” she said.