PEDS Blog

Gov. Sonny Perdue signed into law two bills that limit distracted driving. The first one prohibits drivers of all ages from texting while driving.  The second makes it illegal for anyone under 18 to use a cell phone while driving.

Violators can face a penalty of $150 and one point against their driver’s license.  The laws take effect July 1, 2010.   Pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers on Georgia’s roads will be safer as a result of these new laws.  It’s about time, don’t you think?

Will Governor Sonny Perdue veto Senate Bill 360 that would ban texting while driving?  We don’t know.  Perdue has until June 8 to sign it but he hasn’t been clear about his intentions.

Please call Sonny Perdue (404-656-1776) and urge him to sign SB 360 to ban texting while driving in Georgia!  If you prefer to write a letter, use this form.

Currently, text messaging is banned for all drivers in 27 states and the District of Columbia.  See an interactive map of texting bans here.  In addition, novice drivers are banned from texting in 8 states (Alabama, Delaware, Indiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas, and West Virginia).

According to Georgia’s legislative rules, this bill will pass if Governor Perdue either signs it or does nothing. But, he could still decide to veto it.  So please call Perdue today (404-656-1776) and urge him to sign the bill.  This is a big deal and we need him to show his full support for a ban on texting while driving in Georgia.

MARTA’s Dump the Pump Day encourages people in Metro Atlanta to save time, money, and the environment, by forgoing fossil fuels and taking transit. This year, MARTA and the Georgia Aquarium are hosting a Video and Blog Contest to highlight “Why MARTA Matters to the Environment.” All submissions are due June 7, 2010, and winners will be announced on Dump the Pump Day on June 17th. Get the entry form and details here.

Many multi-lane roads in metro Atlanta lack safe crossings to bus stops.  Roads like Buford Highway, Memorial Drive, Singleton Road, Roswell Road, Tara Boulevard and others simply lack crosswalks or traffic lights where folks can cross to or from a bus stop.  People have no option but to risk their lives crossing wherever and however they can.  See for yourself.

Recent data from the ARC shows that 48% of all pedestrian crashes in metro Atlanta occur within 300 feet of a bus stop.  One in four pedestrian crashes is within 100 feet of a bus stop.  PEDS is demanding solutions. On April 20 PEDS gathered 29 representatives of transportation agencies to discuss — and experience — the lack of safe crossings to bus stops on multi-lane roads. We had everyone cross Roswell Road to see for themselves how hazardous it can be. Take a look.

When a pedestrian is hit by a car, you’ll often hear or read “the pedestrian was not in a crosswalk.” Period. Television and newspaper reporters love that phrase: “The pedestrian was not in a crosswalk.” It leaves you thinking the pedestrian was an idiot. Rarely does the reporter ask “What crosswalk?”

That’s why we’re so pleased with today’s article by AJC reporter Ralph Ellis (Hit-run suspect faced similar charges in 1997). Ralph’s article on this deadly pedestrian crash identifies the location of the incident, but then includes this: “There’s no traffic signal or crosswalk at that spot. The nearest crosswalk is half a mile in either direction.”

Fact is, many roads in metro Atlanta lack crosswalks over huge distances.  Bus riders and local residents have to take their chances crossing 5 to 7 lanes of heavy traffic on a daily basis.  So the next time you see a reporter say a pedestrian was not in a crosswalk when hit, ask yourself “What crosswalk?”  Excellent work, Ralph Ellis!

GOOD URBANISM 101:
Lessons for Designing Cities
Tuesday and Thursday evenings, April 15-May 4, 2010
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Good Urbanism 101 is a six-class course focusing on quality urban design. It is sponsored by the Georgia Conservancy. Learn about the history, principles, and current practices of urban design, including an emphasis on walkability, integration of alternative transportation options, sustainability, and the relationship between urban infrastructure and the urban experience.

Who should attend?
Anyone interested in planning, designing and building a better Atlanta – neighborhood residents, government officials, engineers, non-profit advocacy and advisory groups, architects, landscape architects, planners, attorneys, financial professionals, developers, and real estate brokers.

Register Now! – Space is Limited (click here for registration information)

Congratulations Lyubov Zuyeva, whose participation in PEDS hazardous wire hunt landed her a $75 gift certificate to Phidippides shoe store yesterday in our first of two random prize drawings. Lyubov is a PEDS member who grew up in Novgorod, Russia and now serves as a senior planner for the Atlanta Regional Commission. Lyubov’s not Irish, but St. Patrick’s Day was her lucky day.

We encourage everyone to keep reporting loose wires to PEDS.  Keep your eyes out for utility wires, telephone lines and metal cables in the sidewalks area, and report them to PEDS.  Our next prize drawing will be March 31.

Here’s a sample of photos submitted with recent wire reports.

This Wire Hunt includes Alpharetta, Atlanta, Conyers, Decatur, Dunwoody, Marietta, Newnan, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Stone Mountain, and unincorporated Clayton, Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties. Report hazardous wires to PEDS in March and you might win a prize.

Wire Hunt details here. Questions? Contact Jo Ann Zyla at 404-522-3747.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood issued a new policy statement on March 16th that calls for full inclusion of pedestrians and bicyclists in transportation projects, with particular attention paid to transit riders and people of all ages and levels of mobility. Blogging, Secretary LaHood wrote: “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”

Key recommendations for state DOTs and communities include:

• Ray LahoodConsider walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes;
• Ensure convenient choices for people of all ages and abilities;
• Go beyond minimum design standards;
• Integrate bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on new, rehabilitated, and limited-access bridges;
• Collect data on walking and biking trips;
• Set a mode share target for walking and bicycling and track them over time;
• Maintain sidewalks and shared-use paths the same way roadways are maintained, and
• Improve non-motorized facilities during maintenance projects.

The new USDOT policy gives PEDS what we need to prompt pedestrian-friendly policy change in metro Atlanta. The new policies are especially relevant to our efforts to promote better sidewalk maintenance and safer street crossings at bus stops. The National Complete Streets Coalition calls the new federal policy a full embrace of Complete Streets principles.

(Consider submitting this article to your community newsletter!)

Finally after an unseasonably cold, rainy winter our beautiful trees, bushes, flowers and shrubs are beginning to flourish! Please check to see if spring has sprung into the pedestrian path. Do you know, as a property owner you are responsible for trimming trees or vegetation along the sidewalk in front of your house?

Sidewalks should be accessible to all people, including wheelchair users and the visually impaired. The American’s with Disabilities Act says the clear zone must be at least 36 inches wide and 80 inches high. No bushes, flowers or grasses should protrude into the sidewalk area. Please make way for walkers by trimming your hedges and tree branches.

If the vegetation is in the public right of way (the grassy strip between the street and the sidewalk) and too big for you to handle, you may need to contact your local public works office. If the overgrown sidewalk belongs to a neighbor, start by politely asking the property owners to trim their plants so pedestrians can safely use the sidewalk. If the vegetation is on land owned by an absentee landlord or a government agency, such as a park or transit station, use PEDS’ hazard reporting tool to report it.

Walking through the neighborhood is a great way to enjoy the greening and flowering of spring. But it’s no fun if you’re ducking and side-stepping to avoid vegetation. So please, remember to make way for walkers by keeping your sidewalk area clear.  Thanks!

Concerned citizen Vernelle Hall called PEDS to tell us about her frustrating experience with the utility companies.  Here’s her story.

Ms. Hall found a utility wire hanging down in her northwest Atlanta neighborhood.  So Ms. Hall contacted Georgia Power about the issue, but when Georgia Power’s guys came out they claimed they couldn’t do anything because the dangling wire is a cable line belonging to Comcast Cable.

So Ms. Hall called out Comcast for a visit. But the Comcast repairmen said they couldn’t touch the wire because it’s on Georgia Power’s pole.  It’s a classic case of passing the buck.

PEDS has sent letters to local government agencies reminding them that, ultimately, local governments are responsible for making utility companies clean up their tangled mess. Each jurisdictions has a franchise agreement with utility companies that should include provisions for penalties and fines. No more pointing fingers. It’s time our local governments hold utilities accountable for their loose wires.

If you notice a wire or cable in the pedestrian path, report it online.