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 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.
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.
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.
You could win a prize by reporting hazardous wires. Utility wires, telephone lines or metal cables across the sidewalks can trip people up and cause serious injury. Help PEDS untangle our sidewalks. The more wires you report in March, the more chances you have to win! Full details here.
How to Win
Find and record the location of hazardous wires (telephone lines, cables or other utility wires) in the sidewalk zone. Take photos if possible. Use our printable form to make reporting easy.
Throughout Georgia, marked crosswalks are disappearing at unsignalized intersections when the Georgia Department of Transportation resurfaces multi-lane roads. GDOT engineers point to research showing that marked crosswalks, on their own, are not enough to provide safe pedestrian crossings on multi-lane roads used by over 12,000 cars a day.
After reading GDOT’s justification for removing a crosswalk on Roswell Road, we reminded District 7 engineer Bryant Poole that federal guidelines recommend that where crosswalks alone are insufficient to create safe crossings, transportation agencies need to do more, not less. High-speed multi-lane roads like Roswell Road account for 65 percent of all pedestrian fatalities nationwide. Removing crosswalks does not solve the problem of getting pedestrians safely across the street.
If marked crosswalks, on their own, are inappropriate as a solution, engineers need to identify other solutions that enable pedestrians to cross the street safely and conveniently. As FHWA puts it, “Regardless of whether marked crosswalks are used, there remains the fundamental obligation to get pedestrians safely across the street. If one treatment does not accomplish the task adequately, then move on to the next one. Failure of one particular treatment is not a license to give up and do nothing.”
PEDS is monitoring and speaking up about state legislation of interest to pedestrians. House Bill 938, which prohibits reading or sending text messages while operating a motor vehicle, would greatly reduce risk to all road users. Please call or email your state representative to express support for this bill. Find your state representatives here. Once you know who they are, get their contact information and voice your support!
Remind them that texting and driving is worse than drinking and driving. Not convinced? Check out this CNBC video:
RSS Feed
Congratulations Lyubov Zuyeva, whose participation in PEDS hazardous wire hunt landed her a $75 gift certificate to 
Ray LahoodConsider walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes;
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?