Blueprint America, a PBS initiative exploring the state of the nation’s infrastructure, is shining the spotlight on Buford Highway, Georgia’s deadliest road for pedestrians.  The segment in which PEDS appears was broadcast as part of a TV news magazine called Need to Know on July 23 at 8:30pm.

Michael Orta, PEDS’ Director of Community Education, worked closely with the Blueprint America film crew, participating in interviews, providing background and crash data and connecting reporters with government officials and people living along Buford Highway.

Watch it here:

You can also see this video on the Need to Know website along with comments from other viewers.

PEDS has asked the Georgia Department of Transportation to address Buford Highway’s lack of safe crossings and high pedestrian fatality rate for over a decade. This film enables us to highlight these issues on a national stage. It also gives the Georgia Department of Transportation an opportunity to explain — after years of inaction — where its safety improvement plans stands.  Don’t miss this revealing show.

Or is the sign just moronic? Research has already shown you can’t really drive safely while using  a cell phone.  Driving while talking on a cell phone distracts the brain from its primary task: driving.  DeKalb County should remove this sign on East Roxboro Road and others like it.  See the sign on Google Maps street view.

It’s oxymoronic to see this sign in DeKalb County, especially since DeKalb passed a law in 2006 that punishes drivers who wreck while using cell phones.  If you cause a crash while talking on your cell phone in DeKalb, you could face prosecution and fines up to $500.  Yet, according to a report by WSB Channel 2 Action News in April 2010, the law is rarely enforced.

Good news: the Georgia DOT is replacing the flashing yellow crosswalk signals in the Chamblee/Doraville area of Buford Highway with HAWK signals. What’s a HAWK signal? It’s basically a pedestrian-activated red light. PEDS has been recommending these to GDOT for years. With 7 lanes of 45 – 55 mph traffic, Buford Highway is Georgia’s most dangerous road for pedestrians. HAWK signals provide a safe way for people to cross. The new signals haven’t been turned on yet, but GDOT’s Calvin Duncan says they’ll be turned on in about two weeks. More to come.

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.