e-newsletter header

November 2007


In This Issue
Connect Atlanta Plan
Marked Crosswalks
Maximum Speed Limits
Golden Shoe Awards
Join Our Mailing List!
Greetings!

We want to let you know of a great opportunity to influence the City of Atlanta's recently launched Connect Atlanta Plan. We also have promising news to share about the Georgia Department of Transportation's draft guidelines for marked crosswalks on state roads and about state laws that could bring slower speeds on neighborhoods streets.

Read on!

Sally Flocks
President & CEO, PEDS

Connect Atlanta Plan: Stakeholder Committee Members Needed
Connect Atlanta"Transportation is typically something that's done to Atlanta, not for it," Congressman John Lewis lamented at a press conference several ago. Fortunately, that's about to change, as the Atlanta Bureau of Planning engages in a yearlong planning process to develop the City's first Comprehensive Transportation Plan.

The Bureau of Planning is soliciting applications for its Stakeholder Committee. Committee members will be expected to routinely attend Stakeholder and public meetings, act as a link between the Stakeholder Committee and your community  or constituents, and provide input on key issues. The deadline for submitting applications is November 20. The application form is available online at Connect Atlanta Plan.

Draft Guidelines for Marked Crosswalks on State Roads
In response to concerns expressed by PEDS and others about the Georgia Department of Transportation's policy of eliminating marked crosswalks at intersections that are not controlled by traffic signals when state roads are repaved, State Bicycle-Pedestrian Coordinator Amy Goodwin was charged in March with drafting a new policy based on federal guidelines.

GDOT's draft guidelines recognize the need to provide safer crosMedian refuge island at crosswalksings on state roads and call on engineers to provide additional safety enhancements at locations where marked crosswalks alone provide inadequate protection for pedestrians. The guidelines also state that crossing treatments at mid-block locations should be reconsidered on a case-by-case basis and rely on "sound engineering judgment." PEDS applauds GDOT's inclination to untie the hands of its engineers.

The draft guidelines' provisions for crosswalks at signalized intersections need improvement. Rather than preclude the installation of marked crosswalks, the absence of curb ramps or pedestrian signals should trigger remedial action. We'll keep you posted on our progress encouraging GDOT to develop a timeline for installation of ADA accessible facilities on streets that have been repaved in the past 15 years, as well as guidelines for where WALK / DON'T WALK signals should be installed. 
Reduce Speed Limits on Neighborhood Streets
If hit by a vehicle traveling 35 mph or higher, most pedestrians would be killed. Despite that, the posted speed limit on many residential streets is 35 mph. Lindbergh Drive, Howell Mill Road, and Joseph Lowery Boulevard are just a few examples. 
Not 35 mph
The Georgia Code establishes 30 mph as the maximum speed limit in "any urban or residential district" O.C.G.A. � 40-6-181 -- so anyone living on a residential or urban street with a posted limit of 35 mph can make a good case for lowering speed limit. Residential districts are defined  by the Code as areas where the property along the highway is improved with residences or residences and buildings in use for business for at least 300 feet. O.C.G.A. � 40-1-1 Thoroughfares with speed limits of 35 mph or more are not considered residential districts. O.C.G.A. � 40-14-8

Residential districts -- i.e., areas with housing and/or businesses on streets with speed limits below 35 mph -- are eligible for more effective traffic enforcement than most other streets.  Due to legislators' fear of speed traps, Georgia law prohibits local police from using speed detection devices to ticket speeders unless the vehicle exceeds the speed limit by more than 10 mph. 
O.C.G.A. � 40-14-8  Fortunately, these restrictions do not apply in school zones, historic districts, and residential zones. By reducing speed limits on residential streets to 30 mph or less--as mandated by the state code--traffic engineers can eliminate the 10 mph "grace zone" that prevents police officers from providing effective enforcement.

In response to a request from residents along Peachtree Battle Avenue, the Atlanta City Council's Utilities Committee voted recently to reduce the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph.  We encourage residents of other streets with posted speed limits of 35 to ask for lower speed limits as well.
Golden Shoe Awards:  Who's wearing them now?
Decatur receives Golden Shoe Award At our 8th annual Golden Shoe Awards Celebration in October, PEDS presented Golden Shoe Awards to 11 people, projects, and places that have contributed significantly toward making metro Atlanta safer and more accessible for people on foot. A news video of the City of Alpharetta's effective crosswalk sting brought a standing ovation from the audience. The event provided a terrific opportunity to demonstrate the wide variety of issues involved in creating a pedestrian-friendly environment.  2007 Golden Shoe Awardees
Governor's Office of Highway Safety Renews Grant to PEDS

Morris Brandon ElementaryPEDS is proud to announce that our partnership with the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety continues this year with a $68,400 grant for pedestrian safety initiatives.  GOHS-funded projects you can expect from PEDS in the year ahead focus on the three E's of pedestrian safety--education, enforcement, and engineering--and include:

  • New yard signs reminding motorists to slow down.  Got any ideas for the new message?  Email us!
  • Radio ads reminding drivers of their responsibilities to people on foot
  • "Hang Up and Drive" campaign emphasizing the risks created by driving when talking on cell phones or sending text messages
  • Ads designed for parking facility exit gates
  • Crosswalk enforcement stings by plain clothes police officers
  • Monitoring court dismissal rates for crosswalk law violations, analyzing patterns, and contacting prosecuting attorneys and municipal court judges.
We look forward to continuing to work with GOHS to reduce pedestrian fatalities and injuries in metro Atlanta safer.
Quick Links
About Us
PEDS is a member-based advocacy group dedicated to making metro Atlanta safe and accessible for all pedestrians.

email: [email protected]
phone: 404-522-3666
web: http://www.peds.org