Coming Soon: New Yard Signs
| In 2006 and 2007, we distributed nearly 4,000 yard signs telling motorists to SLOW DOWN, which helped deter speeding in more than 120 metro Atlanta neighborhoods. Some drivers have grown numb to the yellow signs, so it's time for a new look. Thanks to support from the Governor's
Office of Highway Safety, we plan to order 2,000 more signs early next year.
The design and message aren't final yet, and we'd like your input on what the signs should say. We're considering these six options. Vote here to let us know which you like best.
   
(Click images to enlarge.)
Help us put the brakes on neighborhood speeding.
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Pedestrian Safety Lags Other Regions
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 Pedestrian
safety in metro Atlanta, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention reported recently, lags behind other parts of
the country. "What's happening over time in Atlanta is not what's
happening over time in the United States," said Laurie Beck, a CDC
epidemiologist and report author. "Atlanta
pedestrian fatalities were more likely to occur away from road
intersections," researchers found, "suggesting that they may occur among people walking
along the sides of the road or crossing at midblock."
Looking at a 28-county area, the study found that the pedestrian fatality rate did
not change between 2000 and 2004. Yet within the five core counties, where most of the
region's pedestrian fatalities occured, we've noticed dramatic changes. In
Fulton and DeKalb counties, pedestrian fatalities declined
signficantly, especially in the City of Atlanta. Meanwhile, pedestrian
fatalities doubled in Cobb County and tripled in Gwinnett.
As
transit spreads to the suburbs and communities increase in density, a
safe pedestrian realm is needed in more places. The Georgia Department
of Transportation should provide funding for a program that actively
retrofits state roads with sidewalks and safe crossings, particularly on roads providing access to transit stations and bus routes. |
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Speed Radar Signs in School Zones
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Atlanta City Council members Clair Muller and Joyce Shepard plan to introduce a resolution encouraging the installation of permanent radar signs at all school zones in the City of Atlanta. City traffic engineers have also expressed support for use of these signs in school zones.
Speed radar signs, which provide feedback to motorists on how fast they're traveling, have been installed in Alpharetta, Marietta, and Roswell, and at one pilot location in Atlanta. The signs are very effective at getting motorists to drive within 5 mph of the posted speed limit. PEDS commends Councilmembers Muller and Shepard for their support for speed radar signs and encourages the City Council to move forward on this.
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Red Light Cameras Under Attack
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 Red light cameras are deterring aggressive driving and saving lives in communities throughout Georgia. Yet seven bills have already been filed for the 2008 legislative session that threaten the existence of red light programs here. Several bills lower fines to levels that would make camera systems unaffordable and ineffective. Others call for comprehensive red light camera reform or the elimination of language in the Georgia Code authorizing the use of cameras for ticketing.
Opponents of red light cameras typically use misleading statistics to support their arguments. For example, rear-end crashes often increase after cameras are installed, which opponents use to claim that red light cameras have no safety benefit. Yet a closer examination of the data shows that serious T-bone crashes like the one pictured above, plummet following the installation of red light cameras. As drivers learn to adjust their behavior, rear-end crashes decline as well.
TV stations could play an important role in promoting safer driver and helping the public understand traffic laws and the tools government agencies use to enforce them. But unfortunately, some stations seem to prefer catering to populist anti-enforcement sentiments by hyping suspicions that contradict the very facts they report. In a recent story about red light cameras, for example, WSB used teasers, anecdotal evidence, opinionated
lawbreakers, and mislabeled documents to suggest that traffic engineers in Marietta might have rigged intersections enforced by cameras so as to generate more revenue for the city. The story reinforced myths, contradicted evidence provided by engineers, and left
viewers misinformed. A letter PEDS sent to officials at WSB-TV details our concerns about the station's misleading stories.
For more information about red light cameras, check out the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website. The Q&A section does a good job of addressing automated enforcement myths and has an excellent video at the top of this page of their website.
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Save the Date: January 30 Annual Meeting
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PEDS' Annual Meeting is scheduled for January 30 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. We hope you can join us to meet your fellow advocates, elect board members and officers, learn about progress we've made in changing some of Atlanta's most pedestrian-unfriendly policies, and provide input on our priorities for 2008. 
Thrive, a new restaurant in downtown Atlanta, is hosting the event and providing appetizers and a cash bar. Located at 101 Marietta Street, the restaurant is close to the Five Points MARTA station.
Please mark your calendar!
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