Golden Shoe Awards: Call for Nominations
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To encourage a better balance between people and cars, PEDS annually honors projects, programs, and people that have contributed significantly toward making metro Atlanta safer and mo re accessible for all pedestrians.
We need your help identifying potential award winners. Projects for consideration must be completed or almost completed during the past twelve months or be part of an ongoing program. Nomination forms are available online and must be received in PEDS' office by Tuesday, September 30.
The Golden Shoe Awards Celebration is scheduled for Wednesday, November 5, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Old Decatur Courthouse. Please mark your calender! |
Making Sidewalks Accessible to All
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PEDS' mission statement focuses on two issues: safety and accessibility. Thanks to red light cameras, in street crosswalk signs, and other changes, we've seen significant safety improvements. Due to inadequate investment in sidewalk maintenance and curb ramp construction and design, however, metro Atlanta's pedestrian infrastructure continues to be inaccessible to many people with disabilities.
PEDS President Sally Flocks recently sent a letter to Mayor Franklin and the Atlanta City Council to express concerns about the city's blatant violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As she documented in a highly visual position statement, violations typically fall into three categories:
- Sidewalks have gaps or height variations that block access to wheelchairs or create tripping hazards for people with visual disabilities.
- Curb ramps or cut-throughs have not been added to sidewalks or islands on numerous roads that have been repaved since January 1992.
- Recently installed sidewalks and curb ramps often have excessive cross slopes, abrupt level changes, or lack tactile strips or level landings.
 The Atlanta city code delegates responsibility for sidewalk repairs to adjacent property owners. Yet the city budget provides no funding to enforce this ordinance. As a result, broken sidewalks often go unrepaired for decades. At a special work session of the Atlanta City Council's Utilities Committee later this month, PEDS will ask the City to delete the ordinance delegating responsibility to property owners and to commit sufficient funds to eliminate the $100 million backlog of sidewalk repairs in 10 years.
By no means is Atlanta the only local government in the region whose sidewalk practices violate the rights of people with disabilities. In a presentation to the Atlanta Regional Commission's Bike-Ped Task
Force earlier this week, Sally increased awareness of issues and opportunities facing every local government here. To follow up, PEDS will invite national experts to hold a full-day training workshop on Designing for Accessibility early next year.
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State Transportation Plan: Your input is needed
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Governor Perdue has created a new statewide transportation planning partnership, called Investing in Tomorrow's Transportation Today, or IT3. The partnership brings together the Georgia Department of Transportation, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, General Assembly, the executive branch, and local partners to develop strategies for improving transportation in Georgia.
PEDS encourages you to provide input on pedestrian, bicycle, and transit needs by participating in this quick online survey.
Citizens and other stakeholders are also invited to provide input at a series of "Listening Sessions" that will be held around the state next week. The Atlanta session is scheduled for Wednesday, September 24 from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. and will be at the Georgia World Congress Center. Details are available here. |
Membership Matters
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Not yet a member of PEDS? Join today
and add your voice to the hundreds of metro Atlantans who already
look to PEDS to protect their rights and promote their dreams of making
communities in metro Atlanta safer and more enjoyable places to walk.
More than ever, this is a time when people who share our commitment to pedestrian safety and access need to stand together. Due to the region's transportation funding crisis, our Safe Routes to School program no longer receives federal funds. This makes increased support from the community especially important. That is why I'm asking you to take the important step of becoming a full-fledged member of PEDS right now.
Financial support from our members is what enables us to provide a voice for pedestrians at planning meetings, work with traffic engineers to eliminate hazards, and hold government officials accountable. If you're not yet a member, join now!
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