e-newsletter header
 March 2010
In This Issue
Federal Agencies Embrace Non-motorized Transportation
Wire Hunt Update
Make Way for Walkers
Communicating with Candidates: March 27 Training
Federal Agencies Embrace Non-motorized Transportation
Ray LahoodU.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. The policy emphasizes non-motorized access to transit and accommodating 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:
  • Consider 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 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.

The importance of non-motorized access to transit was also affirmed by the Federal Transit Administration. Responding to input from local communities and advocates, the FTA has made pedestrian projects within one mile and bicycle projects within three miles of public transit facilities eligible for FTA funding. Quadrupling the distance from transit in which pedestrian projects can be funded, FTA's new policy is a big step in the right direction.

Wire Hunt Update and Prize Winner

PEDS thanks the volunteers who are taking time to participate in our Hazardous Wire Hunt. As you can see from photos submitted with recent reports, loose or detached utility wires create tripping hazards for people on foot. Example of  wires found in 2010 wire hunt.

Hazards like these get fixed only if people report them and hold government accountable. That's what makes help from volunteers critically important.

Lyubov ZuyevaCongratulations 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 appreciate her volunteer effort and encourage everyone to keep reporting loose wires to PEDS.

Please 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.

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 404-544-3747.

Make Way for Walkers!
Sidewalk Vegetation
After a cold, rainy winter, our beautiful trees, bushes, flowers and shrubs are finally beginning to flourish! Please check to see if spring has sprung into the pedestrian path. In most metro Atlanta communities, property owners are responsible for trimming trees or vegetation along the sidewalk adjacent to their homes.

Sidewalks must be accessible to all people, including wheelchair users and people with limited vision. No bushes, flowers or grasses should protrude into the sidewalk area. In addition, the American's with Disabilities Act requires an 80 inch high clear zone above sidewalks. Please make way for walkers by trimming your hedges and tree branches.

If an overgrown sidewalk belongs to a neighbor, start by politely asking the property owners to trim their plants so pedestrians can use the sidewalk safely. 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.

If overgrown vegetation or protruding limbs are in the grassy strip between the street and the sidewalk and too big for you to handle, contact your local public works office.

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!

PEDS encourages neighborhood organizations and advocates to use this article in their community newsletters or neighborhood blogs.
Communicating with Candidates: March 27 Training
Help make 2010 the year that candidates for governor commit to transit, bicycle, and pedestrian improvements.  Join fellow transit, bicycle, and pedestrian advocates to learn effective ways to communicate with candidates and the media.

TRANSPORTATION ADVOCATE TRAINING
March 27, 9:30 
- 11:30 AM
Central Presbyterian Church, 201 Washington Street, Atlanta
Click here for details.

Logo - thick - small
Help make metro Atlanta walkable!                  
                
Donate!   Join or Renew Membership   Link to HAWK signal video

PEDS is a member-based advocacy group dedicated to
making metro Atlanta safe and accessible for all pedestrians.
404-522-3666       peds.org