e-newsletter header
September 2011 
In This Issue
Last call for nominations
Creating safe routes to transit
That txt can w8
Ask City Council to fund sidewalk maintenance

12th annual Golden Shoe Award Celebration

Golden Shoe on White BackgroundLast call for nominations: Sept 23 deadline  

The deadline for submitting nominations for PEDS' Golden Shoe Award competition is approaching.If you know of pedestrian-friendly people, projects or places deserving recognition, please let us know. Nomination forms , which can be submitted via email,  must be received in PEDS' office by Friday, September 23.   

 

Mark your calendar: Nov 1 Awards Celebration, 6:00 - 8:00 PM

                          Perkins + Will, 1315 Peachtree St, Atlanta 

Mapping and mitigating pedestrian hazards on transit corridors  

Pedestrian Road Safety Audit MeetingAndy McBurney, who recently completed graduate school at Georgia Tech with joint degrees in regional planning and civil engineering, and Eugene McGuinness, a second year grad student at Georgia Tech, spent the summer helping us identify and document pedestrian safety hazards on three of the region's most dangerous transit corridors for pedestrians: Ponce de Leon, South Cobb Drive and Hairston Road.

In a few weeks, they'll complete terrific maps and reports. We'll pass these on to the Georgia Department of Transportation, whose engineers are eager to implement safety improvements.

To follow up, we're also encouraging transit agencies, planners and engineers to work with us to develop guidelines on bus stop location and appropriate pedestrian facilities for crossings on various types of roads.

 

Don't text while driving, cycling or walking

Walk Aware posterYou know not to text and drive, right? But did you know texting while you walk can put you at risk, too? Recent research shows pedestrians, especially younger ones, are much more likely to be hit by a car if they're using a cell phone while crossing the street.

 

We're collaborating with Georgia State University on a Walk Aware campaign that includes a video contest among students. We're also working with GSU police to crack down on distracted driving around the campus.  WSB-TV anchor John Bachman and 11Alive's Commuter Dude reported on a successful GSU sting operation, catching many drivers in the act. 

 

As someone who walks in Atlanta, you know that busted sidewalks, missing meter covers, and reckless drivers mean that walking demands your full attention. Please join us in reminding friends: that txt can w8. 

Ask City Council to invest in sidewalk maintenance! 

Sidewalk Maintenance Town HallThe Town Hall meeting on sidewalk maintenance we held recently struck a nerve with everyone who attended. Questions and comments from the audience confirmed: residents find broken and uneven sidewalks unacceptable.

 

A presentation by Public Works Commissioner Richard Mendoza reassured us that his department is committed to finding and fixing sidewalks hazards.   

 

Just one barrier remains: the City budget does not provide sufficient funding to enable Public Works to do its job. Indeed, even when property owners pay the City to repair sidewalks adjacent to their lots, the money goes into the general fund. 

 

Jay Tribby, Councilman Kwanza Hall's chief of staff, attended the meeting and took plenty of notes. A few days later, Councilman Hall introduced legislation directing funds paid by property owners for sidewalk maintenance into a sidewalk trust fund.   


Creating a sidewalk trust fund is an important first step.
Yet the City receives less than $100,000 per year from property owners who voluntarily ask the city to implement repairs. To address the $152 million backlog of broken sidewalks, the City also needs to invest more public funds in maintenance. 

 

Stay tuned for Town Hall meetings on sidewalk maintenance in council districts throughout the City in the months ahead.  

 

TAKE ACTION: Atlanta residents, let your council member know you want the City to create a sidewalk trust fund and to invest in repairing broken sidewalks.  

Training opportunities

 

 
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