To that end, we're assembling what we expect will be an excellent team of consultants, staff and task force members. So far, the Safe Routes to Transit task force includes representatives of the Atlanta Regional Commission, Georgia Department of Transportation,  Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, MARTA, Gwinnett County Transit, City of Atlanta, and Cobb and Fulton counties. We expect to hear back from other agencies soon.   

Dan Cohen, a transportation planner who worked previously at the City of Atlanta and Pond & Company, will facilitate task force meetings. Andy McBurney,  who will soon complete graduate school at Georgia Tech with joint degrees in regional planning and engineering, is preparing PowerPoint presentations and other documents illustrating best practices for bus stop location and creating safe crossings at locations that are not controlled by stop signs or traffic signals. And Josh Levin, a first year graduate student at Georgia Tech with terrific people skills, will conduct focus groups aimed at learning more about pedestrian behavior.  How far will people walk to achieve a safer crossing?  And how long are they willing to wait before crossing outside a crosswalk or against the light?  

Recognizing PEDS as a valuable partner in its efforts to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities, the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety recently renewed its support by awarding us a $69,100 grant.

• Inform transportation professionals about tools that create safer crossings on multilane streets;
• Help the City of Atlanta develop an effective sidewalk maintenance program;     
• Promote pedestrian-friendly policy change; 
• Encourage the Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta Regional Commission and local governments to fund pedestrian safety projects.