With pedestrian deaths on the rise in Georgia, despite falling automotive fatalities, Andria Simmons and Jeremiah McWilliams look at what is being done to make the Atlanta region's streets safer for those on foot and in wheelchairs.
2012 is on pace to be another deadly year for pedestrians in Georgia. With the total number of fatalities on the state's roads having
dropped by 27 percent in recent years, pedestrian deaths are making up a growing share of the state's traffic fatalities, report Simmons and McWilliams.
"Not enough is being done to accommodate pedestrians who have to deal
with high-speed automotive traffic, said David Goldberg of the
Washington-based advocacy group Transportation for America."
"'You're lucky to get a sidewalk, you very infrequently see
well-marked crosswalks, and you have very long blocks,' said Goldberg, a
Decatur resident from 1995 to 2011. 'Motorists have gotten accustomed
to thinking the roadway belongs to them. That width [of road] sends a
signal to the motorist that you're supposed to drive at interstate
speeds.'"
Although some counties in the Atlanta region are allocating funds to improve sidewalk conditions and safety, the amount falls short of what is necessary. Unfortunately for the region's pedestrians, "much of the hoped-for money for sidewalk
repairs, refuge islands and HAWK crossings was tied up in the T-SPLOST
project list," which was voted down last month.
Read the full story: Rise in pedestrian fatalities in Georgia puts spotlight on safety
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