Atlanta is not a city that is synonymous with walking. Transportation for America, a pedestrian and mass-transit advocate group, recently ranked the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta as the 10th-most dangerous metro area for pedestrians. Sidewalks often have cracks in the concrete, are poorly lit, and in many cases, do not even exist. Pedestrians are faced with even more dangerous situations because crosswalks are at a premium. Many have to make the daily decision of either walking up to a mile out of the way to the nearest traffic light with a crosswalk or crossing the street in between traffic. While many talk of turning the Atlanta Metro area into walkable neighborhoods, the reality that pedestrians face when trying to cross the street is that the law of the jungle still reigns supreme.
When tragic stories are on the local news regarding pedestrian fatalities, more often than not the blame is placed on the victim. On Nov. 17, 2008, in Cobb County, a mother crossed outside a crosswalk with her four children. A driver struck and killed the woman’s 4-year-old daughter. In an unprecedented move by the Prosecutor, the mother was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.
Many Georgians fail to realize is that proper crosswalks are a rarity. The majority of pedestrians rely upon public transportation to get to school and work. According to a study by the Atlanta Regional Commission in 2008, about 25% of pedestrian accidents in the metro Atlanta region occur within 100 feet of a bus stop. Close to 50% of pedestrian accidents occur within 300 feet of a bus stop. While drivers on urban streets expect pedestrians, Atlanta’s suburbs and rural areas pose the greatest threat to the walking public, with even sparser lights and crosswalks, compounded with vehicles traveling at greater speeds.
While a walkable Atlanta may be in the future, it seems to be too far off in the distance.