Safe Streets for Walking & Bicycling, the Atlanta Regional Commission's new regional safety action plan, aims to reduce pedestrian and bicycle fatalities in the region to zero by 2030.
Getting to zero will be difficult - but the aggressive target confirms that ARC is serious about saving lives.
Sally Flocks and Kemberli Sargent both served on the technical advisory committee and are thrilled with quality of the plan.
The plan recognizes the importance of road design and the need for systemic improvements. Rather than chase "hot spots" - specific locations where crashes occurred previously, ARC will focus on "systemic" changes. These include installing lighting, changing signal timing to give pedestrians a head start over people driving cars, and installing median refuge islands.
ARC will also prioritize projects that include effective safety improvements when it selects which projects to fund. The plan also recognizes equity issues and calls on ARC planners to provide technical assistance to local jurisdictions.
Bravo!
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