PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1999, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified the Atlanta metropolitan
area as the nation's second most dangerous large metropolitan area for
pedestrians. Between 1994 and 1998, Atlanta's pedestrian fatality rate
increased 13 percent, while the national pedestrian fatality rate decreased
by 9.6 percent. A total of 309 pedestrian fatalities occurred in the
Atlanta area between 1994 and 1998. The city's pedestrian fatality rate
(per 100,000) increased from 2.53 in 1994 to 2.85 in 1998. During the
same period, the national pedestrian fatality rate decreased from 2.19
to 1.98. Males in Atlanta are three times more likely to suffer pedestrian
fatalities than females, and African Americans and Hispanics are two
and six times more likely than Whites, respectively, to die in pedestrian
crashes.
Georgia's state health agency
identified 11 one-mile corridors and ten intersections that are most
dangerous for pedestrians. Researchers attribute Atlanta's unfriendly
pedestrian environment on a number of factors, including lack of sidewalks
and reckless behavior by both motorists and pedestrians. To address
these pedestrian safety concerns, NHTSA and the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) formed a OneDOT team to develop the Atlanta Area Community Building
Forum on Pedestrian Safety.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Atlanta
Area Community Building Forum on Pedestrian Safety, initiated in 1999,
is to save lives and reduce the number of pedestrian injuries by:
- Encouraging partnerships
between Federal, state, county and city governments, and incorporating
other partners
- Heightening public awareness
and education about pedestrian safety issues
- Addressing pedestrian
accommodations in the planning and engineering processes of land development
- Enforcing pedestrian
and driver laws
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The One DOT team hosted a town hall meeting and
invited representatives from the state and city transportation agencies,
public health agencies, law enforcement leaders, civic leaders, and
the authors of the pedestrian report from CDC. A community forum was
established and One DOT Regional Administrators agreed to have NHTSA
take the lead in project planning. The One DOT safety team, along with
community volunteers, planned the agenda and speakers, and established
a mailing list of the target audience. A memorandum of understanding
(MOU) was drafted and signed by all partners. The MOU coordinated an
effort to reduce the number of pedestrian incidents in Atlanta, and
establish a framework for continuous cooperation among key government
officials and partners. It also outlined commitments between various
local government agencies, so as to make the forum results-oriented.
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