The Ten Deadliest Cities for Pedestrians - Close Call for ATL

Transportation for America recently released their Dangerous by Design 2011 report.  Fortunately, Atlanta did not make the top 10.  They state that between 2000 and 2009, 47,047 pedestrians were killed by vehicles and another 688,000 were injured.  To put that into perspective, it would be more than 15 passenger jets carrying 300 passengers crashing each and every year for 10 straight years.  I don't think we the people would put up with that.  However, because of the non-spectacular nature of pedestrian deaths and the fact that they all too often occur to people living in poverty, this pedestrian genocide goes overlooked.

Over 50% were on arterial roads like many of the roads right here in Roswell and North Fulton that were designed to give automobile traffic the highest priority.  Fortunately, Roswell has been adding sidewalk capacity and filling in gaps in just these types of areas and has plans to do more.  Now, adding sidewalks is just a band aid but at least they offer some level of safety that doesn't exist without them.

Here's the list of the top 10 metro areas:

1. Orlando
2. Tampa
3. Jacksonville
4. Miami
5. Riverside, CA
6. Las Vegas
7. Memphis
8. Phoenix
9. Houston
10. Dallas-Fort Worth

My message to you...  DO NOT WALK IN FLORIDA!!  These findings remind me of a talk that an acquaintance of mine, Rick Geller, delivered earlier this year at the Congress for the New Urbanism Florida Chapter meeting in Seaside.  Rick is trying to gain support for a safe streets bill in the Florida legislature.  It's pretty obvious from this report that they need it.  Check out his blog if you'd like to read more about the issues in Florida.  Good luck Rick!

So, it's great that the ATL isn't in the top ten.  Well kind of, we're number 11.  The Atlanta MSA had 798 pedestrian deaths during the decade which accounted for 12.5% of all traffic related deaths. Slightly above the national average of 12%.  Be careful out there and any time you hear someone say we don't need to fund sidewalks and safe streets, you may want to inform them of this depressing stat.  

Other tidbits that I find interesting:

• RoundAbouts (counterintuitively) are the safest form of intersection in most normal road situations.  People pay more attention when approaching a roundabout and there are fewer conflict points.
• Narrower lanes are almost always safer than wider lanes on surface streets.  People pay more attention when driving in a space that is less comfortable.
• Two way surface streets are safer than one way streets in most cases. And they're better for business.
• Posted speed limits have very little impact over what speed drivers will go. Road width is the secret.
• Removing road signs completely can actually increase safety. Again, drivers have to pay attention in these types of environments.

Related Posts:

• Watch & Learn: Can Removing Traffic Signs Increase Safety?
• Traffic Misconceptions

image: Transportation for America

Number 91!!!

The only memorable 91 I can remember is Dennis Rodman when he was with the Bulls.  He was mostly memorable for the wrong reasons.  I think Atlanta is in the same category here.

The Brookings Institute recently released its study 'Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America.'  I wish I had better news for everyone but I don't.  Those of us up here in N.Fulton who would love to see better transit in our area know this all too well already.  The Atlanta region ranked 91st out of the top 100 metropolitan areas in the transit accessibility profile.  The most shameful statistic was that only 38% of metro residents live in a neighborhood that is 3/4 of a mile or less from a transit stop.  This compares to a national average of 69%.  

Our lack of redundancy in our transportation system coupled with our sprawled out living arrangement is threatening our quality of life and it could cause talent and business to look elsewhere.  At least we have one thing going for us... We'll all be able to read the billboards.  

See the Atlanta breakdown here. 

image: FailBlog.org

Roswell Left Out of Top 50 Bicycling Cities

Although I only recently moved to Roswell, one of the things I noticed almost immediately was that the city supports cycling.  There is a bike box on Riverside Drive, ample signage on many cycling routes as well as a mayor supported weekly ride around town during the good weather months.  So, I was actually surprised to see that in a recent Bicycling.com ranking of the top 50 cycling cities in the US that Roswell was not on the list.  In fact, no cities in Georgia made the cut.  Maybe we were slighted because we have not been able to keep the Tour de Georgia race up and running.  The closest city on the list was Chattanooga. 

Cyclists shouldn't be discouraged though as the momentum is strong.  The recent Georgia Rides to the Capitol event had a strong showing.  Mayor Jere Wood, an avid cyclist, rode to the gold dome along with 1,200 other cyclists from Roswell and Decatur to show support for new legislation that would require automobiles to give three feet of clearance to cyclists.  That would be excellent and hopefully make the streets just a little safer.  If we keep pushing for positive things, eventually, we will get them.

New Urban Roswell Update

We're starting something new this week.  Our weekly post will take on a similar format as our old Peach Bites posts.  We will round up news related to new urbanism, smart growth and in some cases, green living from Roswell, Atlanta and beyond.  We are going through a backlog of news stories that we have accumulated over the past several months so please bear with us while we catch up.

Roswell

One large item to report here in Roswell from earlier this month is the groundbreaking of the midtown streetscape improvement project.  We haven't seen anything of note just yet but we can't wait to see the finished product in a year or so.

Sandy Springs, Roswell Eyeing New Bridge

This would be a big win for both communities. I'm hoping that Sandy Springs will kick in their half as their community will benefit from the bridge.

Roswell OKs Barrington Hall Stairway

I live in the mill neighborhood and see Barrington Hall every day. This will be a great addition to that well traveled intersection. It will bring more attention to the historic building and hopefully it will result in the city putting in sidewalks along the west side of 9 and the south side of 120 so that pedestrians will actually be able to get to the stairs.

Metro

There have been a few stories of note recently in Atlanta.  It's exciting that virtually all potential development these days has some sort of new urbanist, smart growth or TOD characteristics.  

GM Plant in Doraville Becomes Mixed Use Development - Atlanta Real Estate Forum

This could be huge. I'd wouldn't be surprised if it becomes something similar to an Atlantic Station on the north side of the city. One thing that makes it even better is the easy accessibility to MARTA. This is a great opportunity to showcase new urbanism concepts on a large scale in a part of the city where people will take notice. What a relief that a stadium isn't going in here.

Atlanta startup, Ridecell, on the move - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

Just another great way to use your mobile phone. Now if MARTA could just do something to entice regular people to ride the bus.

Beyond

CDC: People in sunny states happiest, New York least - USATODAY.com

I find it interesting that all of our neighboring states can be ranked so highly while we're coming in at 19. Florida #3, Tennessee #4, Alabama #9 and SC higher than us. What does that say about life in Atlanta?

Georgia Cities Vie for Google - GPB.org

This would certainly be an interesting move by Google. Three Georgia cities are in the running; Decatur, Savannah and Peachtree City. Wishful thinking that Roswell would be one of those three. I'm actually surprised that one of the North Fulton cities isn't in the running given the money that resides in the area.

Inspired Ethonomics: Portland, a Global Model of Transit-Oriented Development - Fast Company

I love the quick hit on TOD in this article. The point that you never want to design a city for one type of person is very important. You want young people, families and retirees of all ethnic backgrounds to be able to live in your community. A diverse community, just like a diverse ecosystem, is a healthy one.

Events

Alive After Five- 4/15 - This year's Alive After Five season kicks off on tax day.  

Dogwood Festival - 4/16 - 4/18 - The annual Dogwood Festival will be held in Piedmont Park.  This one is always a safe bet for a good time and you can appreciate Atlanta's largest park.

Inman Park Festival - 4/24 - 4/25 - The Inman Park Festival is Atlanta's largest festival.  We love this festival for many reasons but the fact that it is in the beautiful walkable neighborhood of Inman Park is probably the number one reason.  Inman Park is one of the few neighborhoods in Atlanta that exhibits many of New Urbanist characteristics.  Be sure to take MARTA if you go.   

Go Wild in Roswell - 5/20 - 6/6 - This is a citywide celebration of nature that will feature different events on different days.  Check out the link for details.

Atlanta Streets Alive - 5/23 - This one is still a little while away but it is a really interesting concept.  

Peach Bites

Georgians Aren't Water Hogs - Apparently we're not guzzling as much water as you may have thought. I think that 1.8 percent is misleading though. The sprinklers in my neighborhood didn't kick in until the beginning of July. Now, I'm seeing the sprinklers on while it's raining which leads me to believe it's back to the old mentality. Georgia Public Broadcasting

Atlantans Could Save $21.2 Billion by 2020 - A McKinsey & Company report cited by Consumer Reports indicates that Americans can save $1.2 trillion by 2020 with effective investments in energy efficiency. Wow! That translates into $4000 for every man woman and child in the US. Atlantans would collectively save about $21.2 billion. That could pay for almost 10 Beltlines.. It could even come close to paying for that crazy tunnel under Atlanta that some of our wise leaders in the capitol have discussed. Consumer Reports

Atlanta Ranks Highly on Outside Magazine's Top Cities - This year's rankings of best cities ranked Atlanta #3 overall behind Colorado Springs and Seattle. Their criteria were pretty thorough so I can feel comfortable that the proper level of research was done. I would tend to agree with the ranking given the sheer volume of activities within 2-3 hours of the heart of the city. The article mentions fishing, mountain biking, cliff jumping, boating and hiking as positives for the area. Outside Magazine

Beltline Gets Bond Issuance Approval - The Atlanta City Council granted approval for the Beltline to issue $267 million in bonds to fund the project. The plan is to issue $145M - $165M in October. Developer interest will ultimately decide the amount that is issued in October. It's great to see this project moving forward. Creative Loafing

Peach Bites

Georgia Tech Makes the Honor Roll - The Princeton Review has named Georgia Tech to its Green College Honor Roll.  Georgia Tech is the only university in the region to make the list and strikingly absent is Emory University which has more LEED certified buildings than any campus in the nation. MNN

Suniva May Go Public - The Norcross based solar company is considering going public.  They have raised $75M in private funding and are looking for more. The company has obtained over $1 billion in orders. Atlanta Business Chronicle

Atlanta Ranks 33rd in Sustainability - The NRDC recently released rankings of the most sustainable cities in the US.  The west coast came out on top with Seattle winning the #1 spot and San Francisco and Portland close behind.  Roswell was 23rd on the smaller cities list.  Creative Loafing

Help For Our Right Whales - New technology may help ships avoid collisions with whales.  This will help the dwindling population of right whales that breed off the coast of Georgia.  TreeHugger

They'll Call it HotterLanta Soon - I hate the silly name of Hot-Lanta that our city picked up in the 90s but it is appropriate now and will be later this century if predictions are correct.  A report released recently on the potential impacts of global warming states that average temperatures in the 2080s will likely be 4.5 to 9 degrees hotter.  Macon.com

Peach Bites

Study: Use mass transit, save more than $9,000 a year - AJC

I could definitely use $9k a year. I don't think this will work out too well for those of us living in Alpharetta though.

Greenhaven Home by Pace Home Builders Open to the Public July 10th - Greenhaven Home

I love the idea and the Greenhaven home has ALL of the bells, whistles and certifications to make it a green home. However, I just can't fully buy into the 5k - 7k square foot green home. That's just gigantic. The builder says they are building what buyers are demanding but it just doesn't seem green.

Atlanta ranks as Southeast’s No. 4 city - Atlanta Business Chronicle

This isn't so much green as it is interesting. Study authored by NC professor ranks Atlanta fourth out of nine cities in the southeast on factors affecting economic growth. Atlanta is behind Raleigh-Durham, Austin and Charlotte (hmmmm).

Commuter buses' idling causes stir - AJC

Maybe we wouldn't have this issue if the two big counties to the north of the city had had the foresight to become part of MARTA years ago.

Grist Ranks Mayor Franklin #6 Among the Greenest Mayors in America

Having instituted a number of Green Initiatives since taking office, Mayor Franklin has helped lead Atlanta in a bright green direction. Some of the city’s most notable undertakings are the Beltline, infrastructure modernization, reductions in electricity use and the establishment of the private sector group Sustainability Atlanta. If we keep the momentum, we will continue to see the progress. “We are building a green, sustainable city,” Franklin says. “We do this for our children, and we do this because it is the right thing to do.”

See the full list here.