Decatur Sets Aside $11k for Two New Crossing Guards
Decatur Metro | September 4, 2008 | 10:30 amScott points out another AJC blurb (only in the hardcopy) which notes the city has approved the hiring two new crossing guards, taking $11,000 out of the savings budget to pay them. It’s not online, but it is actually noted in the City Commission Meeting Summary from Monday.
Just another example of the city putting its money where its mouth is regarding the walkability/bikeability goal set in the 2000 Strategic Plan. Scott points out that while the concept of walkability has certainly caught on as a catch-phrase for communities as of late (ITP and OTP), Decatur is still very unique. Very few areas actually have the political willpower and tax dollars to complete the full puzzle, because its not just about being in close proximity, but also sidewalk/road design and actual perceptions of safety. (and we should listen to him – even when its just me paraphrasing – because Scott’s a pro and he’s knee-deep in this stuff every day 8) ).
So yes, it is just a couple new crossing guards, but its still an important example of the continuing vitality of our much larger, long-term plan.
But of course everything still hangs on available funds. And if Sonny cuts the HTRG and property values remain flat (or decline), AND we don’t annex, will we be forced to cutback come fiscal year ’09-’10?
That’s good news. Now if the City can just find the spare $ to improve the pedestrian street crossings signals, i.e., the buttons we push to walk at intersections. A couple of them don’t seem to workat all, and several are not marked clearly as to which button to push — no arrows on the polls, just buttons. And it’s been like that for quite a few years now. I’ve even thought of painting a directional arrow on some of them myself.
Vigilante civic improvement. I say go for it.
I was very happy to see this in the paper this morning!! Those two crossings were the last obstacles to Glennwood via bike for my son, and I know I’m not the only parent who felt that way.
Which crossings are they decatur mom? I didn’t get that piece of info…
I recall one was the real messy spot in front of the Dairy Queen. The other might have been at Fellini’s, crossing Commerce. Mom?
Yes, one is the pedestrian crosswalk between the DQ & fire station. The other is at Commerce & Sycamore Place, by the Ice House Lofts.
Re: the crosswalk signals – part of the master transportation plan is to bring all traffic signals, auto and pedestrian, into code, so the placement of the buttons, signals, timing, etc., will be addressed eventually. Remember that Decatur doesn’t do its own traffic engineering – DeKalb County does it. For more info: [email protected] .
One crossing guard will be assigned to the mid-block crosswalk just south of the Dairy Quenn on East Trinity Place. The other will be assigned to the intersection of Commerce Drive and Sycamore Place. We currently have three vacancies, so adding the two new ones will increase the number of vacancies to five. If anyone is interested in being a school crossing guard, information is available on the City’s website. (www.decaturga.com)
The City does not control the traffic signal system. It is operated and maintained by Dekalb County. However, the City has hired a traffic engineering consultant to monitor the operation of the downtown interconnected system, so if you have repair or maintenance issues with those signals, please see the website for information on how to report a problem to the City.
Well, I’m thrilled about the crossing guards but would gladly give them up if we have to annex to pay for them.
I’d be pretty surprised if annexation came down to an $11K discrepancy. Until we’re in a position to influence the engineering of all our roads — giving as much consideration to people as we currently do to cars — I’ll gladly prioritize the crossing guards.
Without them, we’ve got barriers between our kids and our schools. If you’re a Soccer Mom Chauffeur that may not seem like a big deal but for anyone who wants their kids to become more comfortable and able to maneuver the big outside on their own, it’s critical.
Glad to hear about the crossing guards; these kids and parents take their lives in their hands, especially near the DQ every morning. (Even with a crosswalk, it’s very dangerous.)
On the other hand, I had to laugh about the signals. One day I stopped a DeKalb traffic engineer at the corner of Ponce and Commerce (by Ted’s Montana) and asked if there was any way they could fix the timing of the lights — the walk/don’t walk intersection there is a joke — you barely have 20 seconds to cross Commerce. He told me , and I am not making this up, that it was the city of Decatur’s responsibility for the timing of the lights! Granted, now I think he was trying to blow me off, but really, this is BIG problem and so frustrating to our “walkable” city, when the timing of lights favor the cars, and not the pedestrians. We really need to work on this; the buttons are just a joke.
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Couldn’t agree more with the observations about the traffic signals at the intersection of Commerce & Ponce. Sometimes pedestrians get the 20 second walk signal, but half the time they get no signal. To exacerbate the problem, the walk signal on Commerce (between Ted’s and CVS) switches green simultaneously with the left traffic filter on Ponce going green, so pedestrians need to dodge cars swinging left from Ponce (drivers of which missed the lesson about pedestrian right of way).
I wholeheartedly agree that there’s something wrong with the walk signal between Ted’s and CVS. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it change from the red hand.
Slight aside…Though by no means reckless, I consider myself a pretty aggressive walker. When I have the right-of-way I always make it very obvious that I’m about to cross the street and I’m constantly trying to make eye contact with drivers to determine their intention. (if you do make eye contact, they’re a lot less likely to blow through your crosswalk)
Its mostly about attitude that you belong. Putting your head down and waiting for all cars to pass just reinforces the idea that you’re a second-class traveler. You don’t have to throw yourself in front of a bus to take back a bit of the street.
DM- I couldn’t agree more with your aggressive walker stance. IMHO, if we were all more aggressive we’d take back more street. Part of it is critical mass, like in NY and other walking cities, and part of it is forcing drivers to wake up from their driving-on-autopilot trance.
This doesn’t mean being stupid, it just means getting out there. I always step off the curb, make eye contact and rarely back down unless it’s just for the sake of being polite.