Passing MARTA Buses: Is It Worth It?
Decatur Metro | August 12, 2009This morning, the AJC reports the death of a young girl in Clarkston after she was hit by a driver passing the MARTA bus that she just exited. In this case, the driver crossed the yellow line and attempted to pass the bus. But you don’t have to break the law to seriously harm or kill someone, from this
This tragic accident brought back memories of an incident from a couple months back when a Decatur resident’s dog was run over by a driver doing the exact same thing, except in that case the MARTA bus had stopped to let the pedestrian and his dog cross the street in a crosswalk. The driver, who hit the dog and nearly missed the man, assumed the bus was dropping someone off and passed on the left.
Jonesing to pass a MARTA bus to shave a couple minutes off your commute is a real problem with real consequences. Others might be O.K. with the 1 in 100,000 odds that nothing will happen, but I’m not doing it anymore.
If I end up behind a stopped MARTA bus in the future, I’m just going to wait. No more passing, even if I have a lane available. It’s just not worth it.
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I’m glad you posted this because I was thinking of sending it you. It’s a good reminder to all of us of the consequences of being impatient in a car, even it we’re not violating any traffic laws (as the driver in this case was), even if the pedestrian is in the wrong, and even if we are late to pick up our kids, late to the airport, late for work. It would also help if all of law enforcement, not just
Decatur Police, would ticket folks who aren’t adhering to traffic rules. Unfortunately, most drives need a stick as well as a carrot approach to remember to drive correctly at all times, not just when it’s convenient. One reason folks drive so well on Los Angeles freeways, despite the traffic, is that they know how likely it is that they’ll be ticketed if they drive on the shoulder, or make an illegal left turn, or speed.
I don’t want to lessen the tragedy here and based on what we know at this point, it sounds like the driver was clearly wrong.
But I used to live in that area so this story resonated with me because I remember frequently following buses and seeing riders exit and then treat the MARTA bus as if it were a school bus. They would exit and immediately begin crossing the street. Many times emerging from one of the buses blind spots. I would sit and cringe, just waiting for someone to get hit.
Let me say it again. It sounds like the driver was at fault here and this is clearly a tragedy. But it’s always wise to remember it ain’t a school bus, drivers ain’t gonna stop and you should always use extreme care to avoid flat ass crazy Atlanta drivers.
Good point that not only are Atlantans poor drivers in general, they also are poor pedestrians in general. Again, in Los Angeles, jaywalking tickets are quite frequent and folks learn not to do it but use crosswalks. And the drivers have learned to respect the crosswalks or be ticketed. It’s hard to change individual behavior; changing social norms and the physical environment usually is more effective.
Grift, we must have been neighbors because I also used to live out in this area and often saw many of the things that you referenced.
I think there are unique issues with peds and drivers in this area due to the huge refugee population. As profiled in Outcasts United, much of the law-breaking that goes on in Clarkston is partly because many of these new residents don’t know the laws. (There’s an excellent example in the book about a recently arrived man so excited to see his relatives for the first time that he hugs a cop and gets himself arrested.)
And before someone jumps, yes, it’s their responsibility to learn the laws, but in this case, because so many refugees moved to Clarkston in such a short period of time, it’s hard for the new arrivals to pick up the common sense rules of the road, because most of their peers also have received bad or incomplete information. So they think they know the rules, because it’s what their friends do, but in fact, they don’t.
Regardless, you make a good point. Peds must be careful too. But a pedestrian mistake can only get them killed. A driver’s mistake kills others.
Funny how perspective creates different perceptions. When we moved here ten years ago from south Florida, my wife and I were both pleasantly surprised to find Atlanta drivers were much better than south Florida drivers. Since the average age of drivers there is somewhere in the 90’s, the average height is about 4′ 6″ and every other car is a 2-ton Mercury Grand Marquis, the nicest way to describe the driving situation is “challenging.”
Atlanta drivers, while usually fast and aggressive, are at least more predictable (in my experience). In south Florida…not so much.
Anyway, to the point of the story. I’m so sorry to hear of the death of this girl, and am angry at the driver for flouting a very sensible law. We all hate getting caught behind buses when they stop, but it’s better than a train (or a drawbridge if you’re in south Florida). They don’t stop for long, and it just takes a little patience to wait an extra minute.
It wasn’t the first time that driver violated traffic laws, by a long shot. Maybe we need a Habitual Offender law for drivers. But, come to think of it, they would drive on a suspended or revoked license anyway, with no insurance to boot.
At any rate, this guy will be likely charged with felony vehicular homicide, which would put him away for a while if convicted. Cold comfort to the family of the little girl, I’m afraid.
No, it is highly unlikely that the driver would be charged with felony vehicular homicide. That’s typically reserved for intentional acts and/or severe DUIs involving death.
You’re correct, Joe– but there’s always a chance the DA would charge it, even if she knows that it will eventually be reduced to a lesser included offense (e.g., vehicular manslaughter).
News reports today stated that the warrant was for second degree vehicular homicide.
Just as I said. Odds are, though, that won’t be what the driver is actually convicted of– especially if there’s a plea (which there almost always is in cases like this).
I find Atlanta’s driving “culture” to be an aggressive, inhospitable, Darwinian, bare-knuckle cesspool. It’s awful. Unfortunately, I think it will take a sea-change in collective attitude to change the contemptible culture – similar to the gradual change in attitudes regarding drunk driving over the past +/-25 years.
I believe a good place to start is stepped-up metro-wide enforcement especially of dangerous infractions. Correct me if I am wrong, but it appears to me that Atlanta traffic is just a hair away from complete anarchy.
Yes, BRAD STEEL, the lack of civility and manners that has become the norm in Atlanta driving sends me over the edge. I tend to treat MARTA buses like school buses just out of courtesy and caution. Better safe than in jail, I sometimes say.
It is bad but it’s not the worst. I grew up in South Florida and that’s much much worse (even with bike paths everywhere)
My impression in town the last 10 years is that Atlanta and Decatur drivers are becoming better and more patient. At least on the surface streets that I travel. I usually bike everywhere and have been hit and run before so I’m very in tune to driver behavior.
Ridge,
See my post above. Looks like you and I are in sync here.
Although the olds in Fla are a problem, I was refering to the aggression and hatred deliberately focused by car drivers toward vulnerable road users. West Palm, Jacksonville and Orlando have Atlanta beat in that regard, hands down. In town Atlanta is actually fairly pleaseant to travel these days. Of course school has just started….
Can’t argue with you there. I grew up in Palm Beach Gardens, and you’re right about the hostility. Lots of honking, middle fingers and absolutely no patience for bicycles.
I used to have a motorcycle there, and learned quickly that nobody sees them. But that’s a whole different thread…
Note to self:
1. Write post about Eric and his motorcycle.
2. Change “Eric” to “Cecil the Mouse” and sell story to a children’s book publisher for a huge profit.
3. Return to Decatur with a huge celebratory event at Little Shop of Stories
4. Buy lot next to Eric and build massively annoying McMansion so he will never forget how I profited off his story.
5. Watch with glee as Eric gives up all of his conservative principals to fight my house at all levels of city government.
Or did you mean a thread about how no one sees motorcycles?
I was replying to your post (which, by the way, gave me a completely LOL moment), and I saw you edited out your statement about my conservative values. No need – I’m proud of those values! Long live fiscal conservatism!!
Now here’s my dilemma…do I change my name on DM to Cecil the Mouse?
Anyway, thanks for your very funny post.
Ha! OK, I put it back. I knew you wouldn’t care…I was just debating how edgy I should be.
Pedestrian crossings — too few and rarely recognized or enforced… that’s my experience in Decatur. It is tempting, but dangerous, to try to cross a street in Decatur unless you are at a stop-light crossing, because even when pedestrian crossings are marked, few cars will stop for a pedestrian waiting at the curb to step across, the exception being the Starbucks crossing on Ponce. Even at stop-light crossings, the “pedestrian walk signal” is almost meaningless, because of the folks turning right and ignoring pedestrians who have the walk signal across that street. At least one place in Decatur that I believe should have a marked pedestrian crossing (enforcement please) is on Clairemont at the YMCA, where people/children get off the bus and try to cross busy Clairemont without a light or a marked pedestrian crossing. The nearest stop-light crossings available to passengers disembarking at the bus stop across from the YMCA are several blocks to the north or south, so most people getting off at that bus stop who want to go to the YMCA take the dangerous steps across Clairemont in a jay-walking mode. The staff at the YMCA acknowledge the “problem”, but have not been able or willing to press anyone to add a pedestrian crossing at that location on Clairemont.
Excellent point. I’ve noticed the same problem. There is no reasonable alternative for the bus riders other than get off one stop ahead and or behind and walk 1/3 mile. Having a bus stop there makes it seem like a reasonable choice. Is that location in the City of Decatur or not? Some of the condos nearby have a 30030 zip but are not in the city limits and don’t pay city taxes.