From The Decatur Minute…

On May 31 the Decatur Police Department conducted a pedestrian crosswalk education initiative to follow up with the previous crosswalk education and enforcement activity on May 2 that addressed drivers. Officers targeted crosswalks at the intersections of Commerce Drive and W. Ponce de Leon Ave.; Church Street and E. Trinity Place; and Church Street and Sycamore St.

Officers made contact with 30 pedestrians who were attempting to cross the roadway improperly. They did not issue citations but did distribute a pamphlet created by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to educate those pedestrians and they answered questions concerning pedestrian safety. They also distributed an additional 20 pamphlets to pedestrians who asked about what was happening.

In a city with a population as dense as Decatur, opportunities to connect our isolated, early to mid-century neighborhoods are few and far between.  And I’m not just talking about paving new roads through neighborhoods – a near impossible task today – but even offering new pedestrian access between neighborhoods.

But then I came across this “Pedestrian Connectivity Map” (pdf), which was displayed and then edited in marker by residents at the first Community Academy session that tackled transportation issues.

While you’ll notice many proposed edits by residents added with marker (I quite enjoyed the Scott Boulevard “Death Trap” notation) the dashed green line connecting Coventry Road, Oakland and Lamont is actually a hard-coded, “proposed multi-use trail” as indicated by the legend (not seen here).

The city’s Amanda Thompson confirmed my reading of the map, and that this trail was indeed a possibility, especially if it gets the backing of area property owners.

And while I could certainly understand the potential hesitation of people who lived around these parcels, I can’t help but think of the potential benefits.  Not only would dog-walkers, runners and general pedestrians be able to do a Coventry/Lamont/Clairemont/Wilton/Oakland loop without ever having to get on Scott Boulevard, but it would create a shorter walking route (via Oakland) to Clairemont Elementary, if Ponce Heights residents were rezoned into that school district.

Quite an interesting and unique opportunity for our neighborhoods to consider!

Photo from The Decatur Minute

With all the recent talk about pedestrians vs. motorists vs. cyclists and general crosswalk issues around the city, I thought it would be timely to remind everyone about the stamped concrete asphalt crosswalks that will soon be poured around the city.

Currently Decatur has only one slightly raised, stamped concrete crosswalk: at Ponce and East Courthouse Square.  But soon, we’ll have seven more!

The Decatur city commission just approved a bid by Traffic Calming USA at last Monday’s meeting and Asst. City Manager Lyn Menne tells DM that the crosswalks will most likely be poured after the holidays in January to avoid traffic issues. “Generally January is very slow…Looks like they want to start around January 4th.”

Where will you see these new crosswalks?  At some of the city’s most dangerous (and talked about) crosswalk locations, that’s where!

• Mid-block 200 E Ponce de Leon Avenue between the Decatur Renaissance Condominiums and the Townsquare Condominiums
• Ponce de Leon Avenue at Clairemont Avenue (All 3 legs of intersection)
• W Ponce de Leon Ave at Marshall Street
• W Ponce de Leon at Fairview Avenue
• West Howard Avenue at Adair Street
• SR 155 South Candler Street at Doughtery Street
• SR155 South Candler Street at the Agnes Scott College parking lot driveway

The West Howard crosswalk is hands-down the most complained about here, so it will be interesting to hear if driving and crossing habits change once it is slightly elevated and poured.  Stay tuned.