As a daily walker along Scott Boulevard, I can report back to you that it’s no picnic.  I’m sure you’re shocked to hear that.

It’s especially gripping along the strip of ‘walk pictured above where someone once decided that there is no problem with running a sidewalk within two feet of a speedway.  The makeshift memorial for the driver killed earlier this year at the intersection of Ridley and Scott is a daily reminder that your pedestrian fears are justly founded.

Over the years, the city has made some small gains to make Decatur’s only highway safer for its pedestrian-minded community.  You may recall that in 2011, the city finally got GDOT to connect the sidewalk on the eastern side of the street between Garden Lane and Clairemont.  Additionally, the reopening of Westchester Elementary has generally slowed traffic along the stretch in the morning, provided there’s a police officer present.

But more can certainly be done.

“Yeah, OK.  But WHAT?”, you ask.

Well lucky for you, the Westchester Elementary Safety Committee has compiled a specific list of recommendations to make the area friendlier to other forms of transportation, beyond the almighty internal combustion engine.

Short term plans include making improvements to crosswalks and intersections in the area, adding a “hawk light” and crosswalk in front of the school, place more signage alerting drivers of the school zone, and creating a direct source of funds to monitor speeds along Scott.

Longer term plans include widening Scott’s sidewalks and commissioning a walkability study for the area.

Sound like a good place to start?  You can sign THIS PETITION put together by the Westchester Elementary Safety Committee to show your support.  The petition already has over 600 signers, but I’m sure we can get that number up to at least 1000.

State roads, like Scott Boulevard, are notoriously difficult to alter thanks to the need for GDOT’s sign-off on any and all changes, so it’s great to see a concerted community effort to tackle this important safety issue in our city.