DEL.ICIO.USMake roads safe so that ‘routine’ deaths decline
COBB COUNTY
Saturday, November 22, 2008
There is no consolation for a parent in the death of her child, and certainly none that can be achieved by lashing out at someone else. Yet Altamesa Walker couldn’t help but respond that way in a TV interview after the death of her little daughter, Brandee Kelley.
Little Brandee had been hit and killed by a car on South Cobb Drive just before dawn Monday morning. Her mother, who was with Brandee, had put her family at serious risk by deciding to try to dart across five lanes of traffic, and the choice proved tragic.
I feel for Walker. Her child is dead in a senseless accident. I also have sympathy for the driver of the car, who became the unfair target of Walker’s ire after the accident. Even though he was exonerated by police and had called 911 as soon as the accident happened, his life will not be the same.
The story is all too familiar to drivers on major suburban thoroughfares such as South Cobb Drive in Smryna, Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, U.S. 78 in Snellville or Tara Boulevard in Jonesboro. As the daylight hours shorten this time of year, with people going to and from work in the dark, the risk of hitting a pedestrian coming out of the shadows seems greatly heightened. As someone who drives such roads myself, it scares me.
Mind you, I’ve got no science to back up this fear; no traffic data or incident reports to confirm or refute it. But the fear is buttressed by routine reports of pedestrian deaths on the 6 p.m. news or in the police briefs columns of the newspaper.
Sometime the drivers are at fault — going too fast, indiscriminately changing lanes, arrogantly failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. Other times the fault lies with pedestrians who decide to cross in the middle of the road even though they’re within easy walking distance of a controlled crossing, or who think they can use a turning lane as a safe haven when such lanes are clearly not designed for that.
For Brandee Kelley, a 4-year-old beauty, the fatal decision was made for her. Her family started Monday morning with one simple task — get from one side of the road to another to catch a bus. It ended the day faced with having to plan a funeral. In the news business, we call it a “routine fatal.”
How can we make it less routine? Here are some thoughts:
Pedestrians: Be smart. This time of year, make sure you wear something other than dark clothing (or get a reflective vest). Take the extra minutes to walk to a traffic light or stop sign to cross instead of risking a quick dash across multiple lanes of traffic. Don’t think of the center-turn lane as a median or a place to stand until traffic clears. Turn lanes on busy, five-lane roads with lots of entrances and exits are already unsafe even for motorists — there’s a reason they’re sometimes called “chicken” lanes. Adding pedestrians to the mix makes them much more dangerous. Don’t go there.
And certainly don’t go there pushing a baby stroller or holding a toddler’s hand.
Drivers: Be alert and pay attention to the speed limit. Use bright headlights at night in areas that are not well lit. Metro Atlanta has long stretches of multiple-lane roads with no intersections or controlled crosswalks where pedestrians can cross. The problem is made worse when city and county planners allow apartment complexes and subdivision entrances on one side of the road with convenience stores and other retail outlets on the other, especially in areas without a traffic light or controlled crossing. That’s where the biggest problem is.
Voters and residents: Get used to the fact that Cobb County is no longer a rural outpost. Its traffic network is increasingly urban and busy at all hours. More sidewalks are a must. Sidewalks are a public safety issue. Support them when it comes time to approve bond issues or special taxes. And yes, that means the government may have to exercise its right of way on property you consider yours (in some cases buying property that actually is yours).
Access to public transit also must increase. That means more crosswalks on major thoroughfares, which may slow your drive. Deal with it.
Public officials: Cobb Community Transit (CCT) has been operating for more than two decades, but too many bus stops remain inconspicuous and poorly lit. Moreover, some seem to be placed in the wrong spot, a hundred yards or more from major intersections. Move them closer. If the presence of a bus stop disrupts traffic at an intersection, redesign the intersection so buses do not block traffic. Add traffic-signal crosswalks — activated by pedestrians with time for drivers to come to a stop — when there is no intersection near a bus stop.
We should never allow a death like that of Brandee Kelley to become routine.
• Mike King, a Cobb County resident, is a member of the editorial board.
.JPG)
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