Workshop Participants Brainstorm Pedestrian Safety Solutions

ATLANTA – With the ever-increasing vehicle and foot traffic in Atlanta and a commitment to injury prevention, Shepherd Center and Piedmont Hospital hosted a workshop on Sept. 25 to explore ways to prevent pedestrian accidents. Atlanta-based advocacy group PEDS partnered with the hospitals to offer the workshop.

Michael Ronkin, a nationally recognized expert on pedestrian and bicycling issues, led the workshop. Among the participants were representatives from the Georgia Department of Transportation, the city of Atlanta, the Atlanta Regional Commission, the Brookwood Alliance and the hospitals.

“Shepherd Center and Piedmont Hospital hope the area of Peachtree Road adjacent to the hospitals can be improved to make it a safer and more pleasant walking experience for patients, employees and members of the community,” said Bridget Metzger, Shepherd Center’s director of injury prevention. “That was the goal of this workshop. Michael Ronkin did a fantastic job in leading the group, and we were thrilled to have attendees from so many vitally important local groups.”

Ronkin led participants in discussions about:

• Planning factors that impact walkability
• Street-crossings principles
• Street-crossings countermeasures
• Intersection geometry
• Signalized intersections
• Transit design
• Impact of street width reduction

Participants also created a case study and brainstormed solutions. The case study was a tour of the area of Peachtree Road around Shepherd Center and Piedmont Hospital from Brookwood Valley Circle (just past Shepherd Center to the north) south to Collier Road. A group of participants toured the area on the lookout for street design and signaling issues that could be improved for pedestrians, including wheelchair users, and cyclists. Afterward, the group used aerial maps to illustrate potential solutions for problem areas. Group members plan to follow up with the appropriate agencies in hopes of implementing solutions, Metzger said.

A report from the meeting will be published at a later date on shepherd.org/injuryprevention.

For more information on Shepherd Center’s Injury Prevention and Education Program, contact injury prevention director Bridget Metzger at 404-350-7559 or bridget_metzger@shepherd.org.