Official: Peachtree Bike Lanes Would Be 'Powerful Statement' (Rome: dangerous, safe)

[ATLJR]

@ LovelySummer

I don't doubt your data, but I do wonder how much of that occurs in the actual city of Atlanta (where the bicycle paths are being implemented and this discussion is focused) compared to metro-Atlanta as a whole. Clearly, metro-Atlanta's pedestrians infrastructure is severely lacking in most areas, with a lack of sidewalks, cross walks miles apart, a built environment constructed around the car, and with a focus on rapidly moving vehicles to their destination which presents a very hostile environment for those not in a motor vehicle.

[CCATL]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

CCATL, I'm not making it up. Atlanta was like the capital for pedestrians being hit by cars at one time. It was not long ago. I wish I could find the information. No, unfortunately, I'm not just perpetuating a rumor. I found this out when my first cousin was killed in Atlanta simply walking down the sidewalk and a car jumped the curb and hit him. Apparently, this was not rare. This was less than 10 years ago. I'm not just perpetuating a rumor. There were statistics at one time putting Atlanta right near the top. I cannot find them now.

ETA: High Pedestrian Fatality Rates Aren

Atlanta ranks number 4 right now in pedestrian fatalities

Pedestrian Fatalities On the Rise Nationwide - WNYC

Atlanta pedestrian deaths higher than national average

Cities With the Most Pedestrian Deaths | Planetizen: The Urban Planning, Design, and Development Network
Atlanta has worst rate of pedestrian fatalities in the country

I'm sorry to hear about your cousin, and thank you for attaching the links.

My argument though, is not that there are not bicycle/pedestrian fatalities in Atlanta (which according to your links, there obviously are plenty), but that parts of the city are safer than others for cyclists and pedestrians. You mentioned you live in South Buckhead by Peachtree. I fully agree with you that that specific area is not safe for pedestrians or cyclists, as it is a high speed road, narrow sidewalks, unsafe crossings, etc. I am saying, however, that there ARE parts of this city that are built prior to cars, and therefore tend to be much safer for pedestrians and cyclists (more of a grid pattern, more intersections to slow cars down, wider sidewalks, etc.). And in these areas, you do see much more pedestrian activity than areas like Buckhead. I'm sure the stats you are referencing are taking the Atlanta area as a whole, which includes many areas similar to Buford Hwy, which are extremely unsafe for pedestrians.

Speaking purely from experience and not statistics, I get aggravated when people make it sound like all of Atlanta is unsafe for non-drivers, because it is something I do everyday through a large portion of the city, and have only had 1 close call. That's not to say NOBODY has been hit by a car in these areas, but it is probably much less than say, Buckhead or Druid Hills. Atlanta probably also ranks near the top in traffic accidents (I don't know, but I wouldn't doubt it), but that doesn't keep people from getting into their cars.

[CCATL]

Also, 10 years makes a HUGE difference in Atlanta. I would think the city was MUCH less safe for bicyclists 10 years ago than it is today, so that is also going to make a difference. Today and in the future, we are continuously adding bike lanes and other infrastructure to make pedestrians and bicyclists safer. While the perception may still be that it is extremely dangerous, maybe it is less so now?

[JPD]

Originally Posted by CCATL

Also, 10 years makes a HUGE difference in Atlanta. I would think the city was MUCH less safe for bicyclists 10 years ago than it is today, so that is also going to make a difference. Today and in the future, we are continuously adding bike lanes and other infrastructure to make pedestrians and bicyclists safer. While the perception may still be that it is extremely dangerous, maybe it is less so now?

That's basically true, but like all things, there were many exceptions. I used to bike commute in the '90s on North Ave, and it was very easy. I wouldn't dream of doing that today.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by DTL3000

I think it'd be impossible to reroute traffic around this closed-off section. Broadway has the benefit of being the one diagonal street amongst a dozen parallel streets so it's very easy to reroute traffic. Midtown and Downtown have only parallel streets. It'd be a nightmare to redirect traffic onto one of the alternate thoroughfares.

I strongly disagree that Peachtree isn't necessary for commuting. It's vital for commuting since it's the only complete two way street that directly connects all of intown Atlanta's major commercial nodes.

If you want to make Peachtree a signature street, encourage more development between Peachtree Center and 8th Street and south of Edgewood/Marietta.

I have never used Peachtree as a through street to go north or south of Midtown. Who does this? You are going the wrong way, unless you want to take the scenic route, by using Peachtree as a through street.

I don't believe in making it a pedestrian mall or linear park or removing all vehicle lanes. I just think that the Midtown would be a better place if Peachtree was less of a highway and more of a destination.

[LovelySummer]

CCATL,
I see your point, and thank for the condolences for my cousin. Yes, I imagine there are areas that are better for biking, and hopefully, things have gotten better than what we saw ten years ago.

Originally Posted by CCATL

I'm sorry to hear about your cousin, and thank you for attaching the links.

My argument though, is not that there are not bicycle/pedestrian fatalities in Atlanta (which according to your links, there obviously are plenty), but that parts of the city are safer than others for cyclists and pedestrians. You mentioned you live in South Buckhead by Peachtree. I fully agree with you that that specific area is not safe for pedestrians or cyclists, as it is a high speed road, narrow sidewalks, unsafe crossings, etc. I am saying, however, that there ARE parts of this city that are built prior to cars, and therefore tend to be much safer for pedestrians and cyclists (more of a grid pattern, more intersections to slow cars down, wider sidewalks, etc.). And in these areas, you do see much more pedestrian activity than areas like Buckhead. I'm sure the stats you are referencing are taking the Atlanta area as a whole, which includes many areas similar to Buford Hwy, which are extremely unsafe for pedestrians.

Speaking purely from experience and not statistics, I get aggravated when people make it sound like all of Atlanta is unsafe for non-drivers, because it is something I do everyday through a large portion of the city, and have only had 1 close call. That's not to say NOBODY has been hit by a car in these areas, but it is probably much less than say, Buckhead or Druid Hills. Atlanta probably also ranks near the top in traffic accidents (I don't know, but I wouldn't doubt it), but that doesn't keep people from getting into their cars.

[AnsleyPark]

Bike lanes or not, it seems to me that it is still a dangerous proposition. Just the other evening, I was having dinner outside at LPC on Peachtree. Two cars, clearly street racing, blew down Peachtree Street. A biker was pedaling along. Perhaps if there were concrete curbs (or whatever they are called) between the auto lanes and the bike lanes, bikers would be safer.

[AtlJan]

Yes, I biked with my child from Piedmont Park to the Beltline this weekend. There is a block-long section of street that you ride on, in a designated, two-way bike lane separated by plastic poles sticking up from the ground. It didn't feel safe at all. Sorry. Maybe commuters would feel safe, but not families going to the park/beltline in this lane. The lane should be changed to an actual trail through the park leading to the beltline so that riders would only need to be on the road to cross the street. I think the innate danger of these lanes will keep them from being heavily used.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by AtlJan

Yes, I biked with my child from Piedmont Park to the Beltline this weekend. There is a block-long section of street that you ride on, in a designated, two-way bike lane separated by plastic poles sticking up from the ground. It didn't feel safe at all. Sorry. Maybe commuters would feel safe, but not families going to the park/beltline in this lane. The lane should be changed to an actual trail through the park leading to the beltline so that riders would only need to be on the road to cross the street. I think the innate danger of these lanes will keep them from being heavily used.

I agree. My biking days are done but I walked along this area the other day and I would not feel comfortable letting my grandkids ride their bikes there. The cars still go zooming by at high speed.

In my opinion it's going to be really hard to implement bike lanes on our major streets. They are narrow and we don't have the culture to support that yet. Hopefully we can address that by putting bike lanes and/or encouraging share-the-road on some of the alternate routes. More bike accessible trails will help, too.

[DTL3000]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

I have never used Peachtree as a through street to go north or south of Midtown. Who does this? You are going the wrong way, unless you want to take the scenic route, by using Peachtree as a through street.

I don't believe in making it a pedestrian mall or linear park or removing all vehicle lanes. I just think that the Midtown would be a better place if Peachtree was less of a highway and more of a destination.

I don't know anyone who'd consider Peachtree a "highway." Somewhere like Atlanta Station, Underground, or Piedmont Park are destinations. Peachtree is first and foremost a road. When people go to NYC and say they went to Broadway, 5th Avenue, or Canal Street they actually went to the businesses and attractions on those streets. They didn't go just to hang out in the middle of those streets. Broadway is only blocked off in Times Square and Herald Square as far as I know. These are big nodes of activity that already had pedestrian friendly centers so it was easy to just shut down the street that ran through them and expand(which I'm not entirely sure they actually do that sort of thing more than a few times a year or during certain seasons). Peachtree street doesn't have anything like those squares along it's length. You might as well shut down any random stretch of road in Atlanta.

I took Peachtree plenty of times when I worked downtown and it didn't take significantly longer than a lot of other options depending on the time of day.