Atlanta Pedestrian Dangers

Atlanta pedestrians are subject to many dangers. Transportation For America, a consumer advocacy group has ranked the metro area as the 10th most-dangerous city for pedestrians in 2007-2008. The group said there are 5,000 preventable pedestrian deaths in the U.S. every year.
The group assessed 52 metropolitan areas on how dangerous they are for pedestrians. The 10 worst for pedestrians in 2007-2008 were: Orlando, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; Miami; Jacksonville, Fla.; Memphis; Raleigh, N.C.; Louisville, Ky.; Houston; Birmingham, Ala.; and Atlanta.
According to the study, Atlanta had a 1.37 annual pedestrian deaths per 100,000 residents and 1.3 percent of the city’s workers walked to work in 2007-2008.
The study found the safest metropolitan areas tend to be older northeastern or northern areas with generally compact development patterns. The top ten most dangerous areas were located in the south, with the first four being in Florida. The study attributed this high danger rate to the areas being characterized by low density rates and automobile oriented development patterns.
The study did point out that many cities have low danger rates due to a concerted effort to make streets safer for pedestrians. Notable among these cities were Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, and Minneapolis, MN.
Atlanta has an advocacy group dedicated to improving sidewalks and streets. You can learn more about this group, PEDS, at peds.org. The attorneys at Finch McCranie LLP, actively support the efforts of PEDS and urge all citizens to do the same.