Macon-Bibb County’s Pedestrian Safety Review Board (PSRB) Chair Dr. Tom Ellington will hold a press conference on Monday, March 18, at 2:30 p.m. in Commission Chambers at Government Center (700 Poplar Street). They will be announcing the next step in drafting its Vision Zero Action Plan, which will be to engage people through an interactive website to identify the needs and issues related to pedestrian safety in their neighborhoods. The press conference will be broadcast live on Macon-Bibb County’s Facebook page.
“The Vision Zero Action Plan will be Macon-Bibb’s roadmap to a future with zero traffic fatalities, and input from all over the community will be essential to drafting an effective plan.” says Dr. Ellington. “As our community is poised to be a leader in downtown redevelopment, alternate transportation, and economic development, we are striving to be a leader in more inclusive multi-modal infrastructure, planning, enforcement, and education that will reduce serious and fatal collisions down to zero.”
With the new website, people are being asked to submit issues they see through March 29. That could include (but isn’t limited to) missing sidewalk links or sidewalks in disrepair; deficient or missing curb ramps; difficult or dangerous intersections; areas needing improved street lighting; difficult-to-reach bus stops; obstacles and overgrown sidewalks; and missing crosswalks.
About the Pedestrian Safety Review Board
Macon-Bibb currently has a very high per capita pedestrian fatality rate, and the Macon-Bibb Pedestrian Safety Review Board (PSRB) is working on ways to reduce that rate through infrastructure improvements and educational outreach.
Meeting each month, the Board establishes a forum for the Sheriff’s Office, Health Department, School District, county departments, Planning and Zoning, elected officials, AARP, and concerned citizens to develop strategies for creating a safer environment for pedestrians. To learn more about the Board, click here.
“As a community, we must make pedestrian safety a priority of our consolidated government. We have the ability to convene partners and the public in order to find the best ways to improve road safety for everyone,” says Macon-Bibb Commissioner Elaine Lucas.
It has launched an issue-specific website to help educate the public, make announcements, and seek feedback. Included on the website are: efforts and initiatives of the Board and its partners, including the adopted Vison Zero principles; announcements and media coverage of efforts; information from the first Pedestrian Safety Summit; accomplishments; and PFRB members.
Two Pedestrian Safety Summits have been held, and both were free and open to the public, and nearly 100 people – from elected officials to law enforcement to community members to department heads to partner organizations – attended them. To see pictures from the Summit, click here. The second Summit can be watched in its entirety by clicking here.
Two community outreach and education programs have also been initiated with funding from state grants: On the Move and Cross the Walk. Both attempt to reach people where they walk near roads and intersections identified as dangerous to pedestrians. Click here to watch a video of the announcement for the On the Move campaign, and click here for a MaconBibbTV feature on the campaign.