Atlanta, a city of 4 millions, sees high volume of traffic daily. For a person living in Atlanta and does not own a car, the torrents of automobiles coursing through the streets can be intimidating, and often very dangerous. Luckily for the pedestrians as well as transit users, there is PEDS, a non-profit organization dedicated to making Atlanta a safer place to walk in. The foundation of PEDS started with Sally Flocks, an Atlanta denizen who devotes herself to improving her beautiful city. Ms. Flocks, president of PEDS, truly cares about pedestrian’s safety and has the experience to professionally advocate for pedestrian rights.
Ms. Flocks, a native of California, moved to Atlanta when she married her husband. Unlike most people in Atlanta, Ms. Flocks chose to walk and was transit dependent. “I had gotten off the bus and I was trying to cross the street,” she recalled, “and the drivers getting off of Buford highway were making left turns cutting me off, and others coming out of my neighborhood were turning right cutting me off. I just felt trapped in that crosswalk.” At the time, Ms. Flocks was going through training at a writing workshop; she chose pedestrian right-of-way as her weekly topic. When she announced the topic to her husband, he encouraged her to go further and create a volunteer group dedicating to the cause. Of the walking population in Atlanta, Ms. Flocks was probably more suited to start the organization: not only did she have a first-hand experience with walking through the streets of Atlanta, she also received extensive training in public speaking, researching, and writing through the coursework she did to earn her doctorate in history from Yale. With her mind set, Ms. Flocks started PEDS in 1996.
Staying true to her original vision, PEDS to this day continues to advocate for pedestrian safety. Ms. Flocks is currently spearheading two top-priority projects. The first project focuses on advocating for more money for building new sidewalks and maintaining what we already have; as it is, the money going to sidewalks is very little. The sidewalks in the city of Atlanta are the “oldest and in the worst condition,” she stated in a melancholy tone. PEDS’s second priority is to promote safe crossing at transit stops. Raquel Nelson, a mother and a regular bus user, was convicted of vehicular homicide when her child was hit by a car as the family was crossing the street from a bus stop. The work of Ms. Flocks, and PEDS as a whole, is entirely devoted to the betterment of the Atlanta region, preventing future cases like that of Raquel Nelson. Ms. Flocks was happy to announce that the organization receives many types of funding and support, such as federal grant, support from the Federal Highway Administration, and contribution from individuals.
Even though the group PEDS represents for is in the minority, that doesn’t mean pedestrians should not be protected. Ms. Flocks explains that “the majority do [prefer driving to walking], but that’s primarily because we don’t have the facility or housing and land use that would support a walking culture.” Truly, people who live in the suburb have few choices but to drive everywhere because there is no facility, and the roads aren’t designed with pedestrians in mind. “It’s too dangerous, and the distances are too far from your destination. So it’s a land use issue,” muses Ms. Flocks. “If you have destinations that are close to where people live and work, then people prefer walking because you don’t have to pay to park and you don’t get the stress of driving, and it’s good for your health.” She strongly supports the minority because “if you go with majority opinion then minority will only get hurt.” She provided two examples: the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Civil Rights movement, two prime illustrations of how our government has done a lot to protect the minority. “So I don’t care what the majority of people want to do, you need to provide complete streets that serve all users.”
As for pedestrians and people who are transit-dependent, Ms. Flocks has many helpful tips to share. “You need to be very aware of what’s going on around you,” and that includes the minor things like not texting while walking, and not walking in front of any lane of traffic until you know the drivers there are slowing down and planning to stop for you. Especially at night, Ms. Flocks advises to assume people can’t see you, so extra caution needs to be taken. When crossing crosswalks, Ms. Flocks holds out her hand so that her palm faces the motorists making them more aware that she’s planning to cross the street. Ms. Flocks urges people to practice similar safety precautions, as many accidents that happened to pedestrians could have been avoided.
Ms. Flocks is very hopeful for the future of the Atlanta region. According to her, the city of Atlanta has become safer to walk. The whole region will take longer to transform, but there are areas that are already safer or becoming safer for pedestrians. Ms. Flocks recalled her experience in Woodstock, Cherokee County. She commented the city being a “very walkable downtown with mixed use development and very nice sidewalk.” She believes that many downtowns are becoming that way with houses closer to destination. The entire region will not be walkable, however, due to some land not being suitable for walking. She also thinks a lot of the suburban area would have to be redone entirely to provide streets that benefit all users. Regarding Atlanta’s Beltline project, Ms. Flocks thinks it is an excellent idea, but she commented that “people don’t travel in a circle.” “What they should add to it would be east-west transit line and North Ave. That would get much more use than going around in a circle. A 10th and North Ave line could really serve Georgia Tech and Coca-Cola.” Overall, however, Ms. Flocks believes we will witness a walkable Atlanta region in the near future.
With Ms. Flocks leading the team, there is little doubt that Atlanta’s near future will be more pedestrian-friendly. What started as a weekly assignment idea is now a full-fledge organization. We all can thank Ms. Flocks for the hard work she put into improving Atlanta’s image and environment. It is only a matter of time before one walks through the streets of Atlanta and gets the same impression Ms. Flocks did when she strolled through Woodstock, Cherokee: a very walkable downtown with charming sidewalks.
By: Hung Le
Works Cited
Flocks, Sally. Personal Interview. 10/4/11
Profiling Atlanta's Transportation 