I'm a Dad. I live a block or two from Peachtree Middle School and several blocks from Chesnut Elementary School where my three boys walked to elementary school every day (usually with older older neighbors or siblings). In my thirteen years as a Chesnut Parent, walking safety and speeding on North Peachtree has always been an issue and I have done what I can from a City Council perspective to work these safety issues from a city wide perspective.
For those who may not be aware, I am also a father of a child who was almost hit by a speeding car when my son Declan was crossing at the crosswalk in front of Chesnut with the assistance of a crossing guard holding a Stop Sign; who saved my son's life pushing him out of harms way while a speeding car disobeyed numerous traffic and safety precautions.
My son is now 16 but this issue is still a priority for me as there are still hundreds of children walking to Chesnut, Austin and Dunwoody Elementary, all situated along main roads where a momentary lapse in judgement could be have deadly circumstances. I want strict enforcement of speed limits in school zones and many parents want that too.
With the help of the state legislature, the City Council found a possible way to slow traffic in several busy school zones but we have been blocked from installation from the DeKalb School Board as the legislature forgot that in many places the school system and the local governmental jurisdiction are not the same. If the DeKalb County School Board and Administration does not sign off on this reasonable request to allow the local cities to slow the speeds in our communities, we will be lobbying our State Legislature to modify HB 978 form 2018 to remove the School System from the equation of roadway safety.
A special thank you to the local Chief's of Police to hold a special press conference to try to make this safety improvement happen.
Full Press Conference
5 comments:
Good Morning John,
I spent time as a crossing guard and having pushed, carried, or otherwise removed children and parents from the path of oncoming cars ignoring the crossing, my signaling, and signage, I am sorry, but not at all surprised that the problems persist here.
Please tell me whom I need to contact and best method for advocating for the desired change.
Agree with Mark above, tell us how we can advocate. (I’m a current Chesnut parent.)
Thanks, Mark & Sarah for reaching out. The ball is in the court of the DeKalb County School System short term so lobbying them may assist but they are well aware of the situation. Board activity and oversight on what is "day to day activities" is odd to me so I am unclear as to what the Board is allowed to do. If DeKalb does not relent then State action is on the table for HB199 and HB248.
HB 199 by Mike Wilensky
HB 248 by Alan Powell
I wonder what the holdup is on the part of the school system. You'd think this would be an easy lift with positive, high profiles results for them. I've read the senator's bill and it seems straightforward. I hope it will pass with speed and enable cities to use more aggressive techniques to deter speeders and inattentive drivers in school zones.
Thank you, John. Please consider immediate pop-up protection for bike lanes as well (which the city has sole ability to do, with no input or control from DeKalb County). Almost every bike lane in Dunwoody, including those that lead to schools, does not meet NACTO guidelines and requires the assumption of known unreasonable risks to use.
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