CARS..
CARS.. DARK STREETS AND PEOPLE WALKING DOWN THEM. THEY DON'T MIX.4@ JUST THIS
YEAR... FIVE PEOPLE DIED IN
BIBB COUNTY WHEN THOSE THREE
ELEMENTS CAME TOGETHER.4@
BUT THE PROBLEM ISN'T A NEW
ONE. THE COUNTY PUT
TOGETHER A SAFETY REVIEW BOARD
TO HELP CURB THE PROBLEM FOUR
YEARS AGO. IN
TONIGHT'S 13INVESTIGATES...
AVERY BRAXTON LOOKED AT WHAT
TH4@E BOARD IS DOING AND WHETHE
THEIR EFFORST ARE HAVING ANY 4@
IMPACT ON REDUCING THE
PEDESTRIAN PROBLEM..
MARCH 9TH... 69 4@MARCH 9TH...
69 YEAR OLD MICHAEL BROWN DIED
CROSSING THE STREET ON MERCER 4@
UNIVERSITY DRIVE../LESS THAN
TWO WEEKS LATER... 31 YEAR
OLD CHARLENE JONES MET THE 4@
SAME FATE AFTER BEING HIT 4@BY
CAR... WHILE WALKING DOWN
MILLERFIELD ROAD.IN JUNE... 53 @
YEAR OLD HENRY BROWN DIED
TRYING TO CROSS PIO NONO
AVENUE. THE CAR DROVE OFF
AFTER HITTING HIM... AND HE
DIED ON THE SIDE OF THE 4@ROAD.
WE COULD TELL YOU 32 MORE
STORIES JUST LIKE THAT FROM
BIBB COUNTY.DATA FROM THE 4@
SHERIFF'S OFFICE SHOWS 4@SINCE
2016... PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES
OCCURRED 35 TIMES THROUGH JULY
4@1ST OF 2019. WE WERE DISTURBE
BY THAT STATISTICCOUNTY
COMMISSIONER ELAINE LUCAS SAYS
IN 2015, SHE WROTE LEGISLATION
TO START THE PEDESTRIAN 4@SAFET
REVIEW BOARD.IT'S A GROUP OF
PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
PROBLEM FROM 4@PLACES SUCH AS
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, THE
HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND PLANNING
AND ZONING.4@EVERYTHING THAT WE
DO WHETHER IT BE ROAD
PROJECTS, RECREATION, 4@ANY OF
THOSE THINGS. WE KEEP IN MIND
THAT WE ARE 4@ENCOURAGING
PEDESTRIANS TO BE IN THE AREA.
THE GROUP CONSIDERS 4@LOWERING
SPEED LIMITS AND PLACING
BETTER LIGHTING ON 4@ROADS.
PUTTING MORE 4@SIGNS IN SCHOOL
ZONES ALSO COMES UP IN
DISCUSSIONS. THE MAIN THING
RAISE THE AWARENESS THROUGH A
VERY VERY STRONG, STRATEGIC
EDUCATION CAMPAIGN.TO PAY FOR
THEIR "ON THE MOVE"
CAMPAIGN... THE BOARD USED
ROUGHLY 40-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN
FEDERAL GRANTS.4@THEY PAID FOR
EFFORTS YOU MAY REMEMBER... 4@
LIKE THEIR MASCOT PEDI AND
PETE. AND THE LIGHTED ARM
BANDS FOR 4@WALKERS... WHICH
THEY HANDED O4@UT FOR FREE. THE
BOARD ALSO GETS ABOOUT 10-
THOSUAND DOLLARS FROM THE
SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND HEALTH
DEPARTMENT.THEY USE IT TO BUY
ADDS AND BILLBOARDS.THEY CAN
ALSO MAKE SUGGESTIONS FOR
SPLOST MONEY... LIKE SIDEWALK
IMPROVEMENTS ON JEFFERSONVILLE
ROAD.TRAFFIC FATALITIES ARE
PREVENTABLE AND BECAUSE
THEY'RE PREVENTABLE, THEY'RE
UNACCEPTABLE.THAT'S WHY TOM
ELLINGTON SAYS IT'S THEIR GOAL
IS TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF
PEDESTRIAN DEATHS IN BIBB...
TO ZERO.HE ADMITS THEY HAVE
SOME WORK TO DO.SINCE THE
BOARD STARTED... MACON-BIBB
SAW 8 PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES IN
2016, 7 IN 2017, 15 IN 2018,
AND IT SITS AT 5 4@HALFWAY
THROUGH 2019.BUT THE NUMBER OF
TOTAL PEDESTRIAN CRASHES...
NOT DEATHS... TELLS A
DIFFERENT STORY. THE COUNTY
SAW 113 IN 2016 AND 2017... IT
WENT DOWN TO 105 IN 2018...
AND SO FAR THIS YEAR... THE
DOWNWARD TREND APPEARS TO
CONTINUE... WITH 45 PEDESTRAIN
AND CAR CRASHES THROUGH JULY. .@
ELLINGTON SAYS THAT
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS LIKE THE
4@
ELLINGTON SAYS THAT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS LIKE THE WALNUT STREET BRIDGE WERE
BUILT WITHOUT PEDESTRIANS IN
MIND AND THEREFORE CONTRIBUTE
TO PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS.YOU
CAN GO4@ OVER THERE RIGHT NOW
AND YOU CAN GET SOME B-ROLL OF
PEOIPLE WALKING ACROSS THAT
BRIDGE BECAUSE IT HAPPENS
EVERY DAY, ALL THE TIME AND
IT'S NOT SAFE, BUT I
UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHY PEOPLE
ARE DOING IT.BIBB ISNT THEY
ONLY GEORGIA COUNTY FIXING
DESIGN FLAWS.NATS -4@IT IS ONE
OF THE DEADLIEST IN THE STATE.4@
THIS IS BUFORD HIGHWAY IN
BROOKHAVEN... A CITY IN DEKALB
COUNTY.THEY'VE USED GRANTS TO
HIRE SAFETY OFFICER... MARIA
JONES.... AND MONEY FROM GDOT
FOR RAISED MEDIANS, MORE
SIDEWALKS AND THESE...
PEDESTRIAN HYBRID BEACONS. 4@IT
GIVES THEM WARNING VERSUS
CITIZENS JUST DARTING OUT IN 4@
THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET.JONES
SAYS SHE ALSO CRACKED DOWN ON
JAYWALKING... DOLING OUT MORE
THAN 1800 CITATIONS HER 4@FIRST
YEAR. BUT JUST LIKE BIBB...
THEY'VE SEEN MIXED RESULTS FOR @
THEIR EFFORTS.THE NUMBER OF
CRASHES AND INJURIES WENT DOWN
IN 2017... ONLY TO TO SPIKE
AGAIN IN 2018.JONES' STILL
CALLS EDUCTION HER BIGGEST
CHALLENGE. YES, I'VE BEEN
CROSSING THIS WAY FOR MANY
YEARS BUT IT'S BEEN INCORRECT,
IT'S BEEN ILLEGAL AND UNSAFE
AND HERE'S A SAFER WAY TO
COMMUTE.4@LUCUAS SAYS THEY'RE
OPEN TO OPTIONS... BUT SAID
SOME CITIES ARE LOOKING TO
BIBB FOR ANSWERS.BIT BY BIT,
WE MAKE AN IMPACT AND I REALLY
THINK THAT OUR4@ FIGURES WOULD
BE HIGHER WERE IT NOT FOR THE
WERE IT NOT BE HIGHER FIGURES
WOULD THINK THAT OUR AND I
REALLY MAKE AN IMPACT BIT BY
BIT, WE ANSWERS.BIBB FOR
LOOKING TO CITIES ARE BUT SAID
SOME TO OPTIONS... THEY'RE
OPEN LUCUAS SAYS COMMUTE.SAFER
WAY TO AND HERE'S A AND UNSAFE
BEEN ILLEGAL INCORRECT, IT'S
BEEN YEARS BUT IT'S WAY FOR
MANY CROSSING THIS YES, I'VE
BEEN CHALLENGE.HER BIGGEST
CALLS EDUCTION JONES' STILL
2018.SPIKE AGAIN IN ONLY TO TO
DOWN IN 2017... INJURIES WENT
CRASHES AND THE NUMBER OF
THEIR EFFORTS.RESULTS FOR SEEN
MIXED BIBB... THEY'VE BUT JUST
LIKE FIRST YEAR. CITATIONS HER
MORE THAN 1800 DOLING OUT
JAYWALKING... DOWN ON ALSO
CRACKED JONES SAYS SHE THE
STREET.THE MIDDLE OF DARTING
OUT IN CITIZENS JUST VERSUS
WARNING IT GIVES THEM BEACONS.
HYBRID PEDESTRIAN THESE...
PEDESTRIAN HYBRID BEACONS. IT
GIVES THEM WARNING VERSUS 4@
CITIZENS JUST DARTING OUT IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET.JONES
SAYS SHE ALSO CRA4@CKED DOWN ON
CITIZENS JUST DARTING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET.JONES SAYS SHE ALSO CRA4@CKED DOWN ON@
JAYWALKING... DOLING OUT MORE
THAN 1800 CITATIONS HER FIRST
YEAR. BUT JUST LIKE BIBB...
THEY'VE SEEN MIXED 4@RESULTS FO
THEIR EFFORTS.THE NUMBER OF
CRASHES AND INJURIES WENT DOWN
IN 2017... ONLY TO TO 4@SPIKE
AGAIN IN 2018.4@JONES' STILL
CALLS EDUCTION HER BIGGEST
CHALLENGE.4@ YES, I'VE BEEN
CROSSING THIS WAY FOR MANY
YEARS BUT IT'S BEEN INCORRECT,
IT'S BEEN ILLEG4@AL AND UNSAFE
AND HERE'S A SAFER WAY TO
COMMUTE.4@LUCUAS SAYS THEY'RE
OPEN TO OPTIONS... BUT SAID
SOME CITIES ARE LOOKING TO
BIBB FOR ANSWERS.BIT BY BIT,
WE 4@MAKE AN IMPACT AND I REALL
THINK THAT OUR FIGURES WOULD
BE HIGHER WERE IT NOT FOR THE 4@
PEDESTRIAN SAFETY REVIEW BOARD.@
4@PROGRESS HAS 4@NOT COME AS
QUICKLY AS THEY'D LIKE, BUT
LUCAS SAYS ONE 4@LIFE SAVED...
ONE INJURY PREVENTED... IS
WORTH THEI4@R WORK. FOR 4@
13INVESTIGATIONS... IM AVERY
BRAXTON.
4@
13INVESTIGATIONS... IM AVERY BRAXTON. 4@4@
13INVESTIGATIONS... IM AVERY BRAXTON. @4@
13INVESTIGATIONS... IM AVERY BRAXTON. 4@
13INVESTIGATIONS... IM AVERY BRAXTON. @
13INVESTIGATIONS... IM AVERY BRAXTON. LUCAS SAID THE ROADS
WHERE THEY SEE THE MOST
ACCIDENTS LIKE GRAY HIGHWAY
AND PIO NONO AVENUE BELONG TO
THE STATE. SHE SAYS THE
BOARD IS WORKING WITH STATE
LEGISLATORS ON MORE SAFETY
MEASURES.