North Central Health District

Macon-Bibb County Health Department to Host Pedestrian Safety Summit

Posted August 2, 2017 by Michael Hokanson

Macon-Bibb County Health Department (MBCHD) is working with Vision Zero and the Macon-Bibb County Pedestrian Safety Review Board to offer the second Pedestrian Safety Summit to the public. The meeting will be held on August 15, 9 a.m. to noon, at the Macon-Bibb County Government Center at 700 Poplar St.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports from 2014 to 2016, 32 percent of traffic fatalities in Macon-Bibb County involved pedestrians. Compared to 14 percent in Georgia and 15 percent in the United States, Macon-Bibb County is over double both the state and national average. The Board is working on ways to reduce that rate through infrastructure improvements and educational outreach.

During this Pedestrian Safety Summit, attendees will discuss road safety issues and learn how established problems are being addressed.

“We need to come together and discuss potential changes that can help reduce fatalities in Macon-Bibb County,” said MBCHD Health Educator Camille Watson. “Pedestrians, cyclists and drivers should be able to travel around the county safely. To do that we need to educate the public, listen to the problems they see throughout the community and discuss ways we can all make our roads safer.”

The event is free and open to the public. Anyone interested in attending is invited to RSVP by calling MBCHD at 478-749-0113.

At the first Summit, people learned about the creation and goals of the Board, heard about current issues with pedestrian safety based on real data, got a roads assessment by the Georgia Department of Transportation, and learned about some of the solutions being discussed and implemented. To see pictures from the Summit, visit the Macon-Bibb County Facebook album.

Since the first Summit, the Pedestrian Safety Review Board began an educational campaign, “Cross the Walk,” which shows people why it’s so important to safely use crosswalks and conducts outreach into local schools. To see the launch of the campaign, check out this MaconBibbTV feature. A website was also created to provide the public with educational material and safety resources, as well as news and updates about the Board.

Unable to attend this year’s Summit? Watch it live online on Macon-Bibb County’s Facebook page.

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