Why are our roads in Cobb so dangerous?
Cobb County and all of it’s cities have designed almost all of their roads to prioritize cars, and not people. Most major roads where people need to go for groceries, school and work (often called “stroads”) are dangerous and unpleasant to bike or walk along and in some cases almost impossible.
This is a huge issue, and not just because it may be fun to walk or bike somewhere. Cities are made up of people, cars are just a form of transportation. When we give more road space and land to cars by building 6 or 7 lane roads and giant parking lots, we make it harder to have other forms of transport and discourage foot traffic.
This has a direct impact on the value of land and the amount of revenue the city is able to generate. It also has a direct impact on business. People have to actively go out of their way to get where they want to go, that barrier alone has a negative impact.
On a human level, the biggest impact of all of this is safety. We create big expansive roads that encourage cars to go as fast as they feel comfortable going. On most major roads in Cobb this can be anywhere from 40MPH to 50 MPH and in some cases even 60MPH. All it takes is one mistake from a driver for someone walking or biking on that road to be injured or, in a lot of unfortunate cases, die.
It’s not just about the people outside of cars though, the people in them are at greater risk as well. Higher speeds are dangerous for drivers as well and make collisions more likely to be fatal.
Safe streets is all about reversing this trend and having our roads work for all people and not just cars.
The four of us met-up at a Kroger, along Whitlock. There was a bit of overcast, but no rain. We cycled up one of the only “bike lanes” in the city, along Polk, which was really a painted shoulder, for a short segment and not up to true bike lane standards. Having to...
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