City of Atlanta removes crosswalk where pedestrian was killed

On Feb. 11, Sood, a merchant at AmericasMart, was hit as he crossed from that building to Peachtree Center via a faded crosswalk linking them. He died later that day from his injuries.

As the AJC reported, just four days earlier AmericasMart Senior Vice President Michael Magnotta expressed concern about the 225 Peachtree St. crosswalk in an email to Atlanta Police Department Maj. Christian J. Hunt. In that message, Hunt proposed the creation of a crosswalk with signage, a median and flashing pedestrian lights, similar to the one installed in front of the MARTA Midtown station next to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

When asked if it will implement that plan, a city transportation spokesperson replied: “As part of the Moving Atlanta Forward Peachtree Safe Street Downtown project, the City will evaluate pedestrian safety improvements along the corridor. Construction on this project is anticipated to start in Fall 2026.”

Credit: AJC

Credit: AJC

Councilman Jason Dozier said he and other council members will urge the city to make the crossing safer.

“It’s what I’ve seen called ‘a desire path’ — people naturally cross there,” Dozier said of the 225 Peachtree St. crossing. “To me, removing the crosswalk is the wrong move. We should be (repainting) this area so that pedestrians are safe. I’m looking forward to learning what the city’s next steps are.”

Dozier went on to say he thinks “we need to narrow the road and slow down cars so pedestrians don’t feel like their lives are in danger every time they cross the street.”

On Monday, after the crosswalk was removed, dozens of pedestrians continued crossing the street where the paint used to be.

The city’s Fatal Crash Review Commission will analyze the circumstances surrounding Sood’s death, Dozier added.

Credit: AJC

Credit: AJC

Dr. Mark Rosenberg, former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General and former president and CEO of the Task Force for Global Health, said reinstalling the crosswalk without narrowing the road would not make this corridor safer for pedestrians.

“Crosswalks give people a false sense of security,” Rosenberg told the AJC. “It’s a problem that becomes worse when you add to the mix distracted drivers who are looking at their phones.”

From 2021-22, Peachtree Street was narrowed from four to two lanes from Baker to Ellis streets as part of a city-sponsored pilot program to reimagine the thoroughfare.

But commuters and a prominent building owner protested, and in 2022 the road was converted back to four lanes, according to documents seen by the AJC. Yet the crosswalk wasn’t fully removed. Rather, it was allowed to fade, creating confusion for drivers who couldn’t always see it and for pedestrians who still considered it valid.

Rosenberg recommended that the city add physical barriers and speed bumps to slow traffic and force drivers to focus.

“If you narrow the road so that people have to pay attention to where they are going — that helps,” he said.

When asked about the city’s plans to resurface Peachtree Street without concurrent pedestrian safety improvements, Rosenberg said: “Are we trying to fix the streets to save lives or to allow cars to driver faster?”

The city’s DOT officials said they plan to spend $1.5 million on quick-implementation safety improvements over the next year, including “No turn on red” and speed limit signs. In 2024, the Atlanta City Council passed a law banning drivers from turning right on red in Downtown, Midtown and Castleberry Hill.

But it appears many drivers haven’t heard of it. On Saturday, an AJC reporter standing on John Portman Boulevard and Courtland Street counted several cars turn right on red.