Tragedy struck Decatur once again as a car hit a student in a school zone, spurring residents to demand stricter speed regulations. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, a juvenile was hit by a red Toyota that blasted through a red light on Tuesday morning, just steps away from local schools. The victim, whose identity remains under wraps, was rushed to the hospital and is expected to survive, the Decatur Police Department informed.
Following the hit-and-run, Decatur residents are clamoring for a citywide speed limit reduction, the community's outcry is anchored in a string of recent pedestrian accidents including the fatal striking of a 16-year-old last November, stated by Atlanta News First. "A driver that hits a young person and just speeds along, it just…it makes me angry," Laura Spriggs, a Decatur local, conveyed her frustration to FOX 5, voicing the sentiment of many in the community.
The group 'Calm Decatur' has initiated an online petition, gathering 750 signatures to curb the city speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph, hoping to improve the chances of pedestrian survival in such incidents. "Twenty miles per hour, 25 miles per hour… if someone struck at that speed, the chance of survival is much greater," Spriggs emphasized in her conversation with FOX 5. Decatur police are diligently seeking the hit-and-run driver while city leaders consider traffic study requirements, with reviews from GDOT and the Department of Public Safety, for implementing the proposed speed limit revision.
In their quest to bolster road safety, Decatur authorities are contemplating multiple projects, including the enactment of a road diet, installing raised crosswalks, and making permanent the temporary safety planters lining West Howard Avenue; Spriggs told FOX 5 how these temporary measures offered a buffer for students yet in a tragic turn, this protection proved insufficient Tuesday morning. In an effort to escalate community involvement and solutions for this pressing safety issue, 'Calm Decatur' is hosting a safety meeting which they have extended an invitation to all residing in the area.
