A confusing crosswalk on Peachtree Street is set to be removed after a fatal accident involving a 67-year-old man earlier this month. Pradeep Sood was hit by a vehicle while crossing near the Peachtree Street MARTA station and later died from his injuries. The faded crosswalk has raised concerns about pedestrian safety in downtown Atlanta, especially after video showed Sood within the markings when struck by a black truck.
Police reports obtained by Atlanta News First stated that Sood was at fault for the incident, despite the faded crosswalk. The confusion is linked to a pilot project, part of the "Peachtree Shared Street Project," that was ordered to be removed by the mayor's office in 2022. Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi said that the tragedy was preventable and emphasized the need to reassess downtown public spaces to improve pedestrian safety.
An ATLDOT spokesperson told Atlanta News First that crews will begin removing the crosswalk markings on Peachtree Street as early as next week. This effort is part of the larger Vision Zero initiative, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities in Atlanta by 2040. The spokesperson also expressed commitment to safer street designs and construction.
Rebecca Serna of Propel ATL criticized the intersection's design in an interview with FOX 5 Atlanta. "It was installed to be a crosswalk, and it looks, for all intents and purposes, like a crosswalk," Serna said. She called for pedestrian-friendly city planning, especially with the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching. Despite the planned resurfacing of Peachtree Street, there are no plans to reinstall the crosswalk without proper traffic control and safety devices, which are not included in the current project, according to an ATLDOT spokesperson.
As the city works on pedestrian safety, public input is encouraged for the Moving Atlanta Forward Peachtree Street Safe Streets project. An Open House in April will give residents the chance to share their views on the street's design. Puja Jabbour, Sood's daughter, urged the city to take action to prevent more accidents, telling Atlanta News First, "People are crossing this section of the street hundreds of times per day. [A traffic death] is going to happen. It’s happened before. It happened to my dad, and it’s going to happen again, whether someone is injured or killed. The city has to step up and do something"
