Clayton County – Smart Pedestrian Project Community Day

On July 22, Clayton County hosted the Smart Pedestrian Project Community Day to share with community members the progress that Clayton County’s Georgia Smart Project has made as well as encourage attendees to provide their input. Community members had the opportunity to enjoy lunch while talking to project members one-on-one and listen to speakers. Clayton County’s Georgia Smart Project aims to develop a comprehensive system that can prioritize sidewalk projects to increase pedestrian mobility and safety throughout the county.

Thus far, the project has focused on collecting sidewalk data in several ways. First, Georgia Tech researchers led by Dr. Arthi Rao have been using publicly available census and demographic data to identify focus areas for data collection. Second, the project has employed 28 local high school students to inventory and survey sidewalks to create the Smart Pedestrian Asset Management System. Finally, through this community event, the project has continued to emphasize the importance of community involvement.

This event encouraged community members to take the project’s survey that asks questions about community concerns and perceptions about current sidewalks. As Brenda Harrison, a member of MARTA’s Riders’ Advisory Council, said at the event, “[The project] is definitely a marriage between public transportation and the safety of the citizens here in Clayton County.” In addition to Ms. Harrison, event speakers included representatives from different organizations involved in the project, such as the Clayton County Board of Commissioners, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), and Georgia Tech. Clayton County residents who did not have the opportunity to attend the event and would like to participate in the survey are able to do so at https://smartsurvey.claytoncountyga.gov.