It’s time to make a change. In 2021, 31 people were struck and killed by cars in the City of Atlanta while walking, just trying to get where they needed to go. This year, this unfortunate trend got worse, with 38 people killed while walking inside Atlanta city limits. Even one death is too many. We are seeing way too many. As news reports tell us, this local pattern is part of a national problem: The number of pedestrians being killed by cars is the highest it’s been in four decades. But we can choose to be better than that, Atlanta.

Do you remember the Peachtree Shared Space pilot? Three blocks of Downtown Peachtree Street transformed into a space for people, with two vehicular lanes instead of four, opening up space to walk, roll, bike, and even dine out at cafe tables. The tactical urbanism project, removed by the City of Atlanta after nine months in March 2022 after at least one powerful detractor’s loud opposition, is returning — in smaller scale — during the next Streets Alive on Sunday, Dec. 3.