Break out discussions gave participants time to begin figuring out a solution. Councilmembers Doug Alexander, Lee Morris, and Cathy Woolard, as well as representatives for Vern McCarty and Cleta Winslow, attended. Georgia DOT board member Emory McClinton acknowledged that use of the same crosswalk design for rural and city streets might be inappropriate and offered to begin working on new standards for metro Atlanta. Though the issue arose too late for the 1998 session, Representative Kathy Ashe has offered help next year if the DOT fails to follow through on McClinton's pledge. The Pedestrian Task Force will be presenting its recommendations to the Atlanta City Council's Transportation Committee on Tuesday, March 24.
Political obstacles remain.
The early retirement program offered to city employees has led to the loss of a large number of police officers. The 1998 budget leaves little room for discretionary spending. Yet resources are available if city leaders are willing to look for them. The Task Force is also submitting detailed recommendations on street, design, signalization, and code changes for the Comprehensive Development Plan. Because registrations doubled our expectations, we instead had to find a bigger location.