ORIGIN STORY: Thomas Hyneman and Grady Pedestrian Safety Coalition members cross 10th Street to visit a memorial for Hyneman’s daughter, Alexia, who was killed at the intersection in February 2016.
Leaving a chorus concert in February 2016, Principal Dr. Betsy Bockman and her daughter, then freshman Elizabeth, waited for the light at the intersection of 10th Street and Monroe Drive. They spotted a student, a peer of Elizabeth’s, waiting to cross on her bike.
Dr. Bockman, then principal of Inman Middle School, remembers thinking it looked unsafe for the girl, Alexia Hyneman, to cross the “very dangerous intersection” at 9:30 p.m.
“And then I drove home,” Dr. Bockman said.
Two days later, at the same intersection, a car hit Hyneman, who was crossing again on her bike. She died the next day.
Brown founded the Grady Pedestrian Safety Coalition to push the need for change at the intersection, following a three-year gap of little action. On Feb. 12, GPSC hosted a press conference in the Vincent Murray Auditorium, bringing together Atlanta City Councilwoman Jennifer Ide, the Atlanta Bike Coalition, and Thomas Hyneman, Alexia’s father.
According to Ide, changes have already been made since Alexia’s death, including lengthened cross times, motion sensors which detect crossers and audio announcements to signal when to cross. She said her office will add additional speed signage on Monroe Drive within the next few weeks.
RenewATL, funded by a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST), is leading plans to improve the intersection. The organization claimed to share the final plans for the 10th st. and Monroe Dr. intersection on March 7. The meeting also served as a platform for citizens to voice their concerns. According to Brown, many supported change for the intersection and also wanted their neighborhood streets to be safer. Ide claimed for 10th and Monroe intersection to be fully funded at that meeting but it is unclear at this moment whether that was done.
However, Hyneman and GPSC have encountered difficulty with the city. Since 2016, operations have moved “Zootopia slow,” according to Brown, when referring to the movement of sloths in the Disney movie.
After Alexia’s death, RenewATL drafted plans for rehabilitating the intersection. According to Hyneman, three years later, the design has not changed.
GPSC, which had meetings with RenewATL, was told the city would likely not start construction until 2024.
“It does feel like they’re making things up and that they’re not addressing our immediate needs by finding random ways to say it can’t be done,” Brown said.
GPSC advocates for change sooner rather than later, considering the high fatality rate on 10th Street and Monroe Drive. Both streets are part of the high-injury network. According to Hyneman, 8 percent of Atlanta’s streets, which account for 88 percent of fatalities, are part of the network.
According to Ide, Atlanta is considering a city-wide transportation plan which focuses on safety. It recommends adopting Vision Zero, which was started in Sweden more than 20 years ago and has since been adopted by 46 American cities. The non profit Vision Zero Network aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by reconstructing roads and adding more technology to make streets safer.
GPSC and Hyneman are still not convinced the city is dedicated to making a change soon. Brown cited a lack of transparency, and Hyneman has concerns about councilmembers’ commitment. Both aim to keep their politicians accountable and push them to see improvements.