[The Cobb Courier often highlights the work of student journalists from Kennesaw State University. This is Sarah Pittman’s first article for the Courier]
By Sarah Pittman
In recent year, Marietta, and its surrounding area, has been the site of a plethora of pedestrian-involved traffic accidents, notably: a 2025 case resulting in the amputation of a Kennesaw student’s leg as well as the loss of a young boy’s life this past September. This lack of safety for pedestrians and bikers alike may not only create wariness within those trying to travel but may affect the economic standing of small businesses.
“They probably wouldn’t feel safe sending their kids across the street to go to school unless it was in a car – because it is that dangerous,” former Marietta mayoral candidate, Sam Foster, said. “I think it is very important to think of it that way, especially when you have things going on, like rising gas prices, and while those rising gas prices are going on, because of the infrastructure we built out, oftentimes the only option for somebody, even if their job is only two miles away, the only safe option for somebody is to drive there.”
The city of Marietta is home to a wide variety of college students, small businesses, and family homes as the city itself includes two college campuses, an independently-owned-focused downtown area, as well as plenty of neighborhoods and townhomes.
This results in many Marietta residents relying heavily on car ownership and driving due to the limited amount of public transportation in the area. This increase in pedestrian-involved accidents only decreases the number of inhabitants willing to turn this city into a more bikeable or walkable one.
“Biking isn’t also only seen as a recreational activity – it’s a form of transportation that people can use to get around. I think it is very important to think of it that way, especially when you have things going on, like rising gas prices,” Foster said.
Foster believes this should not be a conversation involving who is to blame – the driver or the pedestrian – as that will do nothing to bring back the lives lost. He views this as a public safety crisis as opposed to an individual issue.
“I want to take the approach of safety first.”
Foster has quite a few safety suggestions.
He suggests taking Allgood Road off the truck route as some argue the trucks themselves to be too large for this section of the road – creating a limitation for the size of vehicle allowed on that road. He urges for a rapid response.
“Maybe we do a road diet to either convert some of those lanes into bus lanes or into bike lanes… (and) a midblock crossing… When we’re talking about putting streetlights in areas with high pedestrian traffic, it’s less likely that you get hit at night. So, it really depends on the area.”
Similarly, a nonprofit in Cobb County, A Better Cobb, also focuses on cyclist safety. In a broader context, they are focused on the economic viability and the economic sustainability of Cobb County. A Better Cobb is a local chapter of the national nonprofit known as Strong Towns. A Better Cobb focuses on zoning laws, affordable housing, and the expansion of public transit.
Despite the loss of lives, many individuals still view this as a nonissue – an individual misjudgment of safety, believing that the cyclist should not have been there, the pedestrian should have waited to cross, or that heavy machinery should have the right of way in situations such as these.
Foster disagrees, continuing to advise that anything that can be done moving forward to decrease the frequency of these lost lives should be done, and that safety should always be a priority.
“… We remind people, (that) the person who got hit by a car and died or got seriously injured, that’s somebody’s brother, that’s somebody’s son, that’s somebody’s sister, somebody’s daughter, somebody’s parent, right?”
Sarah Pittman is a student reporter for the Cobb County Courier and a second-year student studying Journalism and Criminal Justice at Kennesaw State University. Her journalism coverage primarily consists of hard topics, including politics, government, crime, and social justice.