In hopes of getting the Cobb County DOT to make Irwin Road & John Ward roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists, we have partnered with Lakefield Manor to reach out to more than 12 other subdivisions in the area including Hampton Glenn, West Ansley and Walker's Ridge to further an ePetition on this issue.  Below is a information and links relating to the Cobb County Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Plan and am issuing a CALL TO ACTION for residents of Pennington Hill as well as the neighborhoods along Irwin Road and John Ward Road to join this initiative.

The Cobb County Department of Transportation is conducting a 15-month planning project to identify where Cobb County can improve conditions for bicycling and walking.  The plan will examine the need for physical infrastructure, including shared use paths, sidewalks, and on-street bike lanes.  A portion of the study will be dedicated to developing a SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM for Cobb County. For more specific information, visit cobbdot.org/bikeped.

Now, the CALL TO ACTION... 

Cobb County Department of Transportation has set up an email address for citizens who were unable to make it to the workshop to voice their opinions regarding where each would like to see improvement in the way of bike paths and pedestrian sidewalks. 

The period for public comment is open NOW but will close soon so we are asking of EVERYONE to cut and paste the bold text below and send it to planning@cobbcounty.org as well as copying (CC:) johnward_irwin_sidewalks@comcast.net.  This will help us compile the total of responses to see how we did.  Please feel free to personalize or insert additional information as you see fit.  We also intend to bring these responses to the attention of Helen Goreham, our County Commissioner, to see if we can enlist her help in the matter.

FYI - The next town hall meeting will be on 2/12/09 at 7:00 P.M. in the Stratton Library located at 1100 Powder Springs Road.  Helen Goreham is scheduled to attend and we will be sending out additional talking points and updates prior to this meeting.

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To Cobb County DOT,

Please seriously consider including John Ward Road & Irwin Road in your Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Plan.  Currently, there are several large gaps in the sidewalks on John Ward Road (between Dallas Hwy and Macland Road) as well as on Irwin Road (between the Villa Rica Road to John Ward Road) and virtually nothing in the way of bicycle lanes in these areas as well.  This situation has created a serious hazard where elementary students, pedestrians, bicyclist and automobiles compete for the same space on the road.