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Decatur adopts pedestrian scrambles, mural and marking contract downtown
Summary
The commission approved new all‑pedestrian signal phases and no‑right‑on‑red restrictions at Church & Sycamore and Ponce & Claremont to improve pedestrian safety, and authorized a Streetscapes contract of $34,900 (project budget $41,880) for a mural and new markings. Staff said both intersections were prioritized in the Decatur Safety Action Plan.
The City Commission approved staff recommendations to change signal operations at two downtown intersections to add an exclusive pedestrian phase (commonly called a pedestrian scramble), install diagonal pedestrian signal heads and add no‑right‑on‑red restrictions at approaches where right turns currently occur.
Active Transportation Director Julie Harlan told commissioners the changes respond to the Decatur Safety Action Plan, which prioritized intersections based on crash history, pedestrian volumes and proximity to transit and downtown destinations. "Pedestrian scrambles will allow pedestrians to cross in all directions, including diagonally, during an exclusive signal phase," Harlan said.
Separately, the commission approved a Streetscapes contract of $34,900 to install a community mural at Church & Sycamore and to repaint/replace decorative markings at Ponce & Claremont so federally compliant scramble markings can be installed. Staff recommended a $41,880 project budget to cover installation and incidental costs and said the project will be implemented within days. Commissioners discussed vehicle delay tradeoffs and delivery/loading accommodations; staff said new dedicated loading spaces and minor signal equipment (diagonal pedestrian heads) will be added without wholesale replacement of signal infrastructure.
Both the signal‑operation update and the Streetscapes contract passed on commission votes.
