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Walking into the Future
Cathy Clark Tyler named new
president of PEGS
BY CLARES. RICHIE
Cathy Clark Tyler just took the helm as
the second President/CEO of PEDS, the At
lanta-based advocacy organization ded
icated to making streets, sidewalks and
communities safe and accessible to all pe
destrians. Tyler brings to her new role,
more than 25 years of senior level execu
tive service in nonprofit, government and
higher education arenas.
“The Board of PEDS is thrilled to have
Cathy join the team. Cathy brings a wealth
of nonprofit leadership that will help us ex
pand our mission, those we serve, and our
members,” said PEDS Board Chairman An
drew Hixson.
Founded in 1996 by Sally Flocks, PEDS
has made significant strides through grass
roots advocacy and in collaboration with
government, civic and business stakehold
ers.
“Walking is a basic human right and
people should be safe when they are doing
it,” Tyler said.
While committed to all pedestrians, Ty
ler is eager to expand membership and de
velop new partnerships in underserved
communities to address disparities, like in
sufficient street crossings, which put resi
dents at risk.
“I don’t want children being killed cross
ing a busy road to catch a school bus,” Tyler
said, referring to a 14-year old boy who died
after being hit by a car on 2495 Donald Lee
Hollowell Parkway in early September.
“We did a bus audit over there [Hollow
ell Parkway], recently. It’s a half of a mile
before a crosswalk. If you’re late for school
you are going to cross to get to that bus,”
Tyler said.
That’s why the new PEDS leader wants
to help residents who live near multi-lane
roadways like Hollowell Parkway, Tara
Boulevard and Marting Luther King Jr.
Drive voice their concerns.
“It can’t all come from us - it needs to be
a human voice telling these stories to make
it urgent for lawmakers for government to
pay closer attention,” Tyler said.
Tyler also remains committed to work
ing closely with partners at GDOT and with
local governments, including the new
ly created City of Atlanta Department of
Transportation.
“I believe that people want to do the
right thing, but sometimes they need urg
ing to pay attention,” Tyler said.
After a month on the job, Tyler is
pleased with the transition.
“I am humbled by the amount of sup
port the board of directors, staff and par
ticularly the founder of PEDS have all
shown,” Tyler said.
During her 23 years at PEDS, Flocks
shared that some of her proudest accom
plishments include: increasing the num
ber of drivers who stop for people in
crosswalks; providing workshops to help
transportation professionals design for
pedestrian safety; and helping innovative
crossing treatments become mainstream
in Georgia.
“I’m thrilled to have created an orga
nization much bigger than myself, grati
fied to have achieved far more than I ever
imagined, and optimistic that Cathy Tyler
will lead PEDS to a whole new level,” said
Flocks.
Tyler understands that more pedes
trian advocacy is still needed, such as fix
ing Atlanta’s broken sidewalks to increase
walkability, connectivity and access to
public transit. The city allocates less than
$500,000 to routine sidewalk mainte
nance, which doesn’t come close to meet
ing the cost of annual disintegration, esti
mated at $20 million by Public Works.
Wheelchair users recently sued the City
of Atlanta for failing to maintain sidewalks
that are equally accessible to people with
disabilities. The lawsuit seeks to force At
lanta to modify its practices, install curb
ramps and fix broken sidewalks - remedies
that will ultimately benefit all pedestrians.
“Litigation is costly. It delays the work
and somebody else could get hurt while go
ing through the court process,” Tyler said.
The new PEDS leader sees collaboration
as a more expeditious solution and is ready
to walk the talk.
“Steve Jobs said, ‘We’re here to put a
dent in the universe.’ Sally has put a dent in
the universe of pedestrian safety. I’m very
happy to take that on now... to work collab-
oratively with other partners who are con
cerned about safety and walkability, partic
ularly in underserved communities”, Tyler
said.
“It’s the oldest mode of transportation.
Everybody can’t afford a car. Everybody
doesn’t want a car. They still need to be able
to live and thrive in the city.”
Learn more at peds.org.
