Study finds where most crashes in Sandy Springs occur as city looks to improve safety

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Monday was the last day people could add their input to the city of Sandy Springs’s Safety Action Plan.

City leaders have been working on the plan since Feb. 2024, holding community input meetings along with having an online input portal.

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The city got a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Through the study, leaders found there had been 27,502 crashes in the city limits over the past five years. While nearly half of them happened on either Interstate 285 or Georgia 400, a third occurred on city streets.

“To see if we could really make a difference in minimizing fresh dangers whether you’re walking or biking, taking transit, or in your own vehicle,” Sandy Springs Traffic and Transportation Manager Kristen Wescott told Channel 2′s Eryn Rogers.

Wescott said they narrowed in on problem areas and were able to see where a lot of the crashes were happening.

“State route 400 at Northridge, I-285 at Roswell Road, Abernathy at Roswell Road,” Wescott said.

Resident Vladimir Shklovsky said he sees problems on Roswell Road.

“Even where there are sidewalks, it’s broken old concrete, with no curb protection, no separation between the road and where people are walking,” Shklovsky said.

Wescott said the plan includes adding sidewalks on Roswell Road from I-285 to the Atlanta city limits. However, she said the plan looks at more than just engineering projects.

“Teen driving patterns, or distracted driving, also working with our police and fire related to emergency response and crash protocol,” Wescott said.

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Wescott said they’re also looking into adding more mid-block crossings in areas where the lights are far apart on Roswell Road and other areas in the city to hopefully cut down on jaywalking.

“I see people crossing the street, and I get it, it’s hard to walk up and down the hill to get to a crosswalk far away, and they’re just playing frogger with cars,” Shklovsky said. “It’s terrifying.”

City leaders said they also need people to do their part in reducing crashes.

“I hope people take a moment to think about their own driving behavior because a lot of our behavior leads to crashes, so whether that’s speeding, reckless driving, whether it’s distracted driving, put that phone away,” Wescott said.

There will be a chance for public comment at the City Council meeting Tuesday. City leaders will present the Safety Action Plan for council members to adopt. The meeting starts at 6 pm.

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