WALB is working to produce a video for this story. In the meantime, we encourage you to watch our livestream.

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Each year, more than 42,000 people - the population of a small city are killed on American streets and thousands more are injured, according to Vision Zero Network.

According to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), pedestrians and bicyclists account for 20% of traffic deaths in Albany. Now, City of Albany and Dougherty County officials are working on a comprehensive safety plan to get traffic fatalities and severe injuries down to zero by 2050.

Erik Steaven with Foresite Group, who is helping the City and County with a study and plan of action says cities that have taken the challenge are slowly seeing changes in their accident profiles.

”Part of that, 1 is identifying kind of where those are, 2 is getting a handle on the kinds of approaches to reduce those accidents, and so, it’s one of those things where you’ll see marketed improvement over time. It’s not something that communities are seeing today, many accidents, the next day, zero accidents. It’s a process to where again it takes a while to change a behavior,” said Steaven.

Right now, Foresite Group is working to put together potential projects to apply for federal funding.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2025 WALB. All rights reserved.