Metro Atlanta communities are seeing changes aimed at making daily life safer, more efficient and more connected, from upgraded school bus technology to a unique crime investigation and plans for a new indoor sports facility.
Forsyth County Schools are introducing new technology to help students get home more efficiently. Every school bus in the district is now equipped with a tablet featuring turn-by-turn navigation, replacing the paper directions drivers previously relied on. The technology is designed to help drivers navigate around traffic issues, including accidents, and reduce delays on routes.
Parents will also have access to a mobile app that allows them to track their child’s bus location and receive updates about arrival times. Coweta County is also introducing similar technology as school districts look for new ways to improve transportation.
Meanwhile, authorities in Pickens County are investigating an unusual vehicle theft case that has gained attention online. Police are searching for a suspect accused of stealing a vehicle while wearing a costume designed to look like a houseplant. The incident was captured on a Ring camera, leading the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office to joke that while the disguise was creative, “Mother Nature isn’t an invisibility cloak.”
In Atlanta, runners and fitness enthusiasts may soon have a new place to train year-round. The Atlanta Track Club is planning to build the first indoor track facility in Georgia in the Summerhill area, near the site of the former Olympic Stadium.
Atlanta Track Club CEO Rich Kenah said the goal is to create a facility that helps make Atlanta one of the healthiest cities in the country while giving athletes and community members a place to run regardless of weather conditions.
