Two Atlantans were recently killed while walking, within a week of each other. Each loss was tragic and unnecessary. One, you’ve likely heard of through media coverage raising the important question of safer street design for pedestrian safety. The other person was victim-blamed with the headline “Pedestrian dies after walking in front of car,” despite a lack of witnesses.  What they had in common: streets designed to prioritize car traffic, not people.  Addendum: And now a third unnecessary death has been added to that list. That’s three too many.

This week, the Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) released its Action Plan for Vision Zero, a roadmap for ending traffic fatalities in our city. This is a success worth celebrating and a direct result of years of campaigning by Propel ATL to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries. We’ve seen the damage and life-altering outcomes crashes inflict. Many of us have been affected personally or lost someone we loved to traffic violence. And that’s why this is a milestone worth celebrating. Here’s how it came to be. 

No matter which part of Atlanta we call home, we all want safe, thriving streets and dependable transportation. That’s why we’re excited to announce the formation of the Atlanta Safe Streets & Transit Coalition, a unification of two successful groups who've made strides in the name of street safety and better transit. A major lesson we’ve learned is that we can accomplish more when we work together, and we look forward to the progress our new, combined Coalition will achieve in the years to come! Interested in getting your company, organization, community group, or other entity involved? Scroll down for the low-down on how to get in touch! We look forward to talking.

Forsyth Street and Edgewood Avenue get some long-overdue attention...not to mention bike lane improvements!

This week, Mayor Andre Dickens announced his support for four infill MARTA stations including one at a mixed-used development that would connect MARTA rail to the Atlanta BeltLine. These projects—while potentially impactful—alone won’t constitute a long-term roadmap to the better transportation infrastructure Atlanta truly needs. A reliable network of public transit, bus lanes, bike lanes, sidewalks, and crosswalks spanning every neighborhood would go a long way toward making Atlanta a healthy, sustainable city. But despite a growing population and increasing demand for efficient transportation and improvements like these, last year, Mayor Dickens's administration reduced the Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) operating budget by more than 12%, now standing at $50.3 million. This drastic reduction directly hampers ATLDOT's ability to manage a growing list of urgent projects and maintain safe conditions on our streets, a situation that should be of great concern to all Atlantans.

For a moment this week, it felt like all anyone could talk about was transit. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ announcement of four infill MARTA stations at the State of the City address Monday kicked things off. Monday night, MARTA held a community meeting about the Campbellton Road Bus Rapid Transit Project. And Wednesday, MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood gave his quarterly update to the Atlanta City Council. Read more for highlights and ways to take action.