Or: why metered street parking is good, actually TL;DR: Metered street parking dedicates valuable curb space to cars, excluding other modes of transportation. If we are dedicating physical space to cars, let’s dedicate the generated parking revenue to other modes of transportation and to overall safety by directing it to the City's Safety and Mobility Fund. Drivers illegally parked in the bike lane and drivers in motion jockey for space on Edgewood Avenue in Atlanta. Photos: Rebecca Serna/Propel ATL

From protected bike lanes on South Boulevard to the lack of ANY bike lanes in a redesign of Monroe Drive, news about changes to our streets is coming thick and fast. We've rounded up the highlights and are pointing the way forward for advocates, as we cheer improvements and raise our voices against projects that fall short. 

Nearly nine years after it was created, the Cascade Road Complete Street project is about two years into construction of Phase I, which runs from Willis Mill Road to Delowe Drive. And while safety remains the ATLDOT's stated core goal, the Department has made changes to the project based on pushback, causing additional delays for people who live and work along the corridor.  

While this year’s legislative session at the Georgia State Capitol held great promise for safe-streets advocates, the final tally was disappointing once Governor Brian Kemp weighed in with his signatures and vetoes.

How much can Atlanta’s Department of Transportation get done before the 2026 World Cup? Is next year’s annual budget increase enough? Is staff at risk of burning out due to vacancies and intense demand? Can we trust the Department to be a good steward of the budget it’s given? What’s the status of long-planned and funded projects that have (still) not yet been built? These were the themes of the ATLDOT budget briefing, held last week by Atlanta City Council, with Commissioner Solomon Caviness and senior staff on the hot seat.

“Are complete streets on Peachtree dead?”The blunt question, posed by Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman during yesterday’s budget briefing, hung in the air for a beat. In response, Atlanta Department of Transportation Commissioner Solomon Caviness answered “no,”  pointing to undefined future plans tied to The Stitch and the Moving Atlanta Forward bond. But the answer feels far less hopeful for those walking Peachtree Street today.