In 2022, Atlanta voters approved major investments in safer streets — sidewalks, safer crossings, and protected infrastructure — through Moving Atlanta Forward. These weren’t abstract ideas. They were real commitments to make everyday travel safer. But today, only 13% of safer streets and sidewalk projects have reached the street. The vast majority remain stuck in planning, design, or early phases, while people continue navigating unsafe conditions every day.

Well, another legislative session is behind us in Georgia. I think we all breathe a little easier as we walk, bike, or wait for the bus downtown with fewer harried out-of-town drivers to deal with. There are a couple of things we’d like Governor Kemp to do before May 12. (That’s the deadline after the Legislature adjourns to sign or veto the bills passed by state lawmakers. At the end of the 40 days, any remaining measures automatically become law.)

Residents, advocates, and community partners gathered for the Buford Highway Community Walk Audit Propel ATL hosted a community walk audit on Buford Highway on February 28, 2026, bringing together residents, advocates, and community partners to document what it is like to walk, bike, and access transit along the corridor. The audit was designed to capture real-world conditions on Buford Highway, where many people face missing sidewalk connections, difficult street crossings, and daily barriers that make even short trips feel unsafe or inconvenient. The findings confirmed what residents have long experienced: Buford Highway is not working well for people who rely on walking and transit. Participants described missing and narrow sidewalks, crossings that are hard to reach or take too long to navigate, and everyday trips to bus stops, stores, schools, and apartments that can feel stressful, disconnected, or unsafe. These conditions show why residents are asking for practical improvements that make the corridor easier to move through and more responsive to how people actually use it.

Each year, the Blinkie Awards recognize the individuals, organizations, and initiatives that are helping transform Atlanta’s streets into safe, inclusive, and thriving spaces for people to ride, walk, and roll. These sustainable transportation leaders are advancing this work in different ways — some through advocacy and community building, others through storytelling and public leadership. Regardless of their method, all winners share a commitment to creating an Atlanta where everyone can move safely, easily, and sustainably throughout the city.

Lately it seems all of Atlanta is under construction, in a flurry of last-minute cleaning for the international football party we’re hosting in June.  Some of it is good — curb ramps being installed that let people in wheelchairs or pushing strollers have safe access to sidewalks which are also getting repaired. Decades-long projects huffing it out over the finish line (looking good, Juniper and S. Boulevard!) Trail crossings were added a few years after the trail was completed (Arkwright over Moreland Ave). And Atlanta’s most iconic street-level photo booth (Jackson Street) no longer blocked by cars — plus a new spot for bridge pics opening up (Clifton Street).

Every day in Atlanta, someone walking, biking, taking transit, or simply crossing the street, doesn’t make it home. Behind every crash is a person, a family, and a story that doesn’t end when the news cycle moves on. For too long, many families in Atlanta have had to carry that loss, trauma, and confusion on their own. That’s why we’re bringing Atlanta Families for Safe Streets (AFSS) back together.