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.

SR 216, which would have created a Vulnerable Road Users Study Committee, was the advocacy project of Propel ATL volunteer (and Blinkie Award winner) Veronica Watts. Ultimately, it was not selected by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones as one of the seven study committees for next year’s session. (There were 11 other proposed committees that met the same fate.)

Veronica Watts at the Blinkie Awards on May 9, 2025. Photo: Propel ATL

“While upsetting for me and many others passionate about the safety of people walking, cycling, rolling and driving, we will continue to fight for the right to move freely,” Watts said. “Come next legislative session, I hope all of the key players will have an opportunity to speak with their respected legislators and work together to create impactful legislation.”

Similarly, HB 308, which would have put Georgia in a leading position in using GPS-based technology to limit “super speeders,” passed both chambers of the General Assembly with bipartisan support. Yet when it reached the Governor’s desk, it was vetoed over stated concerns about implementation.

(The bill would also have established a regulatory framework for the use of small “Kei trucks” from Japan, which many enthusiasts prefer as work vehicles over bloated, oversized contemporary trucks. Arguably, this bill’s defeat constituted a double loss for safe-streets advocates.)

Another bill, HB 638, would allow automated enforcement of bus-only lanes to help to keep transit running smoothly. MARTA is currently implementing two bus-rapid-transit projects, meaning this reform would be an asset for operational success. But while this legislation passed the House, it failed to pass the Senate in time to reach the Governor’s desk.

Finally, there was an intriguing bill to legalize the so-called “Idaho Stop” for Georgia cyclists that did not make much legislative progress. (This particular bill also added legal requirements for cyclists, which would not have been an acceptable trade-off.)

The news from under the Gold Dome wasn’t all doom and gloom, however. Despite two proposals to rein in the use of speed cameras in school zones – one focused on elimination and other on reform – neither made it through both chambers to the governor’s desk.