The week after my youngest son was born, there were three crashes at the intersection outside my front door on Boulevard, south of I-20. I found myself rushing outside after each crash to see if people needed help. Those violent crashes struck too close to home. They showed me that we may not be in charge of drafting the plans and crunching the numbers, but we are responsible to our communities for setting the vision for how our streets are designed and what results we will accept. Last year, A Safer Boulevard successfully lobbied to extend the Monroe Drive/Boulevard Complete Street Project south of Woodward Avenue because we want to transform a dangerous part of our public space into an integrated part of our community. Now, here's your chance to advocate for a better, safer Boulevard Drive. I need you to tell Renew Atlanta and Councilmember Carla Smith that you support these safety upgrades and improvements (see below) before the August 10th deadline for public comment.   Read more

"I can make a coffee table book of all the crashes I've seen from my front porch," said Kim Wilson, a resident who lives on Monroe Drive. Her child is starting at Grady High School in the fall and she's terrified of letting them walk to school on a street where car speeds exceed 50 mph. "What's it going to take to address safety? Is it going to take another student dying?" People who walk or bike on Monroe Drive between Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street must compete with speeding cars and dangerous intersections on a daily basis. These conditions are unacceptable. Voters overwhelmingly approved the Renew Atlanta Bond in 2015 because Complete Street projects like the one on Monroe Drive/Boulevard promised to make our streets safer for everyone. The latest Renew Atlanta plans for Monroe Drive north of 10th Street preserve the same old design that virtually ensures that Monroe Drive remains a highway that endangers everyone from people like Wilson's child to rush hour car commuters. Check out the video below for reactions from residents on Monroe Drive north of Ponce de Leon, then join us as we demand the road diet be added to the Monroe Drive/Boulevard Complete Street Project.  Read more

Thank you to all of our members who asked City Council for $2.5 million in funding for bike infrastructure and maintenance in the Fiscal Year 2019 Budget, and to all the City leaders who greeted the request with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the funding was not allocated this year. While we’re disappointed, we’ve already begun planning our campaign for next year’s budget cycle!  Read more

We’re advocating for $2.5 million in funding for bike infrastructure and maintenance in the city’s FY2019 Budget. The funding will help the city set realistic goals for bike network expansion that can be delivered in a single political term. At approximately $100,000 per mile, the city could build 20 miles of bike lanes annually. Along with projects with other funding sources, this would help reach our goal of 200 miles of bikeways by 2021, while also setting aside $500,000 annually for maintenance." Let's make sure the city budget reflects our future priorities. Tell your councilmember to #Budget4Bikes before the Monday, June 18th, Council Meeting! SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR EMAIL TIPS Read more

Last Sunday, 134,000 people powered the Westside Atlanta Streets Alive on Howell Mill Road and Marietta Street. At the Westside Atlanta Streets Alive kickoff, we celebrated the Marietta Street Resurfacing Project with Councilmember Dustin Hillis (District 9 - Northwest Atlanta) and Renew Atlanta, the department responsible for the resurfacing project that will add 1.6 miles of bikes lanes to Marietta Street. Councilmember Hillis declared "Westside Bestside!" and the Phoenixes took flight. And what followed was one of our largest open streets activations in Atlanta history. Read more

New technologies are bringing new ways of getting around to Atlantans. Last month, the city's official bike share, Relay, celebrated one year of operations. Lime Bikes, along with a slew of dockless bike share companies bringing more mobility options to cities across the globe, is submitting permits to the City of Atlanta to start placing its bikes throughout the city. And, of course, people are buzzing about the Bird e-scooters zipping around town.  It's absolutely key to have sensible regulations in place before the systems roll out. This regulation will demystify the process for both the city and companies that want to bring beyond-car mobility options to Atlanta. That's why we're supporting the City of Atlanta's new “Shareable Dockless Mobility Devices” legislation. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition supports more *safe* mobility options that connect with transit, make getting around town easier, and help people get out of their cars for short trips. We also care deeply about livability, safety, and equity, so we want to make sure the shiny new devices are sustainable, safe, and equitably distributed. But, perhaps most tellingly, these shared mobility devices underscore the importance of designing our streets for how people want to get around Atlanta. People crave options, whether it's at the grocery store, on the Internet, or on the street.  Read more

[Updated May 17] You may have already heard about Atlanta Transit Linc, the new regional transit agency Governor Deal signed into law this session. But here are three bills you may not have heard about - and that just might make our streets safer. We believe people should not die or be seriously injured when they are just trying to get somewhere. This concept, sometimes referred to as "Vision Zero," has widespread support. With fatal car and pedestrian crashes on the rise in Georgia, we've been closely following state legislation through Georgia Bikes that could make Georgia's roads safer - for everyone. Not sure who represents you at the state Capitol? Find your legislator and thank them for supporting safer streets. Read more

Hundreds of people jammed into the conference room at the new Martin Luther King Jr. Natatorium to hear the fate of the Renew Atlanta DeKalb Avenue Complete Street project. When the Renew Atlanta project manager declared the city would finally remove the reversible "suicide" lane and move forward with long-awaited turn lanes, signal upgrades, ADA improvements, and separated bike facilities, most of the crowd erupted in applause. We're calling on Renew to prioritize engineering & design of the Complete Street, to make absolutely sure it gets built. Let's make this one Complete Street project that gets completed! Email your public comment to Renew Atlanta at [email protected] by May 2nd and be sure to include your name, address, and that you support the Complete Streets project. It's fitting that the announcement of a visionary Complete Street project would take place inside the City of Atlanta's beautiful $23.5 million recreation center, funded by Renew Atlanta. If the Martin Luther King Jr. Natatorium serves as a hub for the community, then DeKalb Avenue serves as the spoke that connects the neighborhoods along the corridor. Renew Atlanta can turn the DeKalb Avenue Complete Street project into a safe corridor that serves the community and commuters no matter what mode they choose.  Read more

The City of Atlanta's first Chief Bicycle Officer, Becky Katz, is a force to be reckoned with. She rolls over and around obstacles in her way like water carving a path over rock, leaving its mark on hard surfaces over time. During her two and half year tenure, Becky etched new paths, created much-needed programs, updated policies, and established good institutional habits.  That's right, we used the past tense. After working with the city and a foundation to create and fund the position, we've had the pleasure of working with Becky in her role at the city, where she has accomplished a great deal in a short time! Read more

74,000 people biked, walked, skated, or pushed strollers down DeKalb Ave last Sunday at Atlanta Streets Alive. That’s nearly a week’s worth of car traffic crammed into 4 hours on a street that carries about 15,000 vehicles per day. Unlike a white-knuckled car ride down DeKalb Ave which has seen as many as 11 crashes and 5 injuries in a given week, Atlanta Streets Alive documented 1 EMS visit -- a skinned knee that required an ice pack.  Read more

Here in Atlanta, we're often called out for our transportation challenges. Transit service, though increasing, remains anemic. Where traffic isn't congested, speeding is rampant, and many people feel they lack safe alternatives to driving. It comes as no surprise to newcomers to learn we don't have a city department that is focused solely on transportation. The idea of creating a city department to plan, fund, deliver, and manage transportation projects and services is not a new one, but it seems to have gained new life.  Read more

If you bike east from Beecher Hills on Cascade Road, you know it already has a short section of bike lane that gets you tantilizingly close to the Kroger Citi Center, but stopping suddenly just before you get there, right at the trickiest part. That section is slated for improvements funded through the Renew Atlanta bond, but it's not a done deal yet. The City’s Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST team just completed its final round of public meetings for the Cascade Road/Avenue Complete Street Project. Read more for the latest, and how you can help address safety challenges on this important road. Read more

We are thrilled that the City of Atlanta has released its first Annual Bicycle Report, and we will work with the Mayor to continue building on the achievements outlined in the City's report. Our Executive Director Rebecca Serna told CBS46 in an interview about the report that "a street safe enough for someone to ride a bike on is also safer for everyone else". Read more

Renew Atlanta Public Meeting 2016 DeKalb Avenue is fast, dangerous, and out of control. But there's hope. In 2015, Atlanta voters overwhelming approved the Renew Atlanta Infrastructure Bond to update and improve our streets. DeKalb Avenue made the Renew Atlanta list as a Complete Street, which means that the street must be rebalanced to serve more than just car traffic. In order to do this, the city needs to remove the reversible "suicide" lane (a long overdue safety improvement) and replace it with turn lanes at key intersections, as well as repave the street, and add bike lanes or a multi-use path, and build safer crossings. The City of Atlanta's Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST department is about to lead its third public meeting in three years. The project dates on the website indicate that this may take another two years to complete.  Read more

Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. currently ranks among the top three most dangerous streets on the Atlanta High Injury Corridor list, according to the draft Atlanta Transportation Plan. But thanks to the leadership of former Mayor Kasim Reed and former Councilmember C.T. Martin, communities along Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. will start seeing improvements that honor the history of the street and Atlanta’s Civil Rights legacy - and save lives in the process. Read more