Atlanta woke up to tragic news today. Devonne "DJ" Malique David, an 11-year-old boy, was hit and killed while trick-or-treating in SE Atlanta.  We’re incredibly saddened for the family, friends, and community of this child, the latest victim of traffic violence in Atlanta. If you'd like to support the family during this impossible time, there's a GoFundMe to cover the funeral expenses and provide assistance. Read more

By May of 2021, the number of people killed by drivers while walking or using wheelchairs in the City of Atlanta had already surpassed that for all of 2020, according to data provided by the Atlanta Police Department.  Of the 17 pedestrian fatalities, 15 people were Black and 13 were men — nationally,  trends show pedestrian fatalities are rising fastest among Black men. Those killed ranged in age from 17 to 70 years old. And, each person was found “at fault” in their own death. That caught our attention. Documented dangerous street conditions in Atlanta and across the U.S. keep killing people, especially in Black and immigrant communities where high-speed, high-injury streets are concentrated. Additionally, the people tasked with enforcing Georgia’s crosswalk laws often don’t understand them. Most of the people killed were cited for crossing outside of a crosswalk, even when they were crossing at an unmarked, but legal crosswalk (see explanation of Georgia pedestrian laws). We have to make it safe enough to walk or use a wheelchair in Atlanta! That’s why we need your help to advocate for funding sidewalks and safe crossings at both the city and state levels. Better infrastructure is the proven key to supporting and protecting people who walk, use wheelchairs, bike, scoot, and use transit. Photo by Ono Kosuki via Pexels.com Read more

The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded the Georgia Tech Research Corporation a $1 million Stage 2 Civic Innovation Challenge grant to pilot an On-Demand Multimodal Transit System Solution (ODMTS) in Atlanta. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and MARTA are joining Georgia Tech as sub-grantees and partners on this exciting initiative. The ODMTS system aims to bring equitable and affordable transportation to all Atlanta residents, especially to those residing in underserved communities. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is excited to partner directly with the research team in ensuring the effective implementation of this new transit solution.  Read more

Since legislation to launch a new era of Atlanta Streets Alive was introduced two weeks ago, it’s been the talk of the town. With your support, we delivered over 2,000 emails to City Council members urging them to turn a car-free Peachtree Street every Sunday (an 11-year vision) into a reality. Based on the response, many Atlantans are willing and ready to create a whole new healthy, sustainable, and vibrant city street experience. However, we need to allow time for everyone who would be affected by this major transition to work together to make it happen in a way that benefits everyone. Therefore, the legislation will be held in committee to allow time for stakeholder outreach and collaboration. Read more

Atlanta City Council is considering legislation that would launch the next era of Atlanta Streets Alive: tell our Councilmembers we want a car-free Peachtree Street every Sunday!  Read more

One of our 2021 policy recommendations is to adopt a new TSPLOST with a focus on sidewalks. This week the Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee will consider authorizing legislation. Read more

Wave goodbye to the reversible lane and pothole-riddled pavement that represent DeKalb Ave today, because the street is finally getting some love. Along with new pavement comes a redesign. The project doesn't include everything that we wanted. However, the City of Atlanta says it will enhance the safety and well-being of people living on DeKalb Ave as well as those who use it to commute or visit its small businesses.  Photo: current conditions on DeKalb Ave, pre-redesign and construction. Read more

We all know the intersection at Cascade Avenue and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard is dangerous. It's been that way for decades. On Wednesday, August 25, a woman lost her life there: Woman killed after car goes off overpass, onto Atlanta BeltLine below via WSBTV.com: "The witness said the woman had just left the parking lot of a shopping center nearby when the driver went through the fence along Ralph David Abernathy and fell on the Atlanta BeltLine below." Steve Gehlbach of WSB via Twitter: "Witness thinks she may have been trying to avoid getting hit by another car as left Kroger parking lot next door." This is one more in a long list of crashes on this corridor that have hurt or killed people making ordinary, everyday trips to the grocery store, school, and work. We didn’t need another example of why it's so critical for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT), and the Atlanta BeltLine to collaborate with residents to fix this intersection and the adjacent streets. Read more

The live-streamed candidate forums will give Atlantans a chance to hear candidates’ priorities for policies that center community voices to address racial equity across a wide range of issues. ATLANTA (August 18, 2021) - Atlanta residents will have the opportunity to ask local government candidates the hard questions about their plans to address racial equity through the interconnected issues of climate, jobs, health, housing, and mobility when #TransFormationTuesdays, hosted by the TransFormation Alliance (TFA) and its issue champions, kicks off Tuesday, August 24.  Read more

Together, the two organizations will strengthen their capacity to champion safe, equitable, and sustainable transportation solutions for all Atlantans   ATLANTA (June 17, 2021) — The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and PEDS — two of the Southeast’s leading organizations dedicated to sustainable transportation advocacy — are thrilled to announce they have formally merged as of June 17, 2021. This merger comes after the two groups first entered into talks in February of this year.  Read more

Since the inaugural activation on Edgewood Avenue in 2010, each Atlanta Streets Alive has inspired more people to dream big about our streets as thriving public spaces. The joy of freely walking, playing, biking, wheeling, scooting, or skating without the danger of passing cars lets people experience the full potential of our streets — safe, enjoyable active transportation corridors that spontaneously transform into pop-up meeting spaces, playgrounds, dance parties, or ballfields. Read more

We're celebrating a success! On Tuesday, July 6, Atlanta City Council passed better traffic calming policies for the City of Atlanta through ordinance 21-O-0405. Take action: support better traffic calming policy for the City of Atlanta! Tuesday, June 15 between 4-7 pm, call (404) 330-6059 and leave a message of support for ordinance 21-O-0405.  Attend a neighborhood meeting anywhere in Atlanta and you’re likely to hear a common refrain: people are driving too fast.  Some may see it as just a nuisance or a fact of life in a city. But for people who use our streets outside of vehicles—and that’s everyone at some point—even a small increase in driving speed becomes a matter of life or death in a crash. High speeds also prevent a lot of street use. How many parents are afraid to let their kids walk or bike? How many older adults or people with disabilities avoid taking needed trips because high-speed traffic makes it that much harder to get places?    Read more

Atlanta, once a city of metal plates, became a city of bright orange barricades during 2020. Some are part of ongoing construction projects, like those lining the Piedmont Avenue Light Individual Transportation (LIT) lane. Others, like the barricades on Lee Street, were placed as a traffic calming measure on a wide street in need of a retrofit, providing a shortened crossing distance for people walking and using wheelchairs, and a temporary space for people on bikes and scooters. Finally, some were intended to prevent street racing and stunt driving, like the plastic barricades that were bumped into the LIT lane, blocking the path for people trying to bike or scoot in it. Edgewood Avenue, Atlanta, GA   Read more

ATLANTA – March 30, 2021 – The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is excited to announce it is the recipient of a $10,000 grant from redefinED atlanta, an Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that every student in Atlanta has the opportunity to attend a great public school. These funds will support the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition’s Bike Family program, which works with students, families, and staff in Atlanta Public Schools’ elementary schools located near High-Injury Network corridors. Bike Family equips participants with top quality bike education, proper safety gear, and their own bicycles so that they gain the skills and confidence to bike safely together. Read more

Last Thursday, many of you joined Atlanta Bicycle Coalition staff for our third quarterly stakeholder briefing. To everyone who spent the evening with us — thank you! We enjoyed sharing our 2020 accomplishments and 2021 priorities, and receiving valuable feedback on our 2021 City of Atlanta and Atlanta Board of Education Policy Agenda: creating a more equitable city through mobility.  If you weren’t able to attend, we’ve got you covered with a full recap, including Q&A review. Read more