The City of Atlanta recently fast-tracked a proposal (22-R-4417) to repave eight downtown streets around the State Capitol and City Hall using bond/TSPLOST funds.  If it had passed as originally written, downtown streets would be smoother, but not measurably safer. Fortunately, it was amended to require the repaving projects include bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and add funds from the general fund to reduce the drain on the bond/TSPLOST. Read more for how this was achieved and what's next!  Read more

Propel ATL is pleased to announce it has received a $70,947.84 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) with federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).The grant, which will continue through September 2023, will support efforts to reduce bicycle crashes and injuries. Read more

On Monday, October 17th, Atlanta City Council will consider Resolution 22-R-4417, a proposal to spend $6.2 Million to repave several blocks of 8 downtown streets – Mitchell Street, Trinity Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr Drive, Washington Street, Central Avenue, Capitol Avenue, Capitol Square, and Memorial Drive – around the Georgia State Capitol and Atlanta City Hall before the next state legislative session begins in January.  If this legislation is approved, the streets would be resurfaced as-is, without any changes to make walking or biking safer, despite City policy to “prioritize safety in restriping programs.” Take action Read more

On Tuesday, October 3rd, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens' administration shared its strategic delivery plan for the $750M "Moving Atlanta Forward" bond and TSPLOST infrastructure program.  The plan is described as showing "...how the City will activate the projects across multiple departments, including the monitoring and control measures the City will use to ensure the projects adhere to the baseline schedule, budget and project scope. The Plan also provides a project prioritization methodology and lays out how a master schedule will be used to manage these infrastructure improvements..." One major challenge for project delivery that the plan does not address: how the five transportation project managers for the entire Atlanta Department of Transportation are expected to deliver hundreds of projects. Read more for elements of the plan that stood out to us.   Read more

This is the view from Joseph E Lowery Boulevard where a woman’s life ended suddenly in August 2022. She was trying to cross the street when the driver of a car struck her. She later died from her injuries. On Monday, September 26, 2022, we met with District 4 Councilmember Jason Dozier and Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) Mobility Planning Director Betty Smoot-Madison for a pedestrian fatality site visit, to discuss what safety interventions could prevent future fatalities.  Read more

Every two weeks, Atlanta City Council’s Transportation Committee meets to consider legislation and get updates from Atlanta transportation departments and agencies. We review the agendas in advance, decide what legislation is most relevant to our strategic goals, determine if public support or opposition is needed, then attend the meetings virtually or in person. This is our monthly summary of the meetings and the issues we are watching. Read more

Propel ATL works to build an Atlanta where everyone moves safely, easily, and sustainably throughout the city, but we don't mean only by walking or rolling. Public transit makes moving and traveling through the city more sustainable and accessible, and making transit work better for people in Atlanta is a priority for us. A generous investment from the Mobility Fund helped establish a transit equity coalition, laying the groundwork for continued, collaborative advocacy that centers the voices of people with the greatest stake in transit, and who rely on it the most. Read more

As advocates for people-centered, safer streets, crash data is a valuable tool to make the case for why a street needs traffic calming, bike/LIT lanes, fewer or narrower lanes to reduce speeds, or other safety interventions. Using crash data can help convey the urgency to develop safety measures people feel based on their experiences. Yet the information can be hard to find, outdated, or even inaccurate.  Georgia has a crash data portal that can help. Visit our recently-published Finding Crash Data page to learn more! 

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden signed a $750 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. The IRA may be the most significant climate change legislation in U.S. history so far. It will provide funds and opportunity for communities to tackle climate change and transition to cleaner energy options along with measures to reduce inflation and rising costs. Read more for noteworthy transportation and urban policy items in the legislation, as well as one policy that did not make it but that would reduce transportation-generated carbon emissions.  Read more

With the recent announcement from the Atlanta Department of Transportation of a new scramble at the intersection of 10th and Piedmont in Midtown, interest in this safety strategy is on the rise!  We’ve advocated for pedestrian scrambles for years. While today it’s accepted that most BeltLine crossings will have pedestrian scrambles, this wasn’t always the case. For example, we had to push hard to get the scramble at the BeltLine Krog tunnel intersection with DeKalb Ave. Traffic engineers were concerned that the scramble would increase delay for people driving, but in the end the tremendous safety benefits of the scramble won out. We’ve advocated for scrambles as part of other projects as well and see them as a valuable safety tool.  If you’re asking yourself what a pedestrian scramble is, you’re not alone. Pedestrian scrambles create a time during a traffic signal’s cycle when people on foot and using wheelchairs can cross in any direction, without worrying about turning cars.  Read more

The August 10, 2022 meeting of Atlanta City Council's Transportation Committee marked the first time interim ATLDOT Commissioner Marsha Bomar appeared before the committee. Unfortunately, one of the first things she had to do was share the tragic passing of Vision Zero program manager Kemberli Sargent in July 2022.  Read more

Testing different approaches to intersection safety is a good way to make sure public dollars are spent on solutions with proven benefits. After a trial period, the Atlanta Department of Transportation recently decided to extend the closure of the westbound lane of Faith Ave SE at Bill Kennedy Way SE with a month-long pilot. We hope this will lead to other safety improvements for the key Bill Kennedy Way corridor, which includes one of the city's few protected bike/LIT lanes and connects the BeltLine Eastside Trail.  Read more

This is the view from Northside Drive where a young man's life ended suddenly a few months ago. Just 28 years old, he was trying to cross the street when he was hit by the driver of a car and killed. We receive daily reports of fatal crashes from the state department of transportation, and share the reports on sustainable transportation fatalities with the relevant City Council members so they can use the information to advocate for safer streets in their districts.  Read more

With the recent departure of Commissioner Josh Rowan, the Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) is in need of new leadership. Right now the Mayor’s Office is finalizing the interim commissioner, with an announcement likely within the next two weeks. Next begins the official Commissioner search, a process expected to take about four months.  Of course, securing new leadership is only one step in a longer process to continue to build the most effective department possible. The next step is just as key - the new Commissioner must shape the organization in a way that lets it prioritize the very ambitious One Atlanta Strategic Transportation Plan and make faster progress on safety, equity, and mobility in our transportation systems. As ATLDOT embarks on its next stage, we want to hear from you!  Read more

The City of Atlanta Fiscal Year 2023 final budget reallocated $1 Million from the proposed Atlanta Department of Transportation budget to pay for firefighter raises. The adopted ATLDOT budget is $57.5 Million--a 7.6% increase over 2022. Read more