Statement in Response to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Action Plan for Safer Streets Across Atlanta
Today, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the details of the “plan to change our streets by creating safer, dedicated spaces for cyclists and scooter riders.” The promise of an “accelerated” plan came packaged with the announcement of a temporary night-time ban (9 p.m. to 4 a.m.) on permitted e-bikes & e-scooters following the deaths of three scooter riders struck by cars and killed while riding e-scooters in the city of Atlanta and our advocacy calling for a rapid response from the City.
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Music Midtown makes way for biking
Last year's Music Midtown brought heartburn to Atlantans who use bikes and scooters for transportation. The bike lanes on 10th Street were inaccessible for two-weeks during the previous year's festival even though they are the most heavily-used bike lanes in the city. This year, to create a safer environment for mobility, the City of Atlanta and Atlanta Bicycle Coalition worked with Music Midtown to address concerns and forge a better path forward.
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Bike Safety Tips for Back to School
There’s no time like back to school to get the whole family actively riding in Atlanta’s neighborhoods and along bike paths. We honor this exciting time with some information about our bike safety education programs, tips on riding safety, and a request for support of our expanding Shifting Gears program.
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Mobility needs don't end at 9 PM
The City of Atlanta announced a temporary nighttime ban on permitted e-bikes & e-scooters as of Friday, August 9th. A citywide No Ride Zone will be in effect from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily, in response to the recent fatal scooter/motor vehicle crashes. The announcement noted that all four crashes occurred "after sunset."
But the sun doesn't set on people's mobility needs, and last-mile connectivity isn't limited to daytime hours.
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Rapid Response Required by City for Safe Streets
We are experiencing a breaking point in Atlanta’s mobility landscape. With the rise of shared mobility devices including e-bikes and scooters, almost weekly we are reminded that streets built to prioritize cars aren’t sufficient for present-day Atlanta. People are dying. The narrative of putting the onus on the victims or people that choose to use these devices for last-mile connectivity—or even for fun—unfairly removes the responsibility from the people with the power to enact immediate solutions.
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Community protest calls for safe streets on West Peachtree and beyond
Just after 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17th, William Alexander was struck and fatally crushed by a bus while riding a scooter near Arts Center Marta Station in Midtown. The father of two lost his life on West Peachtree Street, a state road that the City of Atlanta and Midtown Alliance have proposed for safety improvements. West Peachtree was on the Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST project list in 2015, but only received funding for street design.
In addition to the failure to make West Peachtree Street a safe and complete street, the sidewalk at 15th Street is closed for a construction project.
With the current conditions, West Peachtree is not a safe street for all.
On, Wednesday, July 24, community members gathered at the site of the crash and form people protected sidewalk, bike, and scooter lane to demand that state and city officials take immediate action to prevent further severe and fatal injuries.
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Mayoral veto of Baker St project: call to action
Converting Baker Street back into two-way street reached a roadblock on Wednesday when Mayor Bottoms unexpectedly vetoed City Council’s 11-4 vote in favor of the project. The opposition for this project conflicts with Atlanta's Transportation Plan, adopted by the city in 2018, and elevates property interests over the safety of people.
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Neighborhood Planning Units and Neighborhoods call for safety for Cascade
As traffic safety concerns grow more and more pressing on Cascade and other High Injury Network streets in SW Atlanta, it's inspiring to see neighbors organizing for safe streets for all.
Recently, Neighborhood Planning Units S and T, in coordination with neighborhood organizations lining Cascade, and working alongside the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, came together to advocate much-needed and long-overdue safety improvements for Cascade.
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What's happening on DeKalb Ave?
We've been saying it for years, dating back to our 2014 petition calling for then-Mayor Kasim Reed to "Fix DeKalb Ave": DeKalb Avenue is fast, dangerous, and out of control.
Leading up to the 2015 referendum on the Renew Atlanta Infrastructure Bond, we successfully pushed the City to put DeKalb Ave on the Complete Streets project list. Serving on the Stakeholder Committee, we advocated for the Complete Streets projects on the list to come first, because we were concerned money would run out before the City got around to building them. That's exactly what happened, and the new administration had to reprioritize the remaining projects.
We all know what happened next.
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The Future: strategic planning for 2020-2022 and beyond!
Our last plan, adopted in 2017, led with this mission: to transform Atlanta into a more livable, accessible city by making biking equitable, safe, and appealing. We intentionally placed the emphasis on the outcome we wanted to achieve -- a more livable, accessible city -- with equitable, safe, and appealing biking being our tool to achieve that goal. At the same time, we made a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
As we near the midpoint in the final year of that plan and embark on the path to determine the most effective direction for the next three years, we are considering expanding our mission. If you attended the annual Blinkie Awards & Member Party, you already know this!
Specifically, we are contemplating a direction that would put biking on equal ground with other transportation options, generate equitable and inclusive mobility outcomes, and, ultimately, propel biking further, faster. Read more to find out what progress we've made on this journey so far! We hope you'll join us on the path to the future.
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What happened to Cycle Atlanta 2.0?
Recently, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) announced a partnership with five cities to "Rapidly Design and Build Low-Carbon Transportation Projects by 2020."
In the release, Mayor Bottoms said: “Atlanta is poised to build a 21st Century transportation system. With our forthcoming launch of the city’s first-ever Department of Transportation and access to the NACTO network’s expertise, we will emerge from the Climate Challenge with world-class bike lanes, important new sidewalk connections, and a team ready to deliver sustainable mobility options for all Atlantans.”
This is excellent news and we are looking forward to learning more about what this means for the City.
But let's not forget the City has already designed two sets of projects that would add bike lanes, safe crossings, and sustainable mobility for the last mile of people's trips -- these projects just haven't been built yet.
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Staff and Board Updates
The day-to-day work of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is propelled by staff and board members who spend countless hours advocating for you at community meetings, public events, in the media, on advisory committees, and at City Hall. We want to share some important staff changes with you along with some exciting job and internship opportunities as we move into the second half of 2019.
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Cascade Can't Wait for Safety Improvements
On Wednesday, May 8th, approximately 50 community members and supporters, including parents and students from Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy Elementary School (TAG), turned frustration into action, calling on the City to #RespectCascade . “Walk a Mile in Cascade’s Shoes” served as a day of action to generate attention about the prevalence of injuries on Cascade Road and to honor victims like 52-year-old David Gordon who lost his life crossing the street in a low-visibility crosswalk earlier this year.
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Shifting Gears Students Are on a Roll!
Look out, Atlanta, here come 600 empowered young people on bikes who are starting to demand safe routes to schools -- ALL schools -- across the city.
Last year, 5% of the second graders in Atlanta Public Schools completed a solid curriculum unit on bike safety through our Shifting Gears program. This year, we reached 13% -- and we aim to double that amount with classes in 18 APS elementary schools in 2020.
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City Council increases fine for parking or stopping in bike lanes
When cars and trucks park illegally in bike lanes, it's not just an inconvenience - it makes biking unpredictable and less safe. Last year, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition members and supporters helped crowd-source data on which bike lanes in Atlanta were blocked most often.
The subsequent report we released, titled Unblock the Lane, identified problem spots and recommended solutions.
District 1 Councilmember Carla Smith read the report, saw the news coverage, and wanted to do something about the problem.
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