This week Atlanta City Council will hold the last committee meetings before considering the budget in the full Council meeting Tuesday, June 20th. Here's what we're watching from the Transportation and Finance committee agendas. (Update: The Transportation Committee did not have quorum at their scheduled meeting time, so the committee will consider legislative items in a committee of the whole session before the full Council meeting on the 20th.) Read more

On May 3, 2023, over 200 Atlantans gathered on the rooftop of The Eastern to celebrate the people making our streets safer and more accessible to ride, walk, roll, or take transit. Hosted by comedian David Perdue, who kept the energy high and the jokes rolling, this year’s Blinkie Awards were a resounding success!  Mike Zarin of Zegi brought the beats, which you can groove to at home here, while The Eastern made sure folks wined and dined through the evening! It was a packed house, full of lively advocates for a better Atlanta enjoying each other's company and celebrating the contributions of our award winners. This year's crop of award winners were all truly remarkable, passionate advocates for a safer city focused on justice, each of whom deserved their chance to shine and be recognized over the course of the evening! Read more

It’s no secret that Atlantans want more connected options for getting around safely. So, when the City of Atlanta proposed a 12% cut to the Atlanta Department of Transportation’s FY2024 operating budget, that raised concerns and eyebrows across the board.  There are certainly times where it takes hard work to ensure Atlanta City Council members are aware of the concerns behind issues, but in this case, Councilmembers shared many of our concerns from the start.  During the May 10th Transportation Committee Meeting and the May 18th City Council FY24 Budget Briefings, Councilmembers asked many of the same questions we’ve been asking:  Read more

If you believe like we do that Peachtree Street should be a people-centered space, raise your voice and show your support for a reimagined Peachtree Street!  An ordinance will come before the Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee on Wednesday May 24, 2023, introduced by Councilmember Amir Farokhi, to preserve the City of Atlanta's match for grant funds for the "Peachtree Street Streetscape project."  Read more

We want Atlanta streets to be safe, inclusive, and thriving spaces for everyone who rides, walks, rolls, or uses public transit. The Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) is essential to making that vision a reality. Since the agency's inception, its operating budget has increased each year — up until now. Read more

The 2023 Blinkie Awards took place Wednesday, May 3 at The Eastern in Reynoldstown. Open to the public, the Blinkie Awards is a party and fundraiser that celebrates the contributions of Atlantans working to make city streets safe and accessible for everyone to bike, walk and roll. Read more for this year's awardees. Read more

I love biking downtown for the convenience and joy it brings, but it hasn't been especially safe or easy for as long as I can remember.  When our offices were on Mitchell Street I met a small business owner whose company was nearby. A few years ago he was biking home from work when he was hit by a car driver, breaking several bones, knocking out a few teeth, and resulting in months of surgery and physical therapy and lost productivity. He's back on the bike now but is understandably wary of riding on streets without a designated, protected space for people on bikes and other small wheels.Last week we celebrated the Atlanta Department of Transportation's installation of a protected space for people using bikes and scooters on two blocks of Central Ave (here's an interview I did with Atlanta News First). Collective action made this happen! Read more

In 2016, voters in the city of Atlanta were asked to take a leap of faith — to increase the city’s sales tax by a half-penny for over 40 years to fund expanded MARTA transit service. Six years later, none of the new transit lines are open. Inflation, escalating costs, and unplanned delays mean MARTA will be unable to deliver the More MARTA program as promised. On March 1st, MARTA shared a list of nine projects it plans to keep advancing while pressing pause on the other projects. A critical voice is missing from these conversations — the taxpayers who made this project possible.  Read more

On Sunday, March 19, 2023, we joined Brittany Glover’s family and friends, safe streets advocates, local government officials, and community members to hold a memorial and rally honoring Glover. Last September, Glover was leaving an event when she was hit and killed while walking across Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway in west Atlanta. The driver sped off, leaving her to die. The driver has not yet been found. Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway is part of the High Injury Network and one of the worst streets in Georgia involving pedestrian crashes resulting in serious or fatal injuries, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). Since 2017, at least 13 people have been killed in car crashes on the corridor, six of them while walking. Speakers at the event discussed the need to make streets like Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway measurably safer for pedestrians: click here to take action! Read more

Last week we attended a raucous community meeting about the DeKalb Ave safety project organized by Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari and hosted by the Atlanta Departments of Transportation and Watershed.  Read more

We asked Atlantans to ride the bus on February 3rd and 4th in honor of Transit Equity Day and Rosa Parks’ birthday. The purpose was to highlight what transit equity means to people in our city. Atlantans stepped up by speaking about our experiences, encouraging friends and family to ride transit, and showing solidarity with people who rely on transit to get around every day. Some prominent Atlantans rode transit on February 3rd, including Mayor Andre Dickens. Read more for videos from the press conference and media coverage, and social media posts: #TransitEquityDayATL.  Read more

Periodically we get asked: what's happening with that DeKalb Ave safety project? The Atlanta Departments of Transportation (ATLDOT) and Watershed Management (DWM) recently posted an update on part 1 of this long-awaited street overhaul. 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 October summary of the meetings and the issues we're watching.  November 16, 2022 agenda, youtube, and two presentations: ATLDOT quarterly update & Moving Atlanta Forward (2022 bond and TSPLOST) Strategic Delivery Plan November 30, 2022 agenda, youtube, and MARTA quarterly update December 5, 2022 City Council Meeting agenda, youtube Read more

On December 5th, Atlanta City Council passed a resolution to extend the hours for “shared dockless mobility devices” (e-scooters and bikes available for rental) from 9 PM to midnight.  Read more

On Monday, December 5, 2022, Atlanta City Council introduced legislation to launch an e-bike rebate program for Atlanta residents. A working group, including Propel ATL and other organizations, will explore programs and lessons learned in Denver, Boston, and other cities to make recommendations for an Atlanta program.  Read more