Let's celebrate. 

Atlanta will add 3 miles new miles of bike/LIT lanes Downtown, and very soon. Work starts Saturday, November 19, 2022. Read more to find out how we got here. [Update: after getting more details from ATLDOT, this blog post has been updated with some good news: we succeeded in getting a bike lane on parts of Trinity Ave.]

On November 15, 2022, the Atlanta Department of Transportation held a public meeting on the Downtown Vicinity Resurfacing projects. These projects are being fast-tracked to repave downtown streets before the state legislature comes back to town in January 2023. Initially, the City planned to put back the same lane striping and configuration – essentially, making streets smoother but not safer. They also planned to use TSPLOST funds. 

With your help, we raised concerns about both issues, which would not have complied with the Department’s stated principles or plans. 

In response to these concerns, Councilmember Jason Dozier introduced and City Council passed an amendment to require bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements be incorporated into the resurfacing projects. The amendment also pulled $1.5 Million from the General Fund to reduce the drain on the TSPLOST funds, a step in the right direction if not everything we wanted to change. 

After the resolution passed, we kept pushing for these projects, both internally with City Council and externally by keeping attention on this issue. ATLDOT staff worked hard and fast to update the repaving plans. 

This represents a victory not only for safe and complete streets, but for everyone who believes our downtown can be a welcoming place for people. 

Downtown resurfacings + City’s bike/ped/transit infrastructure improvements

• Green = bike/LIT lanes coming soon!
• Red = no changes
• Purple = some changes, not all we wanted

We’re pleased – and even a little surprised – to see new buffered and protected bike lanes make the cut. Thank you to everyone who took action on behalf of safer and more accessible downtown streets! 

Originally, the City did not propose any bicycle or pedestrian infrastructure improvements to Trinity Avenue, despite the Georgia Department of Transportation’s plan to add a center turn lane and bike/LIT lanes. Through our efforts and that of community members and ATLDOT staff, we succeeded in adding 0.4 miles of bike lanes on Trinity. The total came to 3 miles of new protected bike/LIT lanes! 

The next step must be to build on this momentum and keep connecting this network until it reaches every part of our city. 

Details

Street: Martin Luther King Jr Drive

• Central Atlanta Progress bike/ped/transit improvements: Addition of 2-way cycle track along the south side of street
• Connectivity: Needs connection, likely via Forsyth St to Trinity Ave / Peters St

Street: Mitchell Street

• City of Atlanta bike/ped/transit improvements: Striping based on MARTA’s Summerhill BRT Project (i.e. bump-outs, parking/loading designations, etc.)
• Connectivity: Needs connection, likely via Forsyth St to Trinity Ave / Peters St

Street: ST 154 / Trinity Avenue

• City of Atlanta bike/ped/transit improvements: [Updated from "Striping will be replaced with current condition/design" -->  4-3 lane conversion with a center left turn lane and bike lanes on this state route from Forsyth St to Central Ave. Eastbound bike lane and westbound shared lane from Central Ave to Washington St. The cross section from Washington St to Memorial Ave has not been finalized due to discussions surrounding a GBA loading zone.]
• Connectivity: Connects to existing bike lane on Peters St and planned bike lane on Memorial Dr. 
• [Update: GDOT future improvements to include raised concrete median islands and other safety improvements]
• Thank you to everyone for your advocacy for this project -- together, we succeeded in getting some improvements.

Street: Memorial Drive

• City of Atlanta bike/ped/transit improvements: Buffered bike lanes
• Connectivity: Would connect to planned bike lane on Trinity Ave

Street: Central Avenue

• City of Atlanta bike/ped/transit improvements: (parking-protected) buffered Northbound bike lane
• Connectivity: Existing two-way cycletrack on Peachtree Center Ave and future Pryor & Central safe street and protected bike lanes project

Street: Washington Street

• City of Atlanta bike/ped/transit improvements: Two-Way Cycle Track on the east side of the street was designed by ATLDOT Project #3021.
  Connectivity: Future, long overdue two-way cycletrack on Courtland St

Streets: Capitol Square and Capitol Avenue

• City of Atlanta bike/ped/transit improvements: Bike lane (from Capitol Square to MLK) 
• Connectivity: Future MLK Dr bike lane. Needs connection along Summerhill BRT project on Capitol Ave / Hank Aaron Dr

November 15 meeting slides (include images of City's bike/ped/transit improvements: