OUR PRIORITIES DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

As we adjust our priorities for advocating in these uncertain times, we think it’s key to focus on people with essential jobs--the backbone of our society who so often get overlooked or taken for granted--and their transportation needs. With severe cuts to bus service, how can we get back to better-coverage and higher-frequency bus service so there are fewer riders at a time and people can physically distance themselves if they need to ride transit? How can we support frontline transportation workers during this crisis? How can we connect people who are trying to avoid transit with new transportation options?

Here are some ways we’re aligning our work with the urgent needs in our city:

1. working remotely since March 16. 
2. launching Essential Transportation, a campaign calling on the City of Atlanta to fully fund and rapidly build already-planned projects with community support and to prioritize first- and last-mile connections for those who continue to rely on transit, especially frontline and essential workers
3. through our Virtual Cycling Classes, instructing on how to uphold physical distancing while making essential trips, and supporting parents in keep their kids safe while biking through Kids Bike, a new virtual class offering.
4. connecting Atlantans who have a ready-to-ride bicycle to Atlantans who need one through our #BikeMatch program, a partnership with Sopo Bicycle Cooperative, and the Atlanta Students Advocating for Pedestrians.
5. making advocacy opportunities accessible via phone, email, and virtual meeting spaces. Coming soon: our proposal for how to take the most accessible elements of telework and virtual community engagement and keep them going post-pandemic.
6. supporting MARTA Army’s Operation Feed an Operator as they organize the delivery of fresh-cooked meals to furloughed MARTA Mobility workers (sign up to volunteer).
7. taking the next steps to ensure that the City implements Vision Zero practices and projects, including the recent reduction of speed limits.
8. thinking about slow streets and physical distancing lanes and how to apply our values to these topics. Read our statement on this concept in Atlanta.
9. planning for a weekly pilot of Atlanta Streets Alive after celebrating the program’s 10th anniversary virtually. 
10. developing a peer network of neighborhood leaders with transportation roles called the Community Advocates Network. If you hold a transportation leadership role in your neighborhood or NPU, contact us to get involved.