Contract Opportunity
Transportation Planning Consultant | Walk ATL
Organization: Propel ATL
Reports to: Senior Programs Manager
Job type: temporary, contract
Compensation: $10,000 - $15,000 (per action plan)
OVERVIEW
Purpose
Propel ATL is seeking a qualified transportation planning consultant to develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plans for the Mozley Park and Oakland City neighborhoods. The plan consultant will use data and a safe systems approach to document action-oriented projects that advance pedestrian safety, prioritize projects that would benefit from community advocacy, and provide technical support for tactical urbanism project implementation.
About Propel ATL
Propel ATL started as the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition envisioning a day when biking is wholly integrated into Atlanta's daily life, culture, and infrastructure; with a mission to make biking equitable, safe, and appealing.
In 2019, our 28th year, we worked with our partners, members, and supporters to debut a new strategic direction. The new strategic plan responds to changes in our environment and work, with expanded goals that include streets safe for walking and transit that works for people.
As a result, we adopted a new mission statement: “To transform Atlanta’s streets as safe, inclusive, and thriving spaces for people to ride, walk, and roll.” Our vision is an Atlanta where everyone moves safely, easily, and sustainably throughout the city.
We announced a brand relaunch in May 2022 after merging the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and PEDS to form Propel ATL. The relaunch aligns with our expanded mission and work for sustainable transportation solutions. Walk ATL is the first pedestrian safety program implemented under the new brand.
Project Background
Atlanta's pedestrian fatalities are on an upward trajectory. By May of 2021, the number of pedestrians killed by drivers surpassed the total number killed the year prior. 15 of the 17 fatalities were Black pedestrians and 13 were men (national trends show pedestrian fatalities are rising fastest among Black men). By the end of 2021, 31 people using active transportation modes had been killed in crashes with motor vehicles. Compared with 14 pedestrian fatalities in 2020, this represented about a 121% increase in fatalities in just one year. 77% were Black or African American because Atlanta's "High-Injury Network," the dangerous streets where most fatal crashes take place, is not evenly distributed throughout the city.
Neighborhoods with High-Injury Network streets had lower median incomes, a larger share of Black residents, higher rates of walking and taking transit to work, and lower rates of vehicle ownership. Atlanta’s transportation plan shows that these same neighborhoods also have some of the lowest sidewalk coverage in the city. Less than 1 mile of the High-Injury Network is located in neighborhoods whose median income is in the top 20% of Atlanta neighborhoods. Two-thirds of the entire network, or approximately 80 miles, is located in neighborhoods whose median income is in the bottom 40% of Atlanta neighborhoods.
According to the 2018 Atlanta Transportation Plan, Atlanta has higher crash fatality rates than peer cities and national averages, both in total crashes and pedestrian crashes. In part, this is because Atlantans drive more than people in many other cities. This means pedestrians and motorists in Atlanta are more likely to be injured or killed.
The Georgia Pedestrian Safety Attitudes and Behaviors Survey, conducted in 2016 found that: 96% of respondents agreed that safe walking infrastructure improves their quality of life; 44% of respondents described walking infrastructure in their community as unsafe. The lack of sidewalks and poor maintenance of existing sidewalks are primary deterrents to walking more. Over 90% of respondents supported increased funding for safe walking infrastructure.
Increasing pedestrian safety is a high priority for residents, neighborhoods, and civic organizations throughout the Atlanta region. Yet most people do not get involved in the transportation planning process. Those who do participate often lack an understanding of effective safety improvements, transportation jargon, decision-making processes, and available funding sources.
Propel ATL’s Walk ATL is a community-based pedestrian advocacy and safety program that uses an interdisciplinary approach to create a measurably safer pedestrian experience in neighborhoods throughout Atlanta, with a focus on partnering with neighborhoods on or near the High-Injury Network .
The goals of Walk ATL are to build the capacity of residents to
- identify and apply advocacy strategies for safe, equitable, and accessible pedestrian spaces in their neighborhoods;
- effectively participate in the transportation planning process to create a safe, high-quality pedestrian environment; and
- develop and advance mobility solutions that increase active transportation mode share.
The program focuses on using community approaches and applies concepts from:
- Safe System Framework: A holistic and comprehensive framework to create roadway environments that are safe for all users.
- The Untokening’s Principles of Mobility Justice: Mobility justice is the targeted investment in and innovation by marginalized groups that frees them to move easily, fairly, and unafraid…reconciling historical and current injustices.
- NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials) Urban Street Design Guide: The first national-level guidance focused on the unique needs of urban areas and the many users of those streets. The Design Guide outlines city-approved engineering techniques to build streets as public spaces that are safer for all road users. Atlanta is a NACTO member city.
The current iteration of the program is being implemented in the Mozley Park and Oakland City neighborhoods of Atlanta, GA.
Mozley Park has approximately 1,800 residents with over 60% of residents under the age of 30 years old; and an average work commute time of 29 minutes with approximately 21% of the population using public transportation. There is a MARTA train station within 1 mile of the center of the neighborhood.
Oakland City has approximately 3,500 residents with over 30% of the residents over the age of 50 years old; and an average work commute time of 15-30 minutes with approximately 22% of the population using public transportation. There is a MARTA train station in the southwest section of the neighborhood.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
Propel ATL is seeking a qualified contractor, firm, or organization to develop pedestrian safety action plans for our Walk ATL pedestrian advocacy & safety training program. The contractor will have the option of developing an action plan for one or both of the participating neighborhoods.
Available funds for this project will be up to $15,000 per action plan.
The neighborhood pedestrian safety action plans will identify pedestrian projects that:
- prioritize factors such as safety, access to transit, closing the gaps in bike/sidewalk/active transportation networks, and ease of use for all ages and abilities;
- improve pedestrian conditions in alignment with the Georgia Pedestrian Safety Action Plan;
- can be accomplished outside of the capital project delivery framework, through traffic calming, maintenance, or tactical urbanism
- address gaps in the Moving Atlanta Forward - 2022 Infrastructure Program
Qualified contractors should have effectively demonstrated experience with evaluating and advancing safety projects. The selected contractor will exhibit expertise with processing and analyzing data, with bicycle and pedestrian issues and safety countermeasures, as well as with substantive safety.
Proposed Tasks
Task 1. Project Coordination + Administration
Ensure a coordinated and efficient planning process that results in timely and thorough deliverables that address the scope of work.
Task 2. Stakeholder Engagement
Obtain input from a range of stakeholders to help shape the plan’s goals, objectives, and recommendations.
The contractor will assist Propel ATL during all phases of stakeholder engagement. Outreach and engagement activities will be conducted to understand existing transportation issues and future needs and to receive feedback on the recommendations developed in the plan. Based on the strategies of the engagement plan developed by Propel ATL, the contractor will assist in selecting activities that provide authentic and meaningful input from stakeholders.
Task 3. Existing Conditions Analyses
The purpose of this task is to document and understand the existing neighborhood mobility conditions as well as anticipate future growth affecting these conditions. While the plan’s emphasis is within the neighborhood boundaries, thought should also be given to connectivity to destinations beyond those boundaries.
Contractor shall begin with a review of previously completed local plans that are relevant to the study area. The implementation of previous plans, as well as other ongoing plans and capital and maintenance projects in or adjacent to the study area, shall be documented as part of this task.
Special attention should be given to the pertinent real estate development and right-of-way improvement projects and proposals in and around the study area (existing, planned/proposed, and under construction).
Contractor shall obtain a comprehensive multi-modal understanding of the existing and anticipated future conditions of the area. The contractor shall collect and document available existing conditions data related to the existence, condition, safety, and performance of the transportation network within the study area. At minimum, the contractor will collect and analyze crash data, speed limits, number of lanes, and sidewalk, marked crossings, and curb ramp presence and condition. Sources will include GIS data, images, field reviews, outreach efforts, and other innovative approaches as proposed by the contractor.
Existing conditions analysis results shall be shown in graphics, maps, and table formats that are easily understood by the general public.
Below is a series of data that could already exist:
- Traffic volume and speed data
- Bicycle and pedestrian counts at intersections
- Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress
- Bus stop ridership and facilities
- Sidewalk inventory
- ADA curb ramp inventory
- Crosswalk inventory (mid block or at intersection)
- Collision data for the past 5 years (bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicle collisions)
- Land uses and major trip generators in the city
- In-progress active transportation projects
- Schools’ walk and bike and attendance data (for previous years)
Task 4. Develop, Evaluate, and Prioritize Projects
The purpose of this task is to develop a method to prioritize projects based on the existing and future conditions information of Task 3 and informed by a safe systems approach. Impact on existing challenges, support garnered during the community feedback process, and feasibility/ease of implementation will provide context for the prioritized list of projects.
The projects should be assigned timelines and phasing should be considered. All projects should include order of magnitude costs.
Task 5. Development of the Draft and Final Pedestrian Safety Action Plan
The purpose of this task is to combine the deliverables from Tasks 1 - 4 to formalize and prepare a draft and final Pedestrian Safety Action Plan.
The contractor shall draft a plan that will present the data, maps, other visuals, and offer a succinct narrative of crash data in Mozley Park and/or Oakland City. The plan will detail the processes followed, specifically the public outreach, the input received, and conclusions. It will further include a list of highest-crash and highest-propensity crash locations, incorporating an analysis of the conditions that contributed to the high crash rate and indications of other streets where these conditions are present;, present a visual and informative detailing of improvements for each of the top locations and corridor-wide improvements; as well as provide project implementation strategies and potential funding sources. The contractor will also support the neighborhood and Propel ATL in establishing a set of community mobility justice principles.
The plan will include advocacy action recommendations that represent policy, advocacy, and city-wide or regional-scale solutions that the Mozley Park and/or Oakland City community can work with the City of Atlanta and other transportation agencies to move forward. They should be aligned with the goals of each neighborhood and may be of a scale or complexity that will require partnership to implement. The plan will also discuss next steps, including areas for which further analysis and public involvement are warranted.
The neighborhood and Propel ATL will review the draft plan and send the contractor consolidated comments. The contractor shall develop the final Pedestrian Safety Action Plan.
Apply for this Opportunity
Email a cover letter, CV/resume, professional background (firms), and work sample to [email protected] with “Transportation Planning Consultant” in the subject line.
In your cover letter, detail your role in a successful active transportation project, your experience with engaging communities, your work capacity (one or both action plans), and three references. Include staff information if applicable.
Include the CV/resumes of the key personnel that will be involved with this project. If you are a firm, also provide a professional background for the firm.
Your work sample should demonstrate the technical capabilities necessary in safety and transportation planning to successfully execute the scope of work.
If you need accommodations to make our hiring process more accessible to you, please be in touch and we will respond accordingly.
This listing was updated on May 17, 2023. Submissions are reviewed as received.