ABC 2011 Advocacy Goals

At ABC, advocacy is not our middle name, it's our first name. Read on for our 2011 advocacy goals, then volunteer to help us make them happen by joining a committee (ABC or Atlanta Streets Alive), contacting your local elected officials, or writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or favorite blog.

Local
* Work with City of Atlanta and DeKalb County officials to adopt Complete Streets policies like over 200 other U.S. jurisdictions including Decatur, Roswell, Alpharetta, and Cobb County.
* Sign up 20 neighborhood bike liaisons and provide training and resources to strengthen neighborhood ties and communication.
* Make the Atlanta Streetcar project safe for bicyclists
* Increase bicycling over five years to 5% of trips Atlanta and Decatur
* Convince bicyclists and drivers alike to adhere to traffic laws by stopping at all traffic control devices and respecting each other (and pedestrians)
* Work with City of Atlanta to establish Active Transportation advisory committee or task force
* Include bicycle facilities in design of all bridge projects
* Help local government establish pilots to try out sharrows, streets alive programs, bike boxes, protected bike lanes, and on-street bike parking.
* Include a bike station in Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal development
* Sign up 20 ABC members to adopt their neighborhoods and/or neighborhood planning units as "bicycle liaisons" to follow issues affecting cycling

Regional
* Include bicycle projects in project list to be funded by new 1% sales tax (Transportation Investment Act of 2010, to be voted on in referendum in 2012)

State
Pass the following bills during the 2011 session
* 3 Feet Safe Passing (which we hope will be designated the Tony Serrano bill in honor of Tony)
* Better Biking (with friendly amendment to allow children under age of 1 on bicycles to allow for car seats in bike trailers)
* Maintain consistent state law regarding sidewalks, which should be for walking, to only allow children to bike on sidewalks. (See HB101 for more information.)
- Promote ongoing education and implementation of the Georgia DOT's Routine Accommodation policy that requires projects to consider bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements in all projects, not just those on "bicycle routes"