Maureen Hetrick

  • signed Sign: equity & mobility agenda 2021-05-29 10:34:56 -0400

    It's time for Atlanta's leaders to elevate safe, equitable, sustainable mobility solutions to the top of the agenda.

    Join the movement by signing on to our equity & mobility policy agenda today.

    Thank you to the partner organizations who helped develop and support this agenda!

    ARCHI Collaborative Logo  ASAP Logo        Georgia Bikes logo

                      Georgia Conservation Voters logo

              Soccer in the Streets            

     

               

    331 signatures

    Explore our 2021-2025 Policy Agenda Recommendations for City of Atlanta and Atlanta Board of Education:

    City of Atlanta: Safety

    Make streets measurably safer for people biking, walking, and using scooters or wheelchairs.

    Explore Safety Recommendations

    City of Atlanta: Transit & Affordability

    Increase access to transit and affordability of housing.

    Explore Transit & Affordability Recommendations

    City of Atlanta: Funding

    Comprehensively fund Atlanta's sustainable transportation infrastructure.

    Explore Funding Recommendations

    Atlanta Board of Education

    Make it possible for kids to safely get to and from school on foot, bike, transit, and other modes.

    Explore Board of Education Recommendations

     

    We urgently need Atlanta's leaders to adopt and implement equitable mobility recommendations.

    Transportation is an essential part of everyone’s life. When it doesn’t work well, we miss out on job opportunities, have limited access to housing options, are exposed to unsafe streets or polluted air, or have our freedom of movement restricted due to the lack of reasonable options. When transportation is good, it is essential — even enjoyable, because it just works. We might notice kids biking to school, experience the ease of crossing the street safely, or relax while listening to music as we look out the window from a bus in a dedicated lane.

    Yet as the pandemic continues, people face greater risks and barriers while in transit. Despite fewer miles driven, more people died on Georgia roads in 2020, likely due to an increase in speeding. And, people riding public transportation experienced dramatic cutbacks to bus routes, leading to longer walks to the nearest bus stop, often on streets that lack sidewalks.


    This policy agenda is about creating viable transportation options that are safe, easy, accessible, and enjoyable for everyone.

    Equitable transportation policies and projects provide physical and social mobility, as well as access to living-wage jobs, affordable housing, healthcare, and quality education. Affordable mobility options give people economic and social opportunities, especially in communities racially profiled for disinvestment that continue to suffer disproportionately from traffic fatalities. Green options reduce the transportation sector’s impact on climate change, an existential threat to communities.

    Working with our partners and stakeholders, we created three policy recommendation categories: Safety, Transit and Affordability, and Funding. In addition, we have a policy agenda for the Atlanta Board of Education. Please join us in sharing these recommendations with our leaders as we work to create a more equitable city through mobility.

     

     

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  • signed Fund Safe Routes to School 2021-05-29 10:33:54 -0400

    Fund Safe Routes to School in City of Atlanta FY 2022 budget

    We're celebrating a success for this campaign! Safe Routes to School is funded in the City of Atlanta's FY '22 budget.

     

    It was once the norm for kids to bike around their neighborhoods and to school. Biking provided independence for growing kids while giving them physical activity and access to social networks. In 1969, 50% of kids walked or biked to school. But by 2009, just 13% did. 

    That’s why one of our City of Atlanta Policy Agenda recommendations is for the Atlanta Department of Transportation to create a Safe Routes to School program, prioritizing safety for schools near the High-Injury Network. Atlanta’s students deserve reliable City funding that supports their success by establishing safe transportation options that make communities more livable and prevent displacement. 

    All children benefit from increased physical activity — having safe ways to walk, bike, scoot, or skate to school makes it easier to incorporate exercise into their daily routines. According to the September 2017 Active Transportation Policy Brief for Atlanta Public Schools:

    Regular physical activity and higher levels of physical fitness are linked to improved cognitive development, academic performance, and brain function — including attention and memory, plus fewer health related absences.

    In the City of Atlanta between 2012-2015, 44 percent of bicycle crashes and 53 percent of pedestrian crashes occurred within a half-mile of an Atlanta school. Programs supporting safe active transportation to and from school improve safety through measures like traffic calming, student education, and infrastructure improvements. 

    When students start biking or walking to school, it positively affects the whole community. For example, we've discovered that parents also become interested in how they can improve the safety of streets in their communities. It also affords more exercise opportunities for the whole family, and children begin healthy, sustainable habits that can inform their transportation choices later in life.

    Leading up to the City of Atlanta’s budget hearings, we’ve spoken with City officials about solidifying funding for a Safe Routes to School program. We’re pleased to report the Atlanta Department of Transportation and the Mayor’s Office have been very receptive — we’re told funding to hire a Safe Routes to School program staffer is slated for Atlanta Department of Transportation’s FY 2022 budget.

    33 signatures

    Help make sure this key program makes it through budget hearings and potential cuts — sign this petition and let your city councilmember and the mayor know Safe Routes to School is critical to happy, healthy, successful students and their families.

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