Last Sunday, 134,000 people powered the Westside Atlanta Streets Alive on Howell Mill Road and Marietta Street. At the Westside Atlanta Streets Alive kickoff, we celebrated the Marietta Street Resurfacing Project with Councilmember Dustin Hillis (District 9 - Northwest Atlanta) and Renew Atlanta, the department responsible for the resurfacing project that will add 1.6 miles of bikes lanes to Marietta Street. Councilmember Hillis declared "Westside Bestside!" and the Phoenixes took flight. And what followed was one of our largest open streets activations in Atlanta history. Read more

New technologies are bringing new ways of getting around to Atlantans. Last month, the city's official bike share, Relay, celebrated one year of operations. Lime Bikes, along with a slew of dockless bike share companies bringing more mobility options to cities across the globe, is submitting permits to the City of Atlanta to start placing its bikes throughout the city. And, of course, people are buzzing about the Bird e-scooters zipping around town.  It's absolutely key to have sensible regulations in place before the systems roll out. This regulation will demystify the process for both the city and companies that want to bring beyond-car mobility options to Atlanta. That's why we're supporting the City of Atlanta's new “Shareable Dockless Mobility Devices” legislation. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition supports more *safe* mobility options that connect with transit, make getting around town easier, and help people get out of their cars for short trips. We also care deeply about livability, safety, and equity, so we want to make sure the shiny new devices are sustainable, safe, and equitably distributed. But, perhaps most tellingly, these shared mobility devices underscore the importance of designing our streets for how people want to get around Atlanta. People crave options, whether it's at the grocery store, on the Internet, or on the street.  Read more

[Updated May 17] You may have already heard about Atlanta Transit Linc, the new regional transit agency Governor Deal signed into law this session. But here are three bills you may not have heard about - and that just might make our streets safer. We believe people should not die or be seriously injured when they are just trying to get somewhere. This concept, sometimes referred to as "Vision Zero," has widespread support. With fatal car and pedestrian crashes on the rise in Georgia, we've been closely following state legislation through Georgia Bikes that could make Georgia's roads safer - for everyone. Not sure who represents you at the state Capitol? Find your legislator and thank them for supporting safer streets. Read more

Hundreds of people jammed into the conference room at the new Martin Luther King Jr. Natatorium to hear the fate of the Renew Atlanta DeKalb Avenue Complete Street project. When the Renew Atlanta project manager declared the city would finally remove the reversible "suicide" lane and move forward with long-awaited turn lanes, signal upgrades, ADA improvements, and separated bike facilities, most of the crowd erupted in applause. We're calling on Renew to prioritize engineering & design of the Complete Street, to make absolutely sure it gets built. Let's make this one Complete Street project that gets completed! Email your public comment to Renew Atlanta at [email protected] by May 2nd and be sure to include your name, address, and that you support the Complete Streets project. It's fitting that the announcement of a visionary Complete Street project would take place inside the City of Atlanta's beautiful $23.5 million recreation center, funded by Renew Atlanta. If the Martin Luther King Jr. Natatorium serves as a hub for the community, then DeKalb Avenue serves as the spoke that connects the neighborhoods along the corridor. Renew Atlanta can turn the DeKalb Avenue Complete Street project into a safe corridor that serves the community and commuters no matter what mode they choose.  Read more

The City of Atlanta's first Chief Bicycle Officer, Becky Katz, is a force to be reckoned with. She rolls over and around obstacles in her way like water carving a path over rock, leaving its mark on hard surfaces over time. During her two and half year tenure, Becky etched new paths, created much-needed programs, updated policies, and established good institutional habits.  That's right, we used the past tense. After working with the city and a foundation to create and fund the position, we've had the pleasure of working with Becky in her role at the city, where she has accomplished a great deal in a short time! Read more

74,000 people biked, walked, skated, or pushed strollers down DeKalb Ave last Sunday at Atlanta Streets Alive. That’s nearly a week’s worth of car traffic crammed into 4 hours on a street that carries about 15,000 vehicles per day. Unlike a white-knuckled car ride down DeKalb Ave which has seen as many as 11 crashes and 5 injuries in a given week, Atlanta Streets Alive documented 1 EMS visit -- a skinned knee that required an ice pack.  Read more

Here in Atlanta, we're often called out for our transportation challenges. Transit service, though increasing, remains anemic. Where traffic isn't congested, speeding is rampant, and many people feel they lack safe alternatives to driving. It comes as no surprise to newcomers to learn we don't have a city department that is focused solely on transportation. The idea of creating a city department to plan, fund, deliver, and manage transportation projects and services is not a new one, but it seems to have gained new life.  Read more

If you bike east from Beecher Hills on Cascade Road, you know it already has a short section of bike lane that gets you tantilizingly close to the Kroger Citi Center, but stopping suddenly just before you get there, right at the trickiest part. That section is slated for improvements funded through the Renew Atlanta bond, but it's not a done deal yet. The City’s Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST team just completed its final round of public meetings for the Cascade Road/Avenue Complete Street Project. Read more for the latest, and how you can help address safety challenges on this important road. Read more

We are thrilled that the City of Atlanta has released its first Annual Bicycle Report, and we will work with the Mayor to continue building on the achievements outlined in the City's report. Our Executive Director Rebecca Serna told CBS46 in an interview about the report that "a street safe enough for someone to ride a bike on is also safer for everyone else". Read more

Renew Atlanta Public Meeting 2016 DeKalb Avenue is fast, dangerous, and out of control. But there's hope. In 2015, Atlanta voters overwhelming approved the Renew Atlanta Infrastructure Bond to update and improve our streets. DeKalb Avenue made the Renew Atlanta list as a Complete Street, which means that the street must be rebalanced to serve more than just car traffic. In order to do this, the city needs to remove the reversible "suicide" lane (a long overdue safety improvement) and replace it with turn lanes at key intersections, as well as repave the street, and add bike lanes or a multi-use path, and build safer crossings. The City of Atlanta's Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST department is about to lead its third public meeting in three years. The project dates on the website indicate that this may take another two years to complete.  Read more

Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. currently ranks among the top three most dangerous streets on the Atlanta High Injury Corridor list, according to the draft Atlanta Transportation Plan. But thanks to the leadership of former Mayor Kasim Reed and former Councilmember C.T. Martin, communities along Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. will start seeing improvements that honor the history of the street and Atlanta’s Civil Rights legacy - and save lives in the process. Read more

As the city’s bicycle advocacy organization, one of the most common complaints we receive has to do with motor vehicles, specifically commercial vehicles, blocking bike lanes. Atlanta’s bike lanes need to remain clear in order to serve the purpose of moving people by bike. In 2016, we launched Unblock the Lane (read the full report here), a crowdsourcing campaign that empowered members to report motor vehicles parked or stopped in bike lanes by using the camera and geotag feature on their phones. Individuals uploaded photos to the Unblock the Lane map, which instantly captured the violation date, time, and location. Read more

We had a lively, fun, and informative time at the 2018 Blinkie Awards & Members' Party last week, and we hope you did, too. If you weren't able to attend, here's what you missed. Hope you'll make it out next time!  Read more

During last year’s competitive city election cycle, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition hosted campaign events that ranged from our interactive and engaging Rolling Town Hall and Atlanta Streets Alive Candidate Row to our formal and insightful Atlanta on the Move Mayoral Forum. Many of the candidates who participated in our events were elected to represent you in City Hall, including Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (Mayoral Forum) and Council President Felicia Moore (Atlanta Streets Alive - Westside), as well as 9 Atlanta City Councilmembers. As much as we want to have ASA every day and weekly Rolling Town Halls with elected officials, we know that the long, uphill work of advocacy depends on you showing up - at community meetings, neighborhood associations, and, of course, City Hall. That’s why we continue to develop the positive relationships we’ve built over the last 26 years and during the city election campaign to amplify your voice. Read more

On Saturday, December 9, while many Atlantans were building snowmen or sipping hot cocoa, scores of children from Southwest Atlanta gathered in the West End for a very special day. Free Bikes for Kids, known as FB4K, spent the summer and fall months securing and tuning up hundreds of bikes to give away to kids. FB4K enlisted the help of Atlanta Bicycle Coalition's Education Program to lead the kids on their first ride on their brand new bikes — and to teach them how to bike safely. Read more