Atlanta City Council Candidate Runoff Questionnaire Responses
All candidates who qualified to have their name on the City of Atlanta City Council 2021 Runoff, November 30, ballot are shown below.
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Individual candidate responses are listed by district below, alphabetically by first name.
Updated: 11/8/2021
DISTRICT 1
Question 1: What is the main way you get around Atlanta on a daily basis?
Candidate |
Response |
| Jason Winston | My wife and I have a 9 month old daughter and usually use a car to get her around during the week for childcare; however, we primarily walk and bike on the weekends; sometimes never using a vehicle. |
| Nathan Clubb | Bike |
Question 2: Please share your vision for transportation and mobility in the city of Atlanta. How would you support transportation options for the 16% of Atlantans who don’t have access to a car, have a disability, and/or prefer to get around by sustainable, healthy modes of transportation such as transit, walking, biking, etc?
Candidate |
Response |
| Jason Winston | For a city to thrive, it needs to be accessible. Investing in sustainable, healthy transportation means cleaner air, less congestion and more job and educational opportunities for people. I didn’t have a car for two years when I moved to Atlanta, so I know firsthand the importance of accessible, reliable transportation options. I personally relied on MARTA for transportation. That’s why I’m committed to additional investment in MARTA in addition to bike lanes and sidewalks to make our city more walkable and bikeable. With the “More MARTA” program, we have a huge opportunity to expand Atlanta transit and make our city cleaner and more connected. It’s the right thing to do for our economy, for our environment and for the people of Atlanta. |
| Nathan Clubb | Atlanta’s streets are congested and unsafe for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. I recognize the need to invest in and redesign our infrastructure, including basics like sidewalks, complete streets designed for all users, and frequent transit in dedicated lanes. My priorities include: Prioritize public transit. We need high frequency transit to truly provide Atlantans an alternative to driving. This includes a better bus network with dedicated right of way, such as the Summerhill BRT line, and rail on the BeltLine. Build and maintain sidewalks. We need to address the $800 million backlog by prioritizing which sidewalks to build and repair and move forward with funding this basic infrastructure. Make cycling safe. We need to build out a connected network of protected bike lanes, trails, and neighborhood greenways. I co-founded the Bill Kennedy Way Working Group which successfully pushed the City to work with the BeltLine and create the safe protected corridor that we have today that connects communities north and south of I-20. Fully support Vision Zero. We have too many deaths on our roadways, impacting all modes of transportation. We need to use engineering, public awareness, and slower speed limits to eliminate these unnecessary deaths. I co-founded the South Moreland Avenue Working Group which brought together community leaders from NPU-W and NPU-Z and is actively working with GDOT to bring safety enhancements along this dangerous corridor. |
Question 3: The Atlanta Department of Transportation estimates the City has a sidewalk funding gap of close to $1 billion dollars. How would you fund sidewalks and other urgent transportation needs in the city?
Candidate |
Response |
| Jason Winston | First, I would support the renewal of the TSPLOST. However, that alone will not be enough to make up the $800 million funding gap. City officials will have to find additional funding opportunities by reimagining the annual budget and expanding the use of participatory budgeting. We must also work with the State and Federal governments to find additional funding sources if available under any future federal infrastructure plans. |
| Nathan Clubb | We need a number of funding sources to fill a gap of that size. This includes allocating an increased portion of the City's General Fund towards essential transportation projects. We also will need another TSPLOST, but this time we need a Council that will put safeguards in place to ensure $30 million of it doesn't get diverted to an unnecessary bridge. These funding sources can be used to draw down additional federal dollars. I also support increased participatory budgeting so we can get community buy-in and build trust for how our public dollars will be spent. |
Question 4: The number of people killed while walking in Georgia increased 22% from 2015 to 2019. Half of those killed were Black, a fatality rate more than twice that of white Georgians. In the city of Atlanta, out of the 16 pedestrians killed so far this year, 15 were Black and 13 were men. This mirrors the national trend of pedestrian fatalities increasing fastest among Black men. What will you do to make streets measurably safer for people biking, walking, and using scooters or wheelchairs? What will you do to address the disparities in whose lives are endangered the most by unsafe streets?
Candidate |
Response |
| Jason Winston | If elected to city council, I will work with city officials to prioritize the safety of all Atlanta residents and that includes making our streets safer for pedestrians, bikers, and scooters. That also means working to ensure our city streets and sidewalks are 100% ADA compliant and safe for wheelchairs. We must prioritize more “Complete Streets” projects throughout the city to safely accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, public transportation, and vehicle traffic in dedicated transit lanes. It is also extremely important that as a city we rely on all available data to use evidence-based decisions when it comes to addressing equitable solutions to the racial disparities in pedestrian safety. This means committing to the Vision Zero strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities. |
| Nathan Clubb | We have too many deaths on our roadways, impacting all modes of transportation. We need to use engineering, public awareness, and slower speed limits to eliminate these unnecessary deaths. We need to be more creative with implementing quick delivery, less expensive traffic calming measures. We need to work with the state on allowing automated traffic enforcement. We need sidewalks that actually comply with ADA regulations. I've been successfully working on these issues as a neighborhood association president. The second part of this is we must do this in an equitable fashion, prioritizing parts of District 1 that have the lowest rates of car ownership, that have historically experienced a lack of infrastructure investment, and that are on or near our high injury network. |
Question 5: In 2019, the City of Atlanta announced plans to "more than triple its on-street protected bike network" saying, "by the end of 2021, Atlantans will see more than 20 miles of safer streets.” Many of those projects are not on track to be complete by the end of the year, and while the pandemic challenged project implementation everywhere, building bike lanes and Complete Streets in Atlanta has always been slow. If elected, would you seek to speed up the completion of transportation projects intended to provide safe travel options for people who walk, bike, or have a disability?
Candidate |
Response |
| Jason Winston | Yes, if elected I will work with my colleagues in the council to help end the stalemate of very important transportation projects. We must work with vigor to help fix our city’s transportation infrastructure. It is imperative that we make this a high priority for our current citizens who have voted for and advocated for safer streets. This is also important if we are going to continue being a world class city that is viewed as attractive to major corporations who want their employees to have a quality life in Atlanta that is not hampered by transportation woes that continue to grip this city. |
| Nathan Clubb | Yes. And as an auditor, I would dig into the root causes of why we are not on track. |
Question 6: Communities across the country have found stark racial disparities in enforcement of “jaywalking” and similar laws. In many parts of Atlanta, the nearest crosswalk is over a half-mile away. How would you address the over-policing of walking, biking, and riding transit, including crossing a street outside of a crosswalk?
Candidate |
Response |
| Jason Winston | We must prioritize a “Complete Streets,” strategy throughout the City of Atlanta, and rely on all available resources and data to know how to efficiently prioritize new projects in an equitable manner. I would also work with city officials to look at any available data to analyze and address any issues of over-policing for minor infractions such as jaywalking. However, we must also work with law enforcement officials to ensure safety concerns or violations are addressed in a way that relies more on education than punishment. |
| Nathan Clubb | I would oppose over policing of these minor laws. At the same time, we need to increase our number of crosswalks, particularly protected crosswalks along our high injury road network, and where we have bus stops and no safe way to cross the street to reach them. |
Question 7: The More MARTA tax allocates $2.5 B to expand MARTA in the City of Atlanta over the next 40 years. What do you think the relationship between MARTA and the City of Atlanta should be in implementing this program? What considerations should MARTA be expected to provide for on-street facilities for people getting to and from transit?
Candidate |
Response |
| Jason Winston | There should be a more collaborative relationship between MARTA and the City of Atlanta in implementing the More MARTA plan. However there must also be more engagement with other key stakeholders and agencies in the city and state; including better public community engagement. I also believe there should be adequate on-street facilities and/or accommodations for people using our public transit system; like basic shelter from the sun and rain. These should be minimum requirements for all future MARTA expansions as well as upgrading the existing public transit infrastructure. |
| Nathan Clubb | The City of Atlanta should take an active oversight role and be a part of MARTA's decisionmaking as it decides which projects to fund and how to sequence the projects. MARTA should be expected to work with the City to ensure we have good sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike infrastructure to connect more Atlantans to transit. This will require coordination. |
DISTRICT 3
Question 1: What is the main way you get around Atlanta on a daily basis?
Candidate |
Response |
| Byron Amos | No Response |
| Erika Estrada | I have a hybrid situation. On a daily basis, I walk to where I need to go about 60% of the time and drive the other 40%. |
Question 2: Please share your vision for transportation and mobility in the city of Atlanta. How would you support transportation options for the 16% of Atlantans who don’t have access to a car, have a disability, and/or prefer to get around by sustainable, healthy modes of transportation such as transit, walking, biking, etc?
Candidate |
Response |
| Byron Amos | No Response |
| Erika Estrada | I envision the city of Atlanta gaining a reputation for being the most affordable, inclusive and equitable city in the south. Equitable access to quality transportation options is one of the key factors in achieving that reputation. I would support the speedy and transparent implementation of projects already in the pipeline that support this goal. I will also seek additional public-private partnerships and funding that will specifically benefit Atlantans and Atlanta neighborhoods that have traditionally been underserved and barred from equitable access to quality transportation options. |
Question 3: The Atlanta Department of Transportation estimates the City has a sidewalk funding gap of close to $1 billion dollars. How would you fund sidewalks and other urgent transportation needs in the city?
Candidate |
Response |
| Byron Amos | No Response |
| Erika Estrada | I would first like a transparent and detailed view into the root cause of the funding gap to ensure that there weren’t any mismanagement or waste of available funding sources. We simply can not afford to have mismanagement and waste and it must be identified and remedied, if present. Second, I would advocate for assessing the viability of increasing bond programs and state and/or federal funding from their current levels to support these urgent funding needs. |
Question 4: The number of people killed while walking in Georgia increased 22% from 2015 to 2019. Half of those killed were Black, a fatality rate more than twice that of white Georgians. In the city of Atlanta, out of the 16 pedestrians killed so far this year, 15 were Black and 13 were men. This mirrors the national trend of pedestrian fatalities increasing fastest among Black men. What will you do to make streets measurably safer for people biking, walking, and using scooters or wheelchairs? What will you do to address the disparities in whose lives are endangered the most by unsafe streets?
Candidate |
Response |
| Byron Amos | No Response |
| Erika Estrada | These tragic and unnecessary deaths and statistics are very likely directly related to failure to be transparent and follow through on capital projects already in the pipeline. If elected, the first step I would take to drive measurable change in this area would be to understand the status of the current capital projects and what it would take to complete implementation of these potentially lifesaving projects at or ahead of schedule. We need a sense of urgency and attention to detail around these projects. Second, I would increase education and community outreach, meeting residents where they are, to discuss these important safety issues and what we can do in the short-term to increase safety and awareness of this issue. |
Question 5: In 2019, the City of Atlanta announced plans to "more than triple its on-street protected bike network" saying, "by the end of 2021, Atlantans will see more than 20 miles of safer streets.” Many of those projects are not on track to be complete by the end of the year, and while the pandemic challenged project implementation everywhere, building bike lanes and Complete Streets in Atlanta has always been slow. If elected, would you seek to speed up the completion of transportation projects intended to provide safe travel options for people who walk, bike, or have a disability?
Candidate |
Response |
| Byron Amos | No Response |
| Erika Estrada | If elected, fighting for world-class, equitable transportation options in the City of Atlanta would be one of my top priorities. Some of our city’s most significant challenges including income inequality, health disparities, public safety and educational disparities are directly impacted by lack of access to quality transportation options. Mismanagement and lack of a sense of urgency around completion of transportation projects in our city has cost lives and valuable resources to be lost. I would advocate for more transparency, accountability and communication regarding the status and completion of critical projects, especially in traditionally underserved communities in our city |
Question 6: Communities across the country have found stark racial disparities in enforcement of “jaywalking” and similar laws. In many parts of Atlanta, the nearest crosswalk is over a half-mile away. How would you address the over-policing of walking, biking, and riding transit, including crossing a street outside of a crosswalk?
Candidate |
Response |
| Byron Amos | No Response |
| Erika Estrada | I would seek to reevaluate legislation and policies for these instances of over-policing. To properly reevaluate and correct these policies and legislation and their enforcement, there must be a collaborative partnership between law enforcement, legislators and residents of impacted communities. If elected, I would consider it my role to lead those collaborative discussions and partnerships. Out of those discussions and partnerships I would drive solutions and introduce new legislation and policy, as needed, that would reduce over-policing in the short-term and long-term. |
Question 7: The More MARTA tax allocates $2.5 B to expand MARTA in the City of Atlanta over the next 40 years. What do you think the relationship between MARTA and the City of Atlanta should be in implementing this program? What considerations should MARTA be expected to provide for on-street facilities for people getting to and from transit?
Candidate |
Response |
| Byron Amos | No response |
| Erika Estrada | The relationship between MARTA and the City of Atlanta must be a collaborative and transparent effort to successfully implement this long-term project. Both organizations should have equal opportunity to provide input, resources and solutions to the implementation plan over time. Both parties should also hold the other accountable for transparency and fulfilling their commitments to the projects as they go through implementation. And, both parties should consider the needs of the people, first, as part of their guiding principles for implementation, which may include solutions such as MARTA providing more for on-street facilities than originally envisioned. |
DISTRICT 4
Question 1: What is the main way you get around Atlanta on a daily basis?
Candidate |
Response |
| Cleta Winslow - incumbent | Drive alone |
| Jason Dozier | Pre-pandemic - multimodal (walk, bike, bus, and train from Mechanicsville to Alpharetta); currently I drive with my family for errands. |
Question 2: Please share your vision for transportation and mobility in the city of Atlanta. How would you support transportation options for the 16% of Atlantans who don’t have access to a car, have a disability, and/or prefer to get around by sustainable, healthy modes of transportation such as transit, walking, biking, etc?
Candidate |
Response |
| Cleta Winslow - incumbent | I am very supportive of the MARTA More Program. Which is looking at how to enhance ridership by providing more express buses and better connections around the Atlanta Regional area. I have been the only Councilmember to attend the ATL meetings and I am encouraged that other county's are starting to realize that transit will be a more viable answer for the future. I would be in favor of looking at how the City of Atlanta could work with the State Department of Community Affairs on funding transit coming into the city but also connecting up to MARTA. This could give entrpreneurs job but also increase MARTAS ridership from outlying areas beyond countys like Rockdale, Gwinett and Clayton. |
| Jason Dozier | For decades, transportation discourse in Atlanta has centered around highway traffic and how quickly automobiles can move in and out of the city. This framework disproportionately elevates highway expansion and structured parking as solutions to our transportation woes. Thus, for decades, our region’s development patterns have exacerbated our region’s overreliance on cars for our transportation needs. And while Atlanta’s suburbs are notorious for perpetuating this automobile-centric culture, our central city is also culpable here. Except for a few small neighborhoods in the heart of the city, Atlanta’s land use and zoning ordinances encourage car-oriented transportation, even going as far as to mandate that all new office, residential, and retail construction build new parking facilities. However, though our policies encourage (and in some cases practically require) residents to drive to destinations, vehicle ownership is a luxury for many Atlantans. Nearly 20% of households across Atlanta (and almost 40% of households in southwest Atlanta) don’t own or have access to a car as their primary means of transportation and have to rely on alternative forms of transportation to get to work, school, daycare, and everything in between. Atlanta’s job centers are clustered in the northern reaches of the city while many of our working families must spend hours commuting via bus and train in the early hours of each day. There is an imbalance, especially since the communities that need alternative transportation amenities the most have the least access to those amenities. Sidewalks and bicycle lanes are commonly available in communities north of I-20, while in our city’s southwestern communities, children and seniors must walk in the middle of the street dodging unfettered vehicle traffic to get to where they need to go. And if they’re transit riders, that typically means their bus stop is a patch of dirt with a poorly marked pole in the ground. Everyone--no matter their means, race, class, income level, age, or physical ability--should be able to move safely. Investing in transportation means more than just investing in automobile infrastructure, and our policies must reflect that reality. And as a member of City Council, I will advocate, encourage, and promote safe and efficient transportation and mobility in three ways. First, I will ensure that Atlanta prioritizes investment in the diverse transportation options that link neighborhoods with jobs and connects communities to regional resources. That also means ensuring that the city treats sidewalks as shared resources and commits to fixing the backlog of sidewalk repairs while investing in new pedestrian infrastructure. That also means expanding Atlanta’s pedestrian, wheelchair, and bicycle infrastructure in such a way that ensures access and connectivity remain safe and equitable. Second, I will acknowledge the relationship between land use and transportation and work to reverse the damage caused by decades of development that’s been detrimental to pedestrians, cyclists, and wheelchair users. In Atlanta, low-density communities typically don’t have sufficient sidewalk access, lighting, or general access to safe streets, and I believe that we can only succeed when we support infrastructure with land use and zoning policies that enhance the urban fabric. What use is a streetcar when the route is surrounded by swaths of parking, much of it mandated by public decree? Transportation priorities need complementary land use and zoning policies, and transportation planning can’t happen in a vacuum. I also recognize the role that our abundance of free parking plays in defining the design of our city. Not only do I support updating zoning and land use ordinances to more broadly abolish parking minimums, but I believe that the city should consider enacting parking maximums in transit-rich communities and along the BeltLine. Third, we must normalize the transportation alternatives that exist in our city, encouraging the adoption of alternatives to ensure resilience against climate change and promote positive health outcomes. For instance, bicycle accessibility is too often seen as a luxury for a handful of citizens and is sometimes seen as a tool of gentrification. But I contend that cycling offers low-income residents a cost-effective and healthy way to navigate our city. Atlanta must work to educate and convince citizens of cycling’s place as an equitable mode of transportation. And a good way to do that is to install protected bicycle infrastructure in disinvested communities of color to highlight--especially near schools--to emphasize that this is a resource for everyone, not just those in affluent parts of the city. |
Question 3: The Atlanta Department of Transportation estimates the City has a sidewalk funding gap of close to $1 billion dollars. How would you fund sidewalks and other urgent transportation needs in the city?
Candidate |
Response |
| Cleta Winslow - incumbent | I would look at decreasing our impact feels which have not been increased in 25 years. Our impact fees are some of the lowest in the region. |
| Jason Dozier | First, I believe that we need a new TSPLOST specifically focused on addressing the sidewalk gap and other pedestrian-oriented street safety improvements. However, I recognize approving any funding stream is politically tenuous. Shortfalls in Renew Atlanta have created a degree of distrust among many Atlantans, and restoration of that trust must be baked into any proposed funding stream that’s presented to voters. Developing a specific project list will help ensure that buy-in. Second, while the people who live and work in Atlanta are most directly impacted by our investments in transportation infrastructure, we must work with interagency and intergovernmental partners to shoulder as much of this load as possible. The Georgia Department of Transportation, Fulton County, and Atlanta Public Schools are all major stakeholders in our policy-making, are all impacted by their constituents’ ability to move safely, and should all invest in pedestrian infrastructure accordingly. Third, a public infrastructure account like a sidewalk fund will help ensure accountability, and mandating an explicit requirement for developers to contribute to this fund as a condition of tax incentives administered through Invest Atlanta will help alleviate many funding gaps and shortfalls. Fourth, now that we’ve modernized our impact fee structure, we need to be more diligent about how those funds are spent and ensure that sidewalks take precedence ahead of competing priorities. And finally, recognizing the need for tourists, convention goers, and travelers to be able to walk safely to our city's premier attractions, we must partner with state elected officials and other stakeholders to allow hotel / motel tax or rental car fees to be dedicated to transportation improvements and infrastructure projects which ultimately improve the safety and mobility of our urban core. |
Question 4: The number of people killed while walking in Georgia increased 22% from 2015 to 2019. Half of those killed were Black, a fatality rate more than twice that of white Georgians. In the city of Atlanta, out of the 16 pedestrians killed so far this year, 15 were Black and 13 were men. This mirrors the national trend of pedestrian fatalities increasing fastest among Black men. What will you do to make streets measurably safer for people biking, walking, and using scooters or wheelchairs? What will you do to address the disparities in whose lives are endangered the most by unsafe streets?
Candidate |
Response |
| Cleta Winslow - incumbent | I would be in favor of wider sidewalks and road diet on certain roads as long as it doesn't impede emergency vehicles from being able to get down those streets that would be narrowed. Currently there areas some streets that have been road dieted to the point that even if a car pulls over to the right an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance, fire truck or police car, cannot get by. Road diet projects need to make sure that there is enough shoulder room to allow emergency vehicles to pass. |
| Jason Dozier | This is a very personal issue for me. Five years ago, I survived a collision while riding my bicycle, and while I’m thankful to be alive, I recognize that too many people in my community haven’t been so fortunate. While I will always continue to advocate for the prioritization of safe streets across the city, county, and state, there are some immediate steps that we can take right here in District 4 to make our streets measurably safer. I will immediately use District 4 discretionary funds to deliver long-promised and badly-needed street calming strategies including speed humps, speed cushions, speed tables, bulbouts, and chicanes. There are currently millions of unspent dollars appropriated specifically for District 4 through Renew Atlanta, and spending down these funds will have an immediate impact on street safety. I will also commit to investing a portion of my staff and discretionary budgets for sustainable solutions that move our communities closer towards the principles of Vision Zero. Beyond infrastructure, I will remove administrative hurdles and red tape that makes it hard for communities to have speed tables, crosswalks, signage, and light signals installed in our neighborhoods. Mandating that 75% of property owners must sign a petition to initiate a multi-year process to get a modicum of street calming is exclusionary (many of our neighbors are renters), and rooted in a history of classism and racism, and I will fight to change this. I also commit to supporting the full resourcing of our city’s Department of Transportation so that it can better prioritize Atlanta’s transportation needs and streamline the planning and implementation of those priorities across the city. |
Question 5: In 2019, the City of Atlanta announced plans to "more than triple its on-street protected bike network" saying, "by the end of 2021, Atlantans will see more than 20 miles of safer streets.” Many of those projects are not on track to be complete by the end of the year, and while the pandemic challenged project implementation everywhere, building bike lanes and Complete Streets in Atlanta has always been slow. If elected, would you seek to speed up the completion of transportation projects intended to provide safe travel options for people who walk, bike, or have a disability?
Candidate |
Response |
| Cleta Winslow - incumbent | Yes. As a matter of fact the Cascade Avenue/Road Project in Southwest Atlanta was delayed by at least two years and is a perfect example of a delayed project on major thoroughfare. |
| Jason Dozier | Yes I would. Low and reduced vehicle traffic during the pandemic should have been an opportunity for the city to complete its backlog of stalled or delayed construction projects and unfortunately this was a missed opportunity. |
Question 6: Communities across the country have found stark racial disparities in enforcement of “jaywalking” and similar laws. In many parts of Atlanta, the nearest crosswalk is over a half-mile away. How would you address the over-policing of walking, biking, and riding transit, including crossing a street outside of a crosswalk?
Candidate |
Response |
| Cleta Winslow - incumbent | It needs to be more uniform. Jaywalking can be extremely dangerous because people are darting through cars. |
| Jason Dozier | Jaywalking absolutely must be decriminalized. This will remove an unjust burden from low-income residents who are least able to afford to pay fines and who are more likely to live in neighborhoods that lack the infrastructure for safe crossings in the first place. Streets are for people, and I’m determined for that principle to be reflected in the city code. I also recognize that our automobile-centric culture and transportation networks can encourage behaviors that are detrimental to our pursuit of Vision Zero and safe streets. For instance, cars and trucks parked in LIT lanes can be frustrating and dangerous, and laws passed to deter that behavior are infrequently or poorly enforced. However, I don’t believe we always need armed police officers to intervene in situations like this. Smart street design--installing permanent bollards to protect cyclists or building bulbouts to force automobiles to serpentine down straightaways or narrowing turn radii at intersections--not only works to make our roads safer, but it limits the need to involve law enforcement in the first place. Speed cameras would be an effective alternative as well. |
Question 7: The More MARTA tax allocates $2.5 B to expand MARTA in the City of Atlanta over the next 40 years. What do you think the relationship between MARTA and the City of Atlanta should be in implementing this program? What considerations should MARTA be expected to provide for on-street facilities for people getting to and from transit?
Candidate |
Response |
| Cleta Winslow - incumbent | With MARTA going to a Bus Rapid Transit Program and or a Light Rail Program, they need to make sure that as people get on and off of MARTA that it is done in a safe manner. So they need to look at whether they should have one or both of these programs in the middles of the street or closer to the curb to make it an easier access for the transit rider. |
| Jason Dozier | I responded earlier about the need to acknowledge the relationship between land use and transportation and why we have to reverse the damage caused by development patterns causing harm to Atlanta’s pedestrians, cyclists, and wheelchair users. This also impacts transit, and I believe that we need to support MARTA through complementary land use for it to be successful. We must work harder to reframe our understanding of land use and development patterns, as we must normalize the implementation of transit access in projects across the city. MARTA might be our region’s chief transit operator, but it isn’t the only stakeholder when it comes to transit and the City of Atlanta must play a stronger role in ensuring MARTA’s success. Prioritizing connectivity and accessibility for all Atlanta residents will strengthen our existing transit systems, making it easier for residents in far-flung corners of the region to utilize amenities in the city and vice versa. Not to mention that ridership suffers when last-mile connectivity doesn’t exist in many places. And while it's true that much of that is the purview of MARTA and other transit planning agencies, they can’t operate in a vacuum. We can only succeed when we support infrastructure with land use and zoning policies that enhance the urban fabric, and that's completely on the City of Atlanta. How truly useful is a bus stop when there's no sidewalk or that sits a few feet from a straightaway where cars routinely travel at speeds of more than 60 mph? And land-use and road design aren’t the only ways that the city can support MARTA. Partnering with MARTA to adjust or deviate from passenger thresholds for bus benches and shelters can make bus ridership much more enjoyable and dignified. I will also work to ensure our traffic signals are upgraded so that buses are given priority. This is something that should have happened years ago with the streetcar, and I recognize that having buses constantly stuck in traffic can deter ridership. Overall, I believe that prioritizing buses on our streets and creating dedicated lanes will create a safe environment that decenters automobiles from our transportation landscape and elevates people. |
DISTRICT 5
Question 1: What is the main way you get around Atlanta on a daily basis?
Candidate |
Response |
| Liliana Bakhtiari | Walk |
| Mandy Mahoney | I split my time between driving and walking. I was exclusively a transit rider before the pandemic but have teleworked since the start of the pandemic. |
Question 2: Please share your vision for transportation and mobility in the city of Atlanta. How would you support transportation options for the 16% of Atlantans who don’t have access to a car, have a disability, and/or prefer to get around by sustainable, healthy modes of transportation such as transit, walking, biking, etc?
Candidate |
Response |
| Liliana Bakhtiari | If you have ever walked, biked, driven, or taken MARTA in Atlanta, then you know that our city is not the easiest to navigate. With a legacy of institutional racism that has spanned centuries, many of our neighborhoods remain fractured, with little investment in connectivity. We have the opportunity to change that. As our next City Councilmember, I will fight for complete street design, prioritizing sidewalks, bike lanes, and ADA infrastructure in order to create a more bikeable, walkable, and accessible city for everyone. I will leverage federal dollars and private partnerships to invest in both More MARTA and Beltline Rail initiatives to expand inter-neighborhood and multi-modal connectivity, as well as to solve the last mile problem. I will work to reduce parking requirements along transit corridors to encourage alternative transit usage. I will advocate for safer streets through better street design and engineering, and approach all public infrastructure through an equitable lens first, ensuring that our transportation policies are affordable, accessible, and environmentally sound. I will also strengthen partnerships with our regional transit institutions to fight for a Vision Zero Plan across the metro area, and push Atlanta to be the transit hub of the South, which I know we have the potential to be. I believe that if we design our streets with our most vulnerable populations in mind (our children, disabled neighbors, seniors, and low-income communities), then we will inevitably create a better system for everyone. |
| Mandy Mahoney | I’m deeply committed to making our communities safer and healthier so that residents not only have what they need to survive -- but thrive. I have worked on the leading edge of transportation solutions for Atlanta since 2005. When the Beltline was only an idea, I helped to make it a reality. In my role as Atlanta’s first director of sustainability I launched a comprehensive telework program for city employees and championed alternative commute options in the Sustainability Plan. As president of the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, I led national efforts to advance the transition from gasoline-powered light, medium and heavy duty vehicles to electric vehicles. I have been a cycle and MARTA commuter since law school and my family has been an all-electric, one car household since 2009. In 2020, I revived APS’s Drew Charter School’s Safe Routes to School PTA Committee to address the urgent transportation needs for elementary students. Today, Atlanta’s infrastructure is failing residents without access to a car, are disabled, or prefer sustainable transportation options. My vision for Atlanta’s transportation system is that it is “AAA,” serving All Ages and Abilities. Many residents live in a transit desert, and where transit options exist, routes are long and inefficient. As a city council member, I would be a staunch advocate for improving pedestrian, public transit, and cycle infrastructure by repairing existing sidewalks, adding new sidewalk mileage, building new bike lanes and multi-use paths, enforcing existing bike lane regulations, and improving connections between public transit stops. The future prosperity and health of our city depends on a robust and diverse set of transportation options for all residents. The creation of the Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) was a fundamental step towards more thoughtful and focused action on the city’s transportation issues. ATLDOT must now ensure the development of an integrated plan that supports all transportation modes and all residents. The plan should explore innovative transit solutions, tap into community-based ideas to solve local problems and fully integrate a vision of future land use and development that incorporates sustainable design standards for all public investments. |
Question 3: The Atlanta Department of Transportation estimates the City has a sidewalk funding gap of close to $1 billion dollars. How would you fund sidewalks and other urgent transportation needs in the city?
Candidate |
Response |
| Liliana Bakhtiari | One of my top priorities as our next City Councilmember is transparency in the investment of city funding. The City of Atlanta is obliged to set aside 3.5% of the general fund each year for public infrastructure maintenance and improvement, however, City Council has no system for reporting how this funding is utilized. As our next Councilmember, I will fight for transparency in general fund spending and ensure that public infrastructure, like sidewalks, does not go unaddressed. That should get us roughly $25M right off the bat. Next, I will leverage my relationships with state officials to push for updates to state code that would designate sidewalk repairs and ADA infrastructure into the standard of roadway maintenance. In effect, major corridors like Moreland Avenue could address pedestrian infrastructure updates through GDOT and state funding. Additionally, with community input first, we must advocate for voters to approve a new TSPLOST, which would specifically cover sidewalk construction, repairs, and street safety improvements, starting in our most at-risk communities. This cannot work without transparency and financial reporting. We have seen the funding for too many major transportation projects disappear without proper reporting. If we are asking taxpayers to invest more, they deserve to see where their money is going. And finally, I will make it a priority to draft an ordinance that relieves homeowners of the responsibility of maintaining their own sidewalks. If we want a network of sidewalks that work for everyone, the city must take over ALL sidewalk installation and maintenance. Through partnerships with our unions, I will push for workforce training and placement programs that will allow us to train and staff our public works department, providing jobs and better infrastructure at the same time. |
| Mandy Mahoney | Prior to the pandemic, I walked my son to school every day. During these walks, I was inspired to run for Atlanta City Council. I watched our neighbors, young and old, struggle to navigate broken sidewalks and inadequate transit stops. I knew I wanted to serve the residents of Atlanta by ensuring they receive essential benefits supported by tax dollars, and sidewalks were at the top of the list. First and foremost, I believe ATLDOT should move forward with implementing their sidewalk improvement plan. Additionally, they should apply the equity criteria included in the plan to ensure the neighborhoods and residents that need it most receive new and improved sidewalks. Sadly, we know that the $1 billion funding gap for sidewalks represents only a portion of the city’s infrastructure budget needs. A comprehensive update of our infrastructure requirements should be a top priority in developing funding solutions. The Renew Atlanta and TSPLOST programs must move forward with careful, comprehensive, and transparent processes that identify projects, ensure accurate cost estimates, and define achievable implementation schedules. Future TSPLOST funds must prioritize pedestrian infrastructure. The public is likely to support extensions of these funding mechanisms if it has confidence in the city to effectively execute the plan on schedule. Engaging other agencies in joint funding strategies is crucial for achieving our goals. Most metro urban governments have similar implementation and funding issues and a joint lobbying strategy for increased state and federal funding should be developed. We should deeply research innovative funding strategies being used by other cities around the country and even around the world. Within existing city-level resources, we should examine how Community Improvement Districts (CID) are able to complete sidewalk projects at a fraction of the cost and time of the City of Atlanta. CIDs are effectively and efficiently addressing local needs; we must learn from them and apply their learnings across the city to prevent further disrepair. I would propose legislation to establish a parking tax and split the proceeds between an affordable housing fund and a subsidy for transit trips inside the city. I would engage the community to identify local priorities and solutions. I would institute participatory budgeting, like District 2 City Council member Amir Farokhi has done, to directly respond to the needs of District 5. I would also replicate the "Sidewalkapalooza" used in Washington DC to help residents identify where there are sidewalk issues in District. In DC, Council member Tiffani Johnson and her constituents take a week where they walk their districts with residents, identify problems, and report them to 311. |
Question 4: The number of people killed while walking in Georgia increased 22% from 2015 to 2019. Half of those killed were Black, a fatality rate more than twice that of white Georgians. In the city of Atlanta, out of the 16 pedestrians killed so far this year, 15 were Black and 13 were men. This mirrors the national trend of pedestrian fatalities increasing fastest among Black men. What will you do to make streets measurably safer for people biking, walking, and using scooters or wheelchairs? What will you do to address the disparities in whose lives are endangered the most by unsafe streets?
Candidate |
Response |
| Liliana Bakhtiari | In order to make Atlanta’s streets safer for everyone, we need to adopt a Vision Zero Plan alongside our Metro-area neighbors, regional partners, and other stakeholders. People are going to make mistakes behind the wheel, but with better planning and street design, we can course correct for some of those mistakes preemptively. To ensure that the action plan addresses inequity, we must take a look at root causes. The reason for the disproportionate number of traffic deaths and injuries for people of color is because BIPOC are less likely to own cars and more likely to walk or use public transit compared to white people; with a legacy of institutional racism that has spanned centuries, our city was designed for white people and their cars. As our next Councilmember, I will aim to solve these disproportionate deaths by aggressively investing in alternative transit infrastructure, and prioritizing low-income and BIPOC neighborhoods, especially routes to schools and to employment hubs. Additionally, I will push for better data collection and collaboration with GDOT to ensure that bike and pedestrian casualties are properly tracked and reported. On a macro scale, we must address the root issue of car dependency in Atlanta. As our next Councilmember, I will fight to unbundle parking requirements for new development and to expand BRT with designated bus lanes, particularly along transit corridors. On a micro scale, I will focus on traffic calming measures like rumble strips, chicanes, chokers, refuge islands, speed cushions for ambulance routes, and HAWK signals, starting with arteries and main streets that fall into the High Injury Network. |
| Mandy Mahoney | The pedestrian fatality data has only gotten worse since 2019. We have seen a steep increase in fatalities this year and like the data cited in the question, about 80% of the fatalities since 2019 have been Black. As of May 2021, 93% (13 of 14) pedestrian fatalities this year have been Black. I believe we must raise public awareness of pedestrian fatalities, highlight the sharp uptick in fatalities this year, and discuss the disparate impact on the Black community. As a council member, I would fight to fully investigate pedestrian fatalities and identify new solutions. Our current policies simply aren't working. How can the city ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists? Data on pedestrian fatalities is difficult to obtain and it prevents us from keeping our streets safe. This information should be made readily available and updated regularly on an open data platform. I believe the City should immediately create and launch an open data platform that shows total fatalities in an updated manner. This is standard in Seattle, New York City, Washington DC, and many other cities that adopted Vision Zero policies. Additionally, it is critical that Atlanta DOT report on this data regularly to the City Council so that it is understood by City leadership, the advocacy community, and the public. In May 2020, Atlanta adopted a Vision Zero Policy that was unanimously supported by the Atlanta City Council. Since then, the city has not developed the Vision Zero Action Plan called for in the enacting legislation nor formally launched a formal advisory taskforce. The ATLDOT should produce an annual report on progress toward Vision Zero that highlights completed policy and project implementation as well as statistics on injuries and fatalities. We must also change our fundamental philosophy so that every transportation project is a Vision Zero project. Any transportation facility should be seen as - and designed as - a multi-modal facility in which the movement of people is the objective - not the efficient flow of automobiles. This doctrine must be present in how we approach our roads, how we design them, and how we value citizens. |
Question 5: In 2019, the City of Atlanta announced plans to "more than triple its on-street protected bike network" saying, "by the end of 2021, Atlantans will see more than 20 miles of safer streets.” Many of those projects are not on track to be complete by the end of the year, and while the pandemic challenged project implementation everywhere, building bike lanes and Complete Streets in Atlanta has always been slow. If elected, would you seek to speed up the completion of transportation projects intended to provide safe travel options for people who walk, bike, or have a disability?
Candidate |
Response |
| Liliana Bahktiari | Yes. As our next City Councilmember, I will seek to reduce the timelines for alternative transit projects by advocating for a NEPA Categorical Exclusion for bike, pedestrian, and ADA projects. The use of categorical exclusions can reduce paperwork and save time and resources, especially for projects that will benefit our city’s carbon footprint. |
| Mandy Mahoney | I will answer this question with a resounding, “Yes!” Development of all transportation projects must begin with complete and sound design considering all modes and users within a corridor. Equally important is the development of sound and believable cost estimates and realistic schedules. The public has a right to a thorough and correct understanding of projects funded by taxpayer dollars. The implementing agency can then be provided the resources to execute and be held accountable for the work. ATLDOT should also work to develop more in-house expertise. There are many great young engineers and planners that want to work on walking and cycling projects. Unfortunately, the City has traditionally contracted these services out at a higher cost, increasing the time to complete projects. By completing projects in-house, they will be cheaper and completed faster. Further, ATLDOT engineers and planners are likely to be familiar with Atlanta in ways that contractors might not be. |
Question 6: Communities across the country have found stark racial disparities in enforcement of “jaywalking” and similar laws. In many parts of Atlanta, the nearest crosswalk is over a half-mile away. How would you address the over-policing of walking, biking, and riding transit, including crossing a street outside of a crosswalk?
Candidate |
Response |
| Liliana Bakhtiari | As we aim to address equity across the board, it is important to acknowledge that communities of color are often the last to receive amenities like crosswalks and bicycle infrastructure, but often need that infrastructure the most. Outdated pedestrian and bicycle “safety” laws are often used to target black and brown pedestrians, burdening them with fines when they are generally walking or biking as a means to avoid the financial burdens of car ownership. We need to focus our resources on engineering instead of enforcement. As our next City Councilperson, I will push to decriminalize jaywalking and “darting into traffic” within the City of Atlanta; I will keep pushing to expand the 25 mph default speed limit; I will advocate for alternative forms of enforcement such as safety cameras and alternative forms of traffic calming such as bulb-outs, curb extensions, and speed cameras ; and I will prioritize pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure within low-income communities to decrease potential safety hazards for our neighbors who walk and bike the most. Above all else, I will fight for community oversight, and make sure that our neighbors of color and low-income Atlantans have a seat at the table. |
| Mandy Mahoney | As a council member, I would be a staunch advocate to end over-policing of walking, biking, and riding transit. We need to work with the Mayor’s office and the Atlanta Police Department to formally change their policy, provide new training to officers, and end the aggressive enforcement of these regulations. Additionally, we must develop better facilities that provide safer and more effective access to those walking, biking, and riding transit such as building more signalized "mid-block" crossings. |
Question 7: The More MARTA tax allocates $2.5 B to expand MARTA in the City of Atlanta over the next 40 years. What do you think the relationship between MARTA and the City of Atlanta should be in implementing this program? What considerations should MARTA be expected to provide for on-street facilities for people getting to and from transit?
Candidate |
Response |
| Liliana Bakhtiari | As the governing body for the City of Atlanta, it is the responsibility of Atlanta City Council to hold MARTA accountable. A significant part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9-trillion coronavirus aid package earmarked $30.5 billion for public transit. According to MARTA, that will provide them with roughly $284 million in emergency funding for the Atlanta system. On top of their annual funding from the 1.5 cent sales tax in the City of Atlanta, MARTA can easily meet the $62.5M per year needed to complete their proposed More MARTA plan over the next 40 years. But we need to be sure that federal dollars are not left on the table, and that we stay on track with our progress. As our next Councilmember, I will require annual reporting from all city funded entities, including MARTA, and will advocate for participatory budgeting, and designated milestones to help keep projects on track. In order for MARTA to be a truly effective transit solution, we need multi-modal connectivity to help us solve the first and last mile problem. As our next City Councilmember, I will push the Atlanta Department of Transportation to relaunch the city bike share program (especially in communities with low rates of car ownership), expand rideshare infrastructure around transit stops, create a city contract bid for scooter rental services at MARTA stops, and advocate for MARTA heavy-rail, light-rail, and bus expansion to begin with the routes that expand the multi-modal network. |
| Mandy Mahoney | Our City needs a highly effective partnership between the City of Atlanta and MARTA from both a design and funding perspective. MARTA and its board of directors representing the city should work very closely with the City of Atlanta to allocate funds for city projects. Likewise, the city needs to vigorously engage MARTA on its requirements. On a related matter - the Atlanta-RegionTransit Link Authority (ATL) should be seen as a resource and the City should vigorously advocate its needs and be seen as a leader. Preference should be given to projects that will qualify for federal funding needed to support their completion. A deep analysis of the roster of projects is needed to evaluate qualifications for federal funding. Currently, the MARTA system lacks sufficient, quality on-street facilities. First and foremost, to the extent that on-street bike facilities interact with bus routes and/or BRT facilities, MARTA should be expected to design their stops and other infrastructure in a way that harmonizes the bus and transit uses of the street. These two modes should not conflict or have to compete for space. Second, we need more on-street facilities that are well-maintained, inviting, and accessible. Third, these facilities should have improved bicycle parking. Cities where cycling is great tend to have seamless connections between bicycles and transit. Finally, I want to expand the use of Atlanta’s artists in building beautiful and inspiring on-street facilities. |
DISTRICT 12
Question 1: What is the main way you get around Atlanta on a daily basis?
Candidate |
Response |
| Antonio Lewis | Carpool |
| Joyce Sheperd – incumbent | No Response |
Question 2: Please share your vision for transportation and mobility in the city of Atlanta. How would you support transportation options for the 16% of Atlantans who don’t have access to a car, have a disability, and/or prefer to get around by sustainable, healthy modes of transportation such as transit, walking, biking, etc?
Candidate |
Response |
| Antonio Lewis | I think Atlanta needs to become more walker friendly. I'd work to ensure that bike lanes are maintained in all parts of the city in a more equitable manner. |
| Joyce Sheperd – incumbent | No Response |
Question 3: The Atlanta Department of Transportation estimates the City has a sidewalk funding gap of close to $1 billion dollars. How would you fund sidewalks and other urgent transportation needs in the city?
Candidate |
Response |
| Antonio Lewis | I'd actually have to look more into the federal infrastructure bill and look at wasteful spending to ensure all Atlantans have access to safe finished sidewalks. |
| Joyce Sheperd – incumbent | No Response |
Question 4: The number of people killed while walking in Georgia increased 22% from 2015 to 2019. Half of those killed were Black, a fatality rate more than twice that of white Georgians. In the city of Atlanta, out of the 16 pedestrians killed so far this year, 15 were Black and 13 were men. This mirrors the national trend of pedestrian fatalities increasing fastest among Black men. What will you do to make streets measurably safer for people biking, walking, and using scooters or wheelchairs? What will you do to address the disparities in whose lives are endangered the most by unsafe streets?
Candidate |
Response |
| Antonio Lewis | We have to slow traffic to protect more people. Also, look at more turnarounds and speed bumps in areas where travelers frequent speed. |
| Joyce Sheperd – incumbent | No Response |
Question 5: In 2019, the City of Atlanta announced plans to "more than triple its on-street protected bike network" saying, "by the end of 2021, Atlantans will see more than 20 miles of safer streets.” Many of those projects are not on track to be complete by the end of the year, and while the pandemic challenged project implementation everywhere, building bike lanes and Complete Streets in Atlanta has always been slow. If elected, would you seek to speed up the completion of transportation projects intended to provide safe travel options for people who walk, bike, or have a disability?
Candidate |
Response |
| Antonio Lewis | My goal would be to ensure that the protected bike network was finished as efficient as possible. |
| Joyce Sheperd – incumbent | No Response |
Question 6: Communities across the country have found stark racial disparities in enforcement of “jaywalking” and similar laws. In many parts of Atlanta, the nearest crosswalk is over a half-mile away. How would you address the over-policing of walking, biking, and riding transit, including crossing a street outside of a crosswalk?
Candidate |
Response |
| Antonio Lewis | NA |
| Joyce Sheperd – incumbent | No Response |
Question 7: The More MARTA tax allocates $2.5 B to expand MARTA in the City of Atlanta over the next 40 years. What do you think the relationship between MARTA and the City of Atlanta should be in implementing this program? What considerations should MARTA be expected to provide for on-street facilities for people getting to and from transit?
Candidate |
Response |
| Antonio Lewis | I think MARTA needs to work with the community on study that add train stations and make them more walker friendly. |
| Joyce Sheperd – incumbent | No Response |