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Blinkie Awards
Each year, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition celebrates community champions who have moved the needle on making riding, walking, and rolling safer and more accessible for all. After two years apart, we are thrilled to host the 2022 Blinkie Awards in person* on Thursday, May 19 at 6 PM at the Trolley Barn in Inman Park.
Learn More, and RSVP Here Learn more about sponsorship opportunities here, or email [email protected].
To learn about volunteer opportunities at the Blinkies, please click here.
* We are committed to hosting a safe event. The health and safety of our guests and staff remains our top priority. Please do not attend the event if you are experiencing any symptoms of the coronavirus (such as loss of taste or smell, fever, sore throat, or cough) or suspect or know that you currently have coronavirus. Guests are highly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, including booster shots, before they attend this event. In alignment with the City of Atlanta's policies, masks will not be required at this time.
For guests attending the Blinkies at the Trolley Barn: Any person entering the premises waives all civil liability against this premises owner and operator for any injuries caused by the inherent risk associated with contracting COVID-19 at public gatherings, except for gross negligence, willful and wanton misconduct, reckless infliction of harm, or intentional infliction of harm, by the individual or entity of the premises.
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Rachel Stanley published Governor's Office of Highway Safety Awards Grant to Atlanta Bicycle Coalition in Blog 2021-11-16 12:34:09 -0500
Governor's Office of Highway Safety Awards Grant to Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is pleased to announce it has received a $68,576.59 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS).The grant, which will continue through September 2022, will support efforts to reduce bicycle crashes and injuries.
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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.
Add signatureHelp 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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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!
Add signature
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.
City of Atlanta: Transit & Affordability
Increase access to transit and affordability of housing.
City of Atlanta: Funding
Comprehensively fund Atlanta's sustainable transportation infrastructure.
Atlanta Board of Education
Make it possible for kids to safely get to and from school on foot, bike, transit, and other modes.
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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Vehicle Donations
Instead of selling your old car, truck, or RV, you can donate it to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition through our simple vehicle donation program.
Donate your car, truck, motorcycle, RV, or boat to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition easily through our nonprofit partner, CARS.
Simply visit their website, complete the linked form, and CARS will reach out to you to arrange the pick-up of your vehicle donation at no cost to you. You may qualify for a tax deduction while supporting a cause that is near and dear to your heart!
Vehicle donation pick-up is always free to you, and most vehicles can be picked up within 72 business hours. You'll receive an initial car donation receipt upon pick-up, and then the CARS team will work to turn your car into cash to support our cause. Once your vehicle is sold, CARS will provide you proper tax forms in time to file. CARS’ friendly Donor Support Representatives are available seven days a week to assist throughout the process.
“The process was so simple and I couldn’t think of a better group to benefit from it, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, who is transforming Atlanta into a safer, more inclusive city to walk, ride and roll. “ Naoya Wada, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition Board Chair and CARS donor
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Donor Advised Funds
A donor advised fund (DAF) is a type of giving fund administered by a third party that allows you to combine favorable tax benefits with the flexibility to easily support the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. It is created to manage your charitable donations.
An increasingly popular charitable vehicle, DAFs provide a way to simplify your charitable giving. DAFs allow you to give cash, stock, and other assets and receive a tax deduction when the contribution is made. Then, you may use the fund to grant specific amounts to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition over time. Many philanthropists view their donor-advised funds much like a family foundation; it is an alternative to a private foundation but provides greater tax advantages and involves fewer administrative burdens.
- Gifts of publicly traded securities are generally deductible at 100 percent of the fair market value, including capital gain, up to 30 percent of the donor’s adjusted gross income.
- Gifts of cash are usually deductible up to 60 percent of the donor’s adjusted gross income.
- Gifts of private assets (e.g., real estate, private company stock) are usually deductible at their fair market value, up to 30 percent of the donor’s adjusted gross income.
How It Works
- Establish your DAF by making a tax-deductible donation to a financial company that operates a DAF program, like Vanguard, Fidelity, or Schwab Charitable, or a community foundation.
- Determine the investment allocation of the donated assets (any investment growth is tax-free).
- Recommend grants to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition whenever you wish to make a gift. We advise entering the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition’s employer identification number (EIN), 58-1996013, when searching a DAF charity database.
To learn more about making a gift to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition using your donor advised fund, please contact Senior Development Manager Rachel Stanley at [email protected].
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Donate Stock
Donating stocks or appreciated securities is a particularly impactful way to support the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. By donating stocks,
- Neither you nor the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition must pay capital gains tax, meaning that the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition will receive the full value of your stock;
- You can receive a charitable tax deduction for the full market value of your gift;
- You will make a significant contribution (perhaps larger than you could afford if you gave cash) that furthers the transportation advocacy that you care about.
- The capital gains that you would otherwise have to pay taxes on turns into a deduction that will save you taxes on your normal income.
You may also leave the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition stocks and mutual funds as a legacy gift.
The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition partners with Stock Donator to securely accept stock donations. To take advantage of this savings, please visit Stock Donator, and select the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition from the drop down menu, and proceed to enter your stock donation information.
If you have any questions on how to donate stock, please feel free to contact Stock Donator or the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition at [email protected].
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Employer Gift Matching
Many companies have programs through which they will match the charitable contributions made by their employees. Through employer gift matching, your employer can multiply your gift to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition at no extra cost to you.
Criteria for gift matching vary by employer. Some companies offer a payroll deduction plan. For more information or to complete a matching gift from your employer, please contact Senior Development Manager Rachel Stanley.
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Add Support
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Memorial Drive is a 5.5-mile east-west thoroughfare that cuts through eight neighborhoods. Despite being home to five schools and numerous homes and apartments, Memorial Drive functions more like a highway than a street that connects neighborhoods. Speeds regularly reach 60 miles per hour, even at school crossings, yet it’s a short driving distance from I-20, an actual highway serving the same area. Georgia Department of Transportation noted there have been 1,000 crashes in the past five years on Memorial Drive. That’s nearly one crash per day.
In 2014, Councilmember Natalyn Archibong commissioned a study of the corridor. You can learn more about the Imagine Memorial project on the Central Atlanta Progress website. Several important projects are tied to Imagine Memorial’s success, like the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative, the City of Atlanta’s neighborhood greenways and Trolley Line Trail projects, and the Atlanta BeltLine.
On March 21, 2017, a woman was killed trying to cross Memorial Drive.
Just two months earlier, on January 27, 2017, a mother was killed and her seven-year-old daughter put in urgent care by a high-speed crash.
Neighbors throughout the corridor came together to make Memorial Drive safe for communities.
Councilmember Archibong asked the Georgia Department of Transportation to identify traffic calming measures that would make Memorial Drive a safer corridor for people biking and walking.
In 2019, the City of Atlanta and Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) installed a "road diet," which converted the two inside lanes into a center turn lane. This has made the street safer for everyone.
