***Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST will not be presenting to the Transportation Committee this Wednesday, October 24th. We will post an update as soon as we hear about the next meeting.***
88% of Atlanta voters approved the $250-million Renew Atlanta bond back in 2015. After three years of public meetings and bold promises, only one out of 16 Complete Street projects have been built -- and that project didn't have a single public meeting nor was it on the project list shared with voters. Failure to build these projects would defy the will of the voters who overwhelmingly said yes to both the Renew Atlanta bond and TSPLOST.
Complete Streets aren't the only important safety and mobility projects Renew Atlanta has neglected. According to a CBS46 report, Renew Atlanta has not started work on a majority of projects -- only four of 15 ADA/sidewalk improvement projects, zero of nine bridges, two of 30 police and fire stations, and less than half of the roadway resurfacing projects that include bike lane striping have been built.
Why does it matter? Nearly half of the streets on Renew's Complete Streets project list are also on Atlanta's High Injury Network, a collection of streets responsible for most of the city's traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
Now, due to a miscalculation in resources and rising costs and a lack of political will to implement Complete Street projects in Atlanta after three years of public meetings and ever-changing start dates, a re-prioritization of the project list is imminent -- a signal that some or all of these projects could be postponed until additional funding is found.
Renew Atlanta indicated at the Howell Mill Road Complete Street Community Meeting that they plan to synchronize traffic lights before building Complete Streets. But traffic signal updates should be part of Complete Streets overhauls, not replace them. Synchronizing the lights rather than building safer streets for everyone essentially puts car throughput above the safety of people biking and walking.
Don't let this happen.
Complete Streets have a citywide value that goes beyond repaving or upgrading traffic signals.
They are holistic projects that create increased mobility -- not just more of the status quo. Complete Streets can save lives, prevent injury, and allow people who use all modes of transportation to access public streets -- qualities we sorely need in Atlanta right now.
Here's the list of Complete Street projects we want Renew Atlanta and TSPLOST to prioritize and the Council districts where they are located:
- Campbellton Road Smart Transit Corridor - High Injury Network; TSPLOST - District 4, 11, 12
- Cascade Road/Avenue Corridor, Phase 1 & 2 - High Injury Network - District 4, 10, 11
- DeKalb Avenue Complete Street Project - District 2, 5
- East Paces Ferry Road Complete Street Project- District 7
- Fairburn Road Complete Street Project - District 10
- Forsyth Street Complete Street Project - District 2, 4
- Howell Mill Road Complete Street Project - District 3, 8, 9
- Joseph E. Boone Boulevard Complete Street Project - High Injury Network - District 3
- Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Complete Street Project - High Injury Network - District 1, 3, 4, 5, 10
- Monroe Drive/Boulevard Complete Street Project - High Injury Network - District 2, 5, 6
- Piedmont Avenue Complete Street - District 2, 6
- Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard Complete Street Project - High Injury Network - District 4, 10
- University Avenue Complete Street Project - District 1, 12
No one knows these streets better than you.
That's why we need you to take action and join us to deliver public comment at the next Transportation Committee meeting on Wednesday, October 24th.
***Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST will not be presenting to the Transportation Committee this Wednesday, October 24th. We will post an update as soon as we hear about the next meeting.***
The Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST team will present a status report on the re-prioritization of the project list. We need you to make sure that the city not only keeps the Complete Streets projects on the list, but also expedites them so that we have safe, Complete Streets in Atlanta.
City of Atlanta Transportation Committee
Wednesday, October 24 at 10:30 am
City Hall - Committee Room 1
55 Trinity Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30303
Can't make an afternoon meeting at City Hall?
You can always share your story with Mayor Bottoms and your City Council Member. Tell them about your experience with a street on the Renew Atlanta Complete Street project list -- we've added the Council District next to each project. Attended one or more public meetings and you feel like you haven't been heard? Tell them that. Please bcc: [email protected] on your emails.
Subject: Prioritize the Renew Atlanta Complete Streets
Dear Councilmember,
Please prioritize the Renew Atlanta Complete Streets projects. I live/use/cross NAME YOUR COMPLETE STREET and I have attended #of public meetings for the project.
(If you voted for the Renew Atlanta bond or TSPLOST because of these infrastructure projects, please add that.
Share how this street makes you feel -- Does it cause anxiety? Do you avoid it? Did you have a particularly bad experience or know someone that has?)