2023 policy and infrastructure agenda

Issue

Electric-assisted bicycles (e-bikes) are proven to shift cities from dependence on driving to a more sustainable transportation future. E-bikes provide physical activity to improve health, reduce air pollution and congestion, make hilly cities more accessible to people with health challenges or long distances to travel, and are more affordable than owning a car. However, they are too expensive for many people to afford. Communities across the U.S. are creating subsidy or rebate programs to make e-bikes more affordable. Our goal is to bring the benefits of e-bikes within reach for people in families that earn less than 80% of the "area median income" (FYI: What is AMI? from Atlanta Civic Circle). 

Results

Spring 2023: The Atlanta City Council adopted legislation creating a working group to establish an e-bike affordability program for Atlanta. Propel ATL advocated for this legislation and serves on the working group. 

Fall 2023: City Council introduced legislation to fund the program. Read more.  

December 2023: E-bike affordability legislation passed the City Council Transportation Committee, will go on the January 8, 2024 full Council agenda.

Adopt Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPI) as the standard and use signal timing to create safer crossings, starting with schools and transit stops

Image: Propel ATL

Issue

People are at increased risk of being hit by drivers while walking and using wheelchairs. The risk is even greater near transit stops, as people try to catch infrequent buses. What’s more, dangerous streets are concentrated in communities most impacted by ongoing racial injustices, systemic oppression, and racial disparities. Installing Leading Pedestrian Intervals, starting with areas with high rates of pedestrian crashes, schools, and near transit hubs and bus stops, would make people walking safer. 

There are some Leading Pedestrian Intervals already in place in metro Atlanta, including many in the denser parts of the city like Downtown and Midtown.

Results

Spring 2023: We started working with a local researcher. Heather Mase, who developed a way to prioritize locations where they would be most impactful. 

Fall 2023: We published Mase's important research and shared the results with City and state officials.

Take Action

Contact your elected officials to ask for their support in making Leading Pedestrian Intervals the standard for pedestrian crossings.

 

 

 Ensure the City of Atlanta's Department of Transportation delivers projects & maintains bike/LIT (Light Individual Transportation) lanes by fully funding its operations 

Image: Propel ATL

Issue

The Atlanta Department of Transportation was established in November of 2019. While the budget increased last year, it is significantly less than that of peer cities like Oakland, CA. This limits the department's ability to accomplish its goals, deliver the hundreds of promised new and overdue projects from major complete street projects to traffic calming, and routinely maintain infrastructure including bike/Light Individual Transportation (LIT) lanes. 

The City of Atlanta Mayor drafts the budget, then City Council reviews and approves by the end of June each year.

Results

The City of Atlanta budget sent to Council included a 12% cut to the ATLDOT operating budget. In spring 2023, we advocated with community members and organizations for an increase, but the budget adopted in June 2023 kept the cut. However, City Council adopted $12 Million in additional funding for safer streets and resurfacings to fill in the gaps. 

We included an increased for the ATLDOT operating budget in our 2024 policy recommendations.

Improve MARTA bus service through network redesign and More MARTA projects to make it frequent and reliable

Image: Propel ATL

Issue

Atlanta transit riders and would-be riders want more frequent, reliable, and useful transit service. That's why in 2016, Atlanta voters approved an additional half-penny sales tax to fund the "More MARTA" expansion program. In 2021, MARTA started to update its bus network to meet changes in where riders live and want to go. Both initiatives are expected to improve bus service, but both have been delayed by the pandemic and its effects. In the meantime, riders often report that buses don't arrive or are delayed by sitting in traffic, causing missed work or appointments. 

Results

More MARTA projects: In Fall 2022 following questions from Atlanta City Council about available funding and spending on the program, MARTA and City of Atlanta leadership started to talk about reprioritizing the list of projects. Following a push for community engagement with this process, MARTA and the City of Atlanta hosted three public meetings April 18-20, 2023 to share information with the public and receive questions and comments about the proposed resequencing. The most advanced project so far is Summerhill BRT, with construction expected in 2023-2024 and service beginning in summer 2025. Learn more about the status of various projects in the March 2023 MARTA update. 

Bus Network Redesign: In April 2023, the MARTA Board approved a resolution providing direction for the redesigned network, stating it should keep the total amount of service near what it was in August 2021, while increasing the "Ridership-Coverage ratio" from the current level of 60% ridership and 40% coverage to a ratio in between 75%-80% ridership and 20-25% coverage. You can learn more about this process, the terms, and the reasoning behind it in the November 2021 Transit Choices Report. MARTA continues to push back when it will implement the overhaul of bus routes. Most recently the launch was postponed from spring 2024 to 2025.

Take Action

Attend a MARTA board meeting to speak up for frequent and reliable bus service. Monthly on the 2nd Thursday at MARTA HQ, Lindbergh Station. Please contact us to volunteer.