Skip to Content
Streetsblog Chicago home
Log In
Bicycling

A New Bike Network Takes Shape, and Atlantans Turn Out in Droves

12:40 PM CDT on October 16, 2014

pfb logo 100x22

Michael Andersen blogs for The Green Lane Project, a PeopleForBikes program that helps U.S. cities build better bike lanes to create low-stress streets.

The capital of the New South is working on its latest "highway" network. This one is going to be a lot quieter.

The massive Beltline trail and an impressive grid of protected lanes that will connect the trail system to key urban destinations are poised to remake transportation in the city that anchors the country's ninth-largest metro area. Striving for Mayor Kasim Reed's goal of making Atlanta one of the country's top ten cities for biking, Atlantans have shown their enthusiasm with their feet: An estimated 95,000 to 106,000 people attended the open-streets event Atlanta Streets Alive on September 28 -- shattering the previous record by at least 12,000 people.

For comparison's sake, Portland's Sunday Parkways festivals also set an attendance record in 2014 -- by drawing 109,000 attendees to all five events combined.

As the video above shows, Atlanta's embrace of open streets is part of a bigger shift in a city that's shaking off its old "Sprawlville, USA" image with a combination of new housing and bike and transit infrastructure.

"It's really shifting the way people think about living in the City of Atlanta," says Rebecca Serna, executive director of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. "The focus is on the core of the city."

You can follow The Green Lane Project on Twitter or Facebook or sign up for its weekly news digest about protected bike lanes.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Chicago

Bicycle-friendly politicians showed up in force for Bike Lane Uprising’s packed 6th anniversary fundraiser

Lawmakers Kelly Cassidy, Andre Vasquez, and Kam Buckner, plus BLU founder Christina Whitehouse, thanked the advocates present for their efforts to make cycling safer.

September 29, 2023

CTA blues: Musician and ex-bus driver Toronzo Cannon, shares his views on the agency’s labor challenges

Like many CTA workers, difficulties in the early days of COVID influenced Cannon's decision to retire. He says the transit unions need to do more to support their members.

September 28, 2023

Earth Rider Cycling closing in October after five years on Milwaukee Avenue

The closure of yet another local Chicago bike shop reflects a shifting and challenging market for small business owners.

September 28, 2023
See all posts