Cycling in Atlanta
Cycling in Atlanta has grown in popularity in recent years, from 0.33% of commutes in 2000 to 1.1% in 2009,[1][2] aided by improving cycling infrastructure and community support.[original research?] Although Atlanta has historically been a city defined by the automobile, its increasingly compact urban form and mild climate are encouraging residents to cycle to work, shopping, and recreational destinations.[original research?] Though Atlanta's famed hilly topography can make cycling challenging, though fun, many parts of the city are relatively flat, including some of the more densely populated areas. However, heavy automobile traffic, the lack of bike lanes on many streets, and difficulty in crossing major streets deter most residents from cycling frequently in Atlanta.[3]
History
Prior to 2000, Atlanta's car-choked roads were rarely shared with cyclists. In fact, cycling was associated with those who couldn't afford automobile transportation. However, during the 2000s, due to Atlanta's increasing density, burgeoning intown population, and green ambitions, cycling boomed in popularity. Bike advocacy groups, including
Culture
Atlanta has an active and growing cycling culture organized around many different bike-related social events and clubs. Many of the well-known "cycling cliques" are represented in the city, including urban cyclists, road racing bicycle riders, messengers, and fixed-gear riders ("fixie hipsters").
Bicycle clubs
Recreational bicycling clubs in Atlanta include Metro Atlanta Cycling Club, Ladies on Spokes, Southern Bicycling League, Bike Emory, Dunwoody Cycling, Sorella Cycling, and Atlanta Cycling, Team Spindle (www.thespindleatl.com) The DopePedalers DopePedalers (@dopepedalers) • Instagram photos and videos.
Atlanta Streets Alive
Critical Mass
The first Critical Mass bicycle ride took place on in 1992 in San Francisco, and has since spread to hundreds of cities worldwide. Atlanta's version of the event, which draws around 300 participants, takes place on the last Friday of each month at 6:30 pm at Woodruff Park. The cyclists then ride through the city en masse, re-claiming the normally auto-dominated streets for bicycle use.[6]
Infrastructure
Atlanta's cycling infrastructure, while improving, has a long way to go.[3] However, in 2010, Atlanta built nearly 15 more miles of bike lanes, both dedicated and shared.[6] There are a number of paved and unpaved trails within and near the city, that are open to cyclists as well as pedestrians.[7]
A "Chief Bicycle Officer" position (CBO) at the City of Atlanta was funded by a five-year $250,000 challenge grant to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition by the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation (an affiliated fund of The Arthur M. Blank family Foundation), beginning in 2015.[8] In October 2015, Becky Katz was hired as Atlanta's first Chief Bicycle Officer.[9] Goals for the CBO position included gathering public input to update the Connect Atlanta plan, and advancing various bicycle infrastructure projects city-wide, as part of a larger push for Atlanta to seek the League of American Bicyclists’ top designation as a “Bicycle Friendly Community”.[10] In April 2018, following Katz's departure from the position, the job was reposted.[11] The City of Atlanta hired Cary Bearn as Chief Bicycle Officer in September 2018.[12]
PATH
Founded 1991,
BeltLine
The
Connect Atlanta
Connect Atlanta, the city's comprehensive transportation plan, calls for the construction of more than 200 miles of bike lanes.[6]
Statistics
- Miles of bike lanes in the city of Atlanta: 45.2
- Miles of bike lanes proposed under the city's official transportation plan: 226
- Percentage of Georgia bicycle-crash victims under the age of 30 who reported wearing a helmet in accidents from 2000 to 2006: 7
Source:[13]
- Percentage of workers commuting by bicycle: 1.1% in 2009, up from 0.33% in 2000.[14]
Year | Bike Lanes (mi) | Sources |
---|---|---|
2010 | 53.0 | [15] |
2011 | 57.1 | [15] |
2012 | 62.8 | [15] |
2013 | 66.0 | [15] |
2014 | 71.7 | [15] |
2015 | 83.8 | [15] |
2016 | 104.4 | [15] |
2017 | 115.7 | [15][16] |
Advocacy
The
See also
- Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
- Critical Mass
- Atlanta Streets Alive
- Bicycle Ride Across Georgia
References
- ^ Byrnes, Mark. "Is Bicycle Commuting Really Catching On? And if So, Where?". CityLab.
- ^ "Carfree Census Database is Gone | Bikes At Work". www.bikesatwork.com.
- ^ a b c June 30, Editorial Board Wednesday; EDT, 2010 04:00 am. "Opinion - Atlanta's cycling community needs some help". Atlanta Creative Loafing.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Atlanta Streets Alive makes roads into activity space May 23 | accessAtlanta". Archived from the original on 2011-09-11. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
- ^ "Atlanta Streets Alive returns June 25". June 24, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e July 1, Thomas Wheatley Thursday; EDT, 2010 04:00 am. "Cover Story: How to ride a bike in Atlanta". Atlanta Creative Loafing.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Clark, Beth (2016-01-26). "Top Tips For Biking Your Way Around Atlanta - Atlanta Insiders Blog". Atlanta Insiders Blog. Archived from the original on 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ "Mayor Kasim Reed Announces Becky Katz as Chief Bicycle Officer". City of Atlanta, GA. 2015-10-05. Archived from the original on 2020-02-02. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ Krause, Rachel (2015-10-05). "City of Atlanta Hires New Chief Bicycle Officer - Atlanta Bicycle Coalition". Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. Archived from the original on 2017-08-21. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ Blau, Max (2016-02-12). "Becky Katz wants to make Atlanta more bicycle-friendly. She's in for an uphill climb. - Atlanta Magazine". Atlanta Magazine. Archived from the original on 2020-02-02. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ Whisenhunt, Dan (2018-04-12). "Atlanta posts job ad for Chief Bicycle Officer - The Atlanta Loop". Atlanta Loop. Archived from the original on 2020-02-02. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ "City of Atlanta Department of City Planning Hires Chief Bicycle Officer". City of Atlanta, GA. 2018-09-12. Archived from the original on 2020-02-02. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ July 1, CL staff Thursday; EDT, 2010 04:00 am. "Cover Story: Atlanta cycling statistics". Atlanta Creative Loafing.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ name=atlantic
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Atlanta Releases First Cycling Report". nextcity.org.
- ^ Reporter, Jasmina Alston. "Atlanta Bike Report: Ten new miles of bikeways constructed in 2017". CBS46 News Atlanta.
- ^ "Atlanta Bicycle Coalition". Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.