Two weeks after Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced plans for safer streets in Atlanta, she announced 10th Street will have the city’s first-ever pop-up bike lane near Piedmont Park.
Beginning Oct. 19, the city will install a temporary one-way bike lane westbound on 10th Street from Myrtle Street to Juniper Street in Midtown, the city announced. The two ends will connect to existing bike lanes on either end. The installation will end on Oct. 26.
Midtown Alliance is working with the city to install the bike lane, which will be separated from traffic by a protective barrier.
“This is going to be a really powerful way to see how the 10th street cycle track can be used differently when we extend some of the infrastructure,” Midtown Alliance transportation program manage Julie Wells told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Wells said the bike lane is temporary so that the group and the city can look at different ways the corridor can be used.
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Wells said the bike lane will take up an entire westbound lane on the four-lane stretch of road. One westbound lane and two eastbound lanes will remain open to car traffic, she said.
The protected lane will also provide a “direct, safe route” for bicyclists and e-scooter riders to get from the BeltLine to Peachtree Street. The temporary lane will connect to existing bike lanes on either end.
The bike lane is a part of the mayor’s $5 million plan to triple the city’s network of protected lanes for bicycles and scooters by the end of 2021. Overall, the city wants safety improvements on 20 city corridors for people who walk, drive, take transit and ride a bike or scooter.
“Today, we are taking action with an innovative rapid deployment to bring changes faster while allowing us to use data to measure the project’s impact and success,” she said in a statement.
Midtown Alliance and the city will work to collect ridership, safety and car traffic data. Wells said residents are also urged to come to the Oct. 19 construction and help build the lanes.
Ahead of the installation, the city will hold an open house to gather community input on the 5th floor of 999 Peachtree St. from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday.
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