Bicycling is booming in Atlanta. From the Beltline’s Eastside Trail to downtown streets, more people than ever are choosing their bikes to commute to work, get exercise or go to the store. And the city is starting to build safer, more comfortable streets with more bicycle lanes and trails.
But as in many cities across the country, bicycle lanes are too often provided only to affluent and influential communities. Predominantly minority neighborhoods don’t benefit as often from these investments that encourage individual health and an economic boost. Atlanta’s southwest neighborhoods are no exception, but they have a key opportunity in Lee Street.
Cities across America are capitalizing on the benefits of bicycling. In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel sees bicycling as crucial to the city’s competitiveness and is building 100 miles of protected bicycle lanes. Also in Chicago, a coalition of African-American bicyclists has asked that the predominantly black neighborhoods of the city’s south and west sides be included in those investments. The coalition recognizes that “vibrant, bikeable black communities in Chicago” would be “healthier, safer, more economically thriving, and more socially cohesive as a result of greater bikeability.”
In Atlanta, our southwest neighborhoods are also predominantly African-American. These neighborhoods are transforming due to major investments in the Beltline’s Westside Trail and Fort McPherson, and new development around our MARTA stations. Residents are stepping up to make bicycling a key part of this transformation. In the West End, WeCycle Atlanta recently opened a bicycle co-op to promote bike access and an earn-a-bike program for youth, sell refurbished bicycles and provide community space. And the group Red, Bike and Green Atlanta has nearly 100 members passionate about cycling in Atlanta.
In 2014, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition held an Atlanta “Streets Alive” event in the West End that drew 16,000 people to walk, bicycle and have fun in the area’s historic streets.
“(Street Alive) made visible that black folks have always ridden bikes for commuting (and) recreation, and that bikes are not just for kids and third-shift workers who ride out of necessity,” says Zahra Alabanza, a co-founder of Red, Bike and Green. She describes biking as a gateway “to a healthier lifestyle.”
But despite a growing interest in bicycling, the southwest has to deal with Lee Street. The five-lane state highway runs south from the Atlanta University Center, past the West End MARTA Station and Beltline, to East Point. Lee is the backbone for a half-dozen neighborhoods, connecting homes to jobs, MARTA, parks and shopping. But it’s also as a barrier to people walking and cycling. Lee is scary for people on foot; cars routinely speed past the 35 mph limit, and crosswalks are few and far between.
Such a big road isn’t really necessary. According to Georgia DOT’s website, Lee has barely 17,000 cars per day — half of what five lanes could carry. Excess lanes and few cars encourage faster driving, which increases the risk for everyone. The Federal Highway Administration recommends that roads with less than 20,000 cars per day be considered for a “road diet” where car lanes are replaced by bicycle lanes, sidewalks or trails to provide more transportation choices and safer streets for everyone. Research shows safety increases not just for pedestrians and bicyclists, but for motorists, too.
There is an opportunity here. Lee is being considered for repaving by the DOT. That would be a prime chance to right-size the road. Atlanta residents are voting on an infrastructure bond package March 17 that could provide the money to transform an intimidating speedway into a safer, more efficient and better connection for everyone using Lee. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition has recommended similar changes for Peachtree Street and DeKalb Avenue.
The city and state should work with West End residents to make Lee a “complete street” by reducing traffic lanes and adding protected bike lanes or trails and safer crossings. With changes coming to our neighborhoods, these simple improvements will become even more important as more people than ever choose to walk, bike and access MARTA.
Fixing Lee Street would benefit everybody.
Brent Brewer, an Atlanta resident, is publisher of the Our West End Newsletter.
