Atlanta Beltline bike and scooter lane proposal alarms rail advocates
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The Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail. Photo: Thomas Wheatley/Axios
Atlanta Beltline transit advocates are breathing a sigh of relief after a City Council proposal to build separate bike and scooter lanes — which could threaten future rail plans — was pulled.
Why it matters: Rail transit has been central to the Beltline vision for decades. But recent opposition from residents and developers concerned over costs, construction and compatibility has slowed momentum.
Zoom in: Council member Mary Norwood's resolution — which she planned to hold at Wednesday's transportation committee meeting, according to the AJC— asked Atlanta's transportation and parks departments to create dedicated lanes for bicyclists, scooters and e-bikes along the Beltline.
- The legislation argued that growing congestion on the trail has created safety concerns and conflicts between pedestrians and faster-moving users.
- Dedicated lanes would "enhance user safety, reduce collisions, and support multimodal transportation options," it said.
State of play: The transportation committee had been scheduled to hear the proposal Wednesday. Norwood did not return Axios' interview request.
The other side: Beltline transit advocates argue that creating so-called "wheels and heels" lanes would formalize a competing use for the corridor, making it politically and physically harder to build rail later.
- That preserved right of way running next to the trail would prevent Beltline rail from mixing with — and getting stuck in — automobile traffic, they say.
What they're saying: Matthew Rao of Beltline Rail Now told Axios he was glad Norwood planned to pause the proposal.
- However, he expressed concern that a sitting council member would propose a measure that delays, and potentially derails, Beltline transit.
"What she's doing is proposing a big, grand solution that forestalls transit to solve a temporary or a situational problem," he said.
Reality check: The nonbinding resolution had only one co-sponsor and is a request, not a command. City departments report to Mayor Andre Dickens, not the Atlanta City Council.
- In a statement to the AJC, a Dickens spokesperson said his office "is opposed to any legislation that would eliminate our ability to put rail on the Beltline."
The bottom line: The proposal was a temperature check on how Council members and the public feel about the controversial decision to slow Beltline rail.