After a summer packed with residents’ cries for safer streets, Atlanta has accepted a $10,000 grant to improve the Jackson Street Bridge to make it safer for bicyclists, pedestrians, and electric scooter riders.
The Atlanta City Council accepted the grant from PeopleForBikes at Monday’s meeting. Based in Colorado, the national organization works to make cycling safer across the country.
The city planning department approved the Jackson Street Bridge Placemaking Project in June 2018 as a way to transform vibrant public spaces. The bridge is a popular attraction for Atlantans and tourists, widely known as the best location to photograph the city's skyline.
Improvements to the bridge would include a park-type space for pedestrians to take pictures from the bridge and the construction of a path over the bridge that connects to the PATH Freedom Parkway Trail, according to city planning documents.
There will be speed reductions on the bridge’s driving lanes.
As part of the grant, the city must submit financial reports to PeopleForBikes detailing the use of the funds. The reports will be submitted every six months until the project is complete. A final report also must be submitted after the project’s completion.
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In July, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued a nighttime ban on scooters following two scooter-related deaths. Riders can no longer use the devices after 9 p.m. Metro Atlanta has had four scooter-related deaths this year.
At a transportation town hall last month, residents suggested lowering the speed limit to accommodate those who use bikes and scooters.
The meeting prompted City Council to approve a study valuating the city’s speed limits in an effort to make them and the city’s streets safer for residents. The city’s planning department has 60 days to conduct the study and present its findings to the transportation committee.
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