WHEN AND WHERE
On Sunday, September 29, 2019, from 2:30 pm - 6:30 pm, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition activates Atlanta Streets Alive - Southwest, connecting 7 neighborhoods spanning from Cascade Avenue along Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard to Georgia Avenue. We'll close the streets to cars and open them for people to walk, roll, bike, and play!
KICKOFF PARADE & OPENING PROGRAM
The fun kicks off on the Cascade Avenue side of the route at Donnelly Avenue where you can join in the official opening of the street followed by a parade of the route. Parade lineup and opening remarks are at 2:00 pm followed by a 2:30 pm parade launch. All are welcome to walk, roll, and stroll in the parade! FREE parade decorations are available while supplies last.
WHAT AND WHY
History, culture, spirit, and pride are dominant themes in Atlanta’s Southwest neighborhoods and communities. Another aspect of life for residents in Southwest Atlanta is greater exposure to severe or fatal injuries from traffic collisions. Despite higher rates of walking and transit usage, neighborhoods in the Southwest have some of the lowest sidewalk coverage in our city.
Safe and complete streets improve connectivity to transit, jobs, schools, social and recreational destinations, healthcare, and other services. The way to achieve safe, complete, and inclusive streets is through community engagement -- that's why we involved community members of Southwest Atlanta in helping us select this route. We extend our thanks to members of the Atlanta City Council, church ministers, MARTA, neighborhood associations and NPU leadership, and the Atlanta Streets Alive: Southwest Steering Committee for their commitment and contributions to solidifying the revised route.
Whether we are advocating for safe crossings, bike lanes, sidewalks, or Complete Streets, all the streets in our city should be safe for all people. We're encouraged by the level of community involvement we've had in planning this route. It is further evidence that our city streets are vital public space.
Join us as we further mobilize the community in support of #RespectCascade to advance safe streets for all.
THE OPEN STREETS EXPERIENCE
After participating in our opening program and kickoff parade Sunday afternoon, visit Activity Partners and Route Hosts along the route for a wealth of interactive experiences and family-friendly fun hosted by community organizations, local businesses, and our sponsors. You can explore the open street from end to end, or enter and exit the route at any cross street and any time during the four-hour activation.
Atlanta Streets Alive is FREE and fun for all ages. Bring your friends and family, and share in the experience of enjoying our city streets as public space!
We've got two limited edition t-shirts for Atlanta Streets Alive: Southwest. Purchase your Atlanta Streets Alive x Yoyo Ferro 2019 special edition t-shirts and #RespectCascade street campaign t-shirts while supplies last.
Visit an Atlanta Bicycle Coalition tent on September 29 where a $25 donation gets you this exclusive tee + a one-year Atlanta Bicycle Coalition membership. You can find us at the Mobility Mall at Cascade Avenue Hub between Donnelly Avenue and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard and the Murphy Avenue Hub between Lee Street and Bronner Brothers Way. #RespectCascade t-shirts are exclusively available at the Mobility Mall at Cascade Avenue Hub.
the route
We learned from MARTA that logistical challenges -- primarily, lack of a street grid with alternative streets and lack of a rail station -- prevent a viable re-routing of the 71 Cascade Road route. Route 71 has approximately 430 riders on an average Sunday during the times of our proposed road closures. Normally, MARTA is able to re-route bus service during Atlanta Streets Alive to nearby streets, minimizing the impact on bus riders. Also, for most of our other routes, the ridership numbers are dramatically lower, affecting fewer people.
This level of disruption to bus service would be out of step with the Transportation Options pillar of Atlanta Streets Alive and would not be in keeping with our mission and values as an organization advocating for ease of mobility. We want to make the mobility experience better for today's bus riders, not worse. We revised the route from its original configuration-beginning at Cascade Springs Nature Preserve-to avoid disrupting MARTA bus service or making the commutes of bus riders challenging. See below for street closures, detours, and bus re-route information.
the details
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It’s FREE and for EVERYONE. No matter the age, ability or neighborhood you rep, even if you have no clue what exactly an Open Street is, get out and onto the street. We promise you'll like it!
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Hop on the route wherever is most convenient for you. Remember there’s no BEGINNING or END and the flow of people is like a two-way street -- it goes both ways!
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The streets are open for you to EXPLORE your CITY without the intensity of car traffic -- stroll or roll to eat, shop, play, socialize or simply enjoy the outdoors. The possibilities are endless.
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OPT out of TRAFFIC! Getting to Atlanta Streets Alive is easy by MARTA, by bike or any human-powered mode of transportation. Consider challenging yourself to leave your car at home all day and, if you have to drive, then carpooling with friends/family is always best.
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In addition to safe streets, Atlanta Streets Alive is intended to promote sustainable transportation, including transit. We recognize that Route 71 is a vital bus line for this corridor and work with MARTA to create bus route accessibility.
All cross streets open to car traffic.
All dead-end streets into the route will be closed to traffic one block back (local traffic and neighbors will be able to access this area)
|
Streets Closed To Cars |
From |
To |
Approx. Time Closed* |
Approx. Time Opened* |
|
Cascade Ave |
Donnelly Ave |
Ralph David Abernathy Blvd |
1:00 PM |
8:00 PM |
|
Ralph David Abernathy Blvd |
W Ontario Ave |
Pollard Blvd |
1:00 PM |
8:00 PM |
|
Georgia Ave |
Pollard Blvd |
Hank Aaron Dr. |
1:00 PM |
8:00 PM |
|
*Residents, churches, and businesses directly on the route have local access until 1:30 PM and 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM. |
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#OptOutOfTraffic
By MARTA or STREETCAR
The West End MARTA station is the closest to the starting location of the kickoff parade. It is a 10-minute bike ride from the West Lake MARTA station via the Lionel Hampton Trail. West Lake and Ashby MARTA Stations are also close to the route.
By Bike
Use Google Maps bike routing tools to find the best route to get there by bike. The route is near both the Lionel Hampton Trail and the Atlanta BeltLine.
By Foot & Other Human-Powered Wheels
The Southwest route is accessible by foot and other human-powered modes of mobility, like bikes, scooters, wheel chairs, and skateboards among others. Participants can enter the route through multiple different neighborhoods at any point along the route. Motorized and human-powered modes of transportation must adhere to a speed limit of 8 miles per.
Safe Streets for ALL
Biking down Cascade Avenue and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard can be eye-opening for a lot of people. Over and over, participants of Atlanta Streets Alive share how the experience sparks their realization of what a useful route this would be if it were safe and accessible for walking and biking.
Our southwest program aims to call attention to the existing safety hazards on Cascade Avenue due to its proximity to two of the most dangerous streets in Atlanta’s High-Injury Network—Cascade Road and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard.
City streets with the highest concentration of severe injuries and deaths caused by traffic collisions—with an emphasis on crashes involving people walking and bicycling—make up the High-Injury Network. Six of the top 10 street of the High-Injury Network are in Southwest Atlanta. Earlier this year, a 52-year-old long-time resident of the Cascade area, David Gordon, was struck and killed by a driver while crossing Cascade Avenue in a pedestrian crosswalk. In May, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition rallied alongside southwest residents for low-cost safety measures to address conditions on the roadway after funding for the planned complete street project was cut by Renew Atlanta.
The opportunity to host Atlanta Streets Alive: Southwest on this route provides a greater opportunity to inform people living in the surrounding neighborhoods, and elevate the message among the broader Atlanta community about the need for safe streets for all. Come out to celebrate Southwest Atlanta and visit AtlantaBike.org to learn how transforming Atlanta's High Injury Network streets into livable, accessible, and equitable public spaces strengthens and connects our communities with opportunities to thrive.
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