ON THE AGENDA

Meetings

The Atlanta City Council meets May 1 and May 15 at 1 p.m. at City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave. For agendas and more information, visit citycouncil.atlantaga.gov.

NPU-E, which serves Midtown, Ansley Park, Home Park and Loring Heights, meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Peachtree Christian Church, 1580 Peachtree St.

The Decatur City Commission meets in open session on the first and third Mondays of each month at City Hall, 509 North McDonough Street, at 7:30 p.m.

News

The City of Atlanta has reached a financial milestone: a record-high $175 million in reserve funding.

The Atlanta City Council has referred legislation introduced by Councilman Kwanza Hall to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana back to the public safety committee.

The Decatur City Commission approved the $40 million purchase of the 77-acre United Methodist Children’s Home at their April 17 meeting.

The City of Atlanta is partnering with the Westside Future Fund to launch the Anti-Displacement Tax Fund Program, an initiative which will pay any property tax increases for qualifying homeowners in the English Avenue, Vine City, Ashview Heights and Atlanta University Center communities.

HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport has retaine its title as the world’s busiest airport with more than 104 million passengers last year.

By Clare S. Richie

More shared bikes on the road is a good thing, especially given the gaping hole in Interstate 85 and Atlanta’s growing enthusiasm for bike riding. The City of Atlanta’s Relay Bike Share program, operated by private partner CycleHop, just expanded from 100 bikes at 22 stations to 500 bikes at 65 locations across the Eastside, Westside, Downtown and Midtown neighborhoods. With 100 bikes, the program boasted more than 2,300 users who logged more than 16,000 miles.

You’ll find new hubs near attractions and Airbnbs geared to tourists in Downtown/Midtown neighborhoods and in Little Five Points, Virginia-Highland and West End neighborhoods to attract residents.

“Try it out – see what it feels like –connect with your community,” Becky Katz, City of Atlanta’s Chief Bicycle Officer (CBO) urged. Katz, our city’s first CBO, oversees the Relay Bike Share program and participates in the planning, design and installation of bike infrastructure.

Sharing a bike is easy. Simply download the Social Bicycles app, choose the Atlanta Relay Bike Share network and establish your account. There are a variety of plans and rental options to appeal to both the one-time and repeat user. An interactive map shows you where bike hubs are and how many bikes (and racks for returning bikes) are available. You can also use the app to track your routes and mileage.

Determining these new locations was a process that involved public input, professional best practices and site visits that were guided by a framework committed to connectivity to transit, health and safety, equity and transparency.

“I’m happy that we’re going to be operating on the West End because we’ve been doing a lot community outreach on that side of town,” Relay Bike Share Marketing and Community Outreach Manager Timberley Jones said.

Jones is referring to the 10 Bike Champions that City of Atlanta hired in partnership with Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, Red Bike & Green, WeCycle and Urban Perform. These West End residents promote the program and biking in general by attending community meetings and hosting group rides.

“They show that people do bike from all different ages and backgrounds – college students to baby boomers and single parents. We need to keep spreading the word because it’s technology and renting bikes –two different mindsets to work on,” Jones explained.

This expansion also seeks to meet existing demand by adding a station at Krog Street Market, “the most popular place that people locked outside of hub,” Katz said.

With future local funding on the horizon through the Renew Atlanta bond and

TSPLOST, you can expect to see even more bike infrastructure and more Relay Bike Share stations going forward. In fact, TSPLOST will designate $3 million that Katz says will add another 500 shared bikes within the next two years. As East Paces Ferry adds a new multi-use trail, Katz is at the table to integrate new bike share stations into the design.

And updated bike routes and bike infrastructure may be coming to your neighborhood as the city updates Connect Atlanta, its 2008 comprehensive transportation plan. You can learn more at atlantastransportationplan.com.

“We do have this budding bike infrastructure and it really does work,” Katz shared. The 10th Street protected bike lane has 700 to 900 riders daily and some weekend days there are 2,000 riders. No surprise that 10th Street & Myrtle is the most used Relay Bike Share hub. Visit relaybikeshare.com for more information.