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Advocacy with Monroe Drive Safe Streets Project Groundbreaking
Today, District 6 Councilmember and City Council Transportation Committee Chair Alex Wan and advocates for safe transportation broke ground on the Monroe Drive Safe Streets project, which will make some of Atlanta’s most congested and hazardous streets safer for bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists. Councilmember Wan has championed the project since 2015.
Project upgrades include street resurfacing and pedestrian safety improvements between Piedmont Circle and 10th Street, as well as traffic signal upgrades and coordinated timing at intersections throughout the corridor.
More information about the Monroe Drive Safe Street program is available here.
“We are here today just under the 10-year anniversary of our first community meeting in August 2016. Much has changed since then but what hasn’t changed is that the Monroe Project has been a priority of mine, as well as the community’s unwavering commitment to this project,” said District 6 Councilmember and City Council Transportation Committee Chair Alex Wan. “I know that there are skeptics out there. I want to remind them of the grandson and brother that came to City Hall last year after his grandmother was struck by a car at Amsterdam. I want to remind them about Alexia Hyneman, the then Grady High School student who was struck by a vehicle while on her bike and lost her life. Those are the reasons why we do this.”
“Monroe Drive is an important neighborhood street for us. It’s woven into the way Virginia Highland neighbors live. Our students negotiate Monroe to and from Midtown High School every day. Our neighbors rely on Monroe to walk to Piedmont Park, catch the bus, bike to local businesses, and drive across the city,” said Amy Harward, Virginia Highland Civic Association Board Member and Safe Streets Committee Chair. “The improvements in this project will shape the rhythm of our neighborhood for a generation. To every neighbor who told their Monroe story, gave their time, their voice, their persistence to this effort, thank you. Our neighborhoods are better because we show up.”
“We truly are sorry if these changes make some commutes longer or create additional congestion. That’s a real concern, and we don’t dismiss it. But Atlanta is a Vision Zero city because we believe safety has to come first,” said Thomas Hyneman, co-founder of Atlanta Families for Safe Streets. “Every transportation decision involves tradeoffs, and choosing convenience over safety means accepting that some crashes, serious injuries, and deaths are simply the cost of moving traffic faster. As a member of Atlanta Families for Safe Streets, I can’t accept that. One death is too many. We can improve traffic over time, but we can never bring back someone who didn’t make it home.”
About Atlanta City Council
The Atlanta City Council is the chief policy-making body for the City of Atlanta. It acts by considering and enacting all laws that govern the city. The Council also approves the operating and capital budgets for the City as recommended by the mayor, and it continually monitors revenues and expenditures for local government operations. The Atlanta City Council reviews and decides on many land use and zoning matters. Major economic development projects for the City also fall under the Council’s jurisdiction.
To learn more about the Atlanta City Council, please visit http://citycouncil.atlantaga.gov/. For the latest updates, follow the Atlanta City Council on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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