Bike Lane Program Creates Controversy in Atlanta Suburb

Andy Peters and J.D. Capelouto report on the controversy surrounding bike lanes in Decatur, Georgia, where car commuters are expressing frustration with the city's three-year effort to aggressively pursue new bike lanes.

"Decatur’s bike lanes emerged from its last strategic plan, promoted heavily by former city councilman Fred Boykin (whose shop, Bicycle South, closed in July 2019)," reports Peters and Capelouto. "The city officially adopted the PATH Foundation’s connectivity plan in 2016, designed to connect its city streets to PATH’s existing network of 600 miles of multiuse paths and protected bike lanes."

According to the article, the efforts set Decatur apart from other cities in the Atlanta region. Car commuters, however, don't like the results.

"The issue could come to a head in the coming weeks as Decatur holds citizen roundtables to formulate its 2030 strategic plan — and weigh whether to expand the bike-friendly drive or hit the brakes," according to the article, and other cities, like Atlanta, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs, will soon b undertaking similar processes.