Atlanta’s Relay Bike Share Program
2017 was the first full year of the Relay Bike Share program, which launched in June of 2016. Beginning with 100 bikes at ten stations in the downtown area, the project has expanded to 75 stations with a total of 500 bikes. The stations are scattered across 15 neighborhoods. More than 25,000 people have participated in Relay Bike Share. The city plans to double the number of stations to encourage more bike ridership.
The Spectrum of On-Street Marked Bikeways in Atlanta
The City of Atlanta has a wide variety of bike lanes. The report illustrates the types of bikeways currently available in our city, which include, from the least protected to the most protected:
- Shared Lane Markings, where bikers ride in traffic lanes with motor vehicles.
- Bike Lanes, where bike riders have their own marked lane, usually five to seven feet wide, alongside traffic lanes.
- Buffered Bike Lanes, which provide a cushion of space, typically two to six feet wide and designated by painted lines on the pavement, between their separate bike lane and the traffic lanes.
- Cycle Tracks, where vehicles park a few feet to the left of the bike lane rather than to the right, to avoid “dooring,” which is when the door of a parked car opens and strikes a passing bicyclist.
- Cycle Tracks with Flexible Bollards, which add bendable upright posts to standard cycle tracks. The bollards provide a highly-visible notification to motorists that there is a bike lane.
- Raised Cycle Tracks, Curb Separated. These lanes place the bike riders at a different height from both the traffic lanes and the pedestrian sidewalks, to delineate the space for each.
- Raised and Protected Cycle Tracks add another layer of protection to raised and curb-separated cycle tracks with a permanent, sturdy physical barrier, like a durable bollard or a raised median, between the traffic lanes and the bike lane.
The city planners intend to use the full range of bike lane variations to accommodate local street conditions.
Where Atlanta’s Bike Projects Will Go from Here
Cycle Atlanta 1.0: As of the end of 2017, Atlanta city planners have designed 32 miles of the first phase of bike infrastructure projects. The City has completed 10 miles and obtained funding for another 20 miles of the overall plan.
Cycle Atlanta 2.0: The City has planned another 42 miles for the second phase. It has completed 1.8 miles and funded another 13.5 miles of these plans.
To stay up to date on Atlanta’s infrastructure improvements, check out our news blog.
