I don’t like talking about politics. But there’s something happening here in Atlanta that touches on politics and deserves a mention on this 249th 4th of July.
E-transport is happening. Bigly. Maybe it will die down when the weather turns cold, but for now e-bikes are everywhere. Not just e-bikes. I’ve seen e-trikes and even a fast mobility scooter while going about my business.
I know this is limited to just a few neighborhoods on the east side right now. From the State Capitol out to Avondale Estates, the terrain is nearly flat, and you don’t have to use five lane highways to get around. The streets are laid out in a grid pattern, and they’re narrow. Cars or giant pick-ups toting trailers filled with tools can’t go faster than 20 mph (30 km) in any case. Drivers have grown accustomed to seeing bikes on the road. Most are cool with it.
There is also a lot more bicycle parking. There are over a dozen spots in the center of Kirkwood, one set by a bakery, another by a bar, all very secure. The Lidl on Memorial Drive has three sets of bike racks, solid metal tubes you can throw a chain around. Some bicyclists haven’t figured out their use, taking up three or more spaces, but as they fill up, they’ll learn.
There need to be some changes made. The Beltline and other bike paths need a speed limit, 20 mph or 30 kph, so that the “Fat Tire” bikes and e-mopeds don’t start running over children. We need more bike lanes, which means street parking needs to disappear over time. These changes are only possible when there’s a constituency demanding the changes. That constituency is being created as I write this.
What This Means
A bikeable city has less air pollution than one that depends on cars. People with money can live near the center of it. There are a lot more stores and places to eat.
I saw this in Rotterdam, which began its bicycle journey 40 years ago. Neighborhoods near the central train station that were once notorious slums are now upwardly mobile. Public safety is improved. The tax base is higher, services for the poor more affordable.
In Atlanta, this will soon produce a political earthquake. Despite politicians railing about the need for affordable housing, the balance of power within the city is shifting toward the upper middle class. It’s not just rich and poor anymore.
This is essential for the city’s survival. We’ve been the “hole in the doughnut” for generations, a dumping ground for the unhoused, thus easy for suburban politicians to demonize. Now poorer people are moving to the suburbs, and politicians there will have to deal with it. Dealing with it will change a lot of political equations. Civil peace becomes possible.
Nothing is certain in this world, but the e-transport revolution is happening, it’s happening fast, it’s happening all around me, and I’m delighted by it.
