A bike accident over the last week could prove a turning point in Atlanta’s adoption of e-transport infrastructure.
Atlanta City Councilmember Jason Dozier and his daughter were riding their bikes home from an Atlanta United match and were hit by a car. They will recover, but cars just got a foe with power, and e-transport just won commitment from an important ally.
Dozier represents District 4, running west and south of downtown, and includes Castleberry Hill, parts of the West End, and the area just south of Georgia Tech. Before this, he may be best known for proposing an end to right turns on red downtown. They’re a major hazard to cyclists because drivers don’t look, and barely slow down.
It’s an interesting slice of territory, and I’ve ridden in it often. It’s at the cutting edge of gentrification, which means there are still a lot of poor folks there, including homeless encampments. I love to ride there on a Sunday morning, but late at night the vermin come out, driving big, loud cars you can hear coming from half a mile away.
Dozier, who is 49, lives in the center of this struggle, a neighborhood called Mechanicsville just south of downtown. He works at a non-profit supporting veterans, but he also earned a degree in real estate. He knocked out long-time incumbent Cleta Winslow in a 2021 runoff and is running for re-election.
He’s about the last guy opponents of bike infrastructure would want to see getting hit by a car on his bike. Change should come from this, but it will be interesting to see if he draws opposition, and what form that opposition takes.
Get well soon, Councilman.
