City Counsel Approved 2.5 Million Bike Infrastructure Package (Atlanta: neighborhood, school)

[arjay57]

I guess this is the proper thread for this.

Before the city gets too gung ho about bike lanes we may want to think about their impact on gentrification. In a city nothing happens in a vacuum and even well intended ideas can result in negative consequences for fellow taxpayers.

Do Bikes Lanes Spawn Gentrification?

Dowell counts herself as a bike advocate and sponsors a number of community rides in her Ward, but notes that many of her constituents raise concerns about spending money on bike lanes when their neighborhoods are plagued by poverty and crime.

Some residents even associate highly visible street changes, like bike lanes, with the displacement of long-time black residents in favor of younger, often white newcomers. “You hear that bike lanes are white lanes,” says Cynthia Bell, an African-American organizer with Chicago’s Active Transportation Alliance. “But there are a lot more youth on bikes in my neighborhood these days, so you hear it less.”

More...Bike lanes in black and white | PeopleForBikes

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by ARaider08

I honestly feel like the hills are the BIGGEST barrier restricting more people from riding their bikes in Atlanta. I'm sure there are enough bicycle hobbyists, environmentalists or people sick of driving to merit the invest but dammit... If I have to peddle up Ponce ever...
It'd be awesome if there was a sort of hybrid electrical/peddle bike rental kiosk to serve Atlanta so as to quell the impact of hills and the extraneous labor some of them require. Electric bikes are relatively expensive though. Well, at least for a person who's still working his way out his childhood home.

There was a wave of scooter riding but not so much now. At least that's my perception. I'm not so keen on hybrids because it basically turns into a heavy bike when peddling.

As for bike lanes, I hope it's dedicated lanes. Just painting a strip is cheap but typically that's the worst part of the road surface.

Atlanta drivers tend to ignore many policies/road signs that seek to improve transit safety. Fingers crossed though.

Cyclists are worse but really, biking is a very different road experience. A bicycle is not a different kind of car.

[CCATL]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I guess this is the proper thread for this.

Before the city gets too gung ho about bike lanes we may want to think about their impact on gentrification. In a city nothing happens in a vacuum and even well intended ideas can result in negative consequences for fellow taxpayers.

I agree with you, that there could be unintended consequences, such as resident displacement, but that wont happen just from adding bike lanes. I feel like when working in cities with variable levels of SES, it's a catch 22 - do we let poor areas continue to deteriorate, or do we improve them, which in turn makes them more attractive to higher income levels? I feel like it's lose-lose; somebody is going to be unhappy in either scenario. . I see plenty of homeless people using bikes in Atlanta, or biking in lower income communities. It's a cheaper alternative to both driving and MARTA. And biking in the city should be made just as safe for them (by adding bike lanes and cycle tracks) as it is getting for higher income areas. Maybe this is the first step in making an area more desirable, but a lot more would need to be done. There are currently bike lanes in parts of Bankhead-I don't see development flocking over there in the near future. Unfortunately, I think that no matter what steps are taken to mitigate negative impacts, whenever an area is improved in any way (be it infrastructure, schools, etc.), it will become more desirable and you can't prevent wealthier people from moving in.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by CCATL

Unfortunately, I think that no matter what steps are taken to mitigate negative impacts, whenever an area is improved in any way (be it infrastructure, schools, etc.), it will become more desirable and you can't prevent wealthier people from moving in.

The question is, should we use public tax dollars to fund infrastructure that entices wealthier people to move in and drive low income residents out of their homes?

If I'm reading the map from the OP correctly, an awful lot of these bike lanes are going to affluent, predominantly white areas. That's $2.5 million in one year alone that's going to provide spiffy bike lanes for people who can probably afford to pay their own freight. Imagine how much difference that money could make in terms of tutoring, after school programs, job training, medical and utility assistance and other basics of life.

[Atlwarrior]

Originally Posted by arjay57

The question is, should we use public tax dollars to fund infrastructure that entices wealthier people to move in and drive low income residents out of their homes?

If I'm reading the map from the OP correctly, an awful lot of these bike lanes are going to affluent, predominantly white areas. That's $2.5 million in one year alone that's going to provide spiffy bike lanes for people who can probably afford to pay their own freight. Imagine how much difference that money could make in terms of tutoring, after school programs, job training, medical and utility assistance and other basics of life.

Who cares about about the area being predominantly white or black. Low income residents generally are renters and single parent households. As long as the area encourages home buying and families, I see no problem with it whether they be black or white. I think you also miss the generally point of why it got approved, residents petition their city council, lower income resident should do the same for its neighborhood needs also and what they want to see take place. Passivity never gets you nothing.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I guess this is the proper thread for this.

Before the city gets too gung ho about bike lanes we may want to think about their impact on gentrification. In a city nothing happens in a vacuum and even well intended ideas can result in negative consequences for fellow taxpayers.

Whoa.

Never thought about that.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Cyclists are worse

Christ...here we go with the anti-bicyclist attitude again.

The only thing--the ONLY thing I find obnoxious that bicyclists do fairly often is passing cars stopped for a red light. They shouldn't do that. If you're one of the ones who does, please stop.

But that's it. Endangering pedestrians? Motor vehicles by a mile. Blazing down surface streets at dangerous speeds? That would be the cars. Intimidating other people on the road? I'm looking at you, SUVs. And I could go on and on. A car that runs a red light is far more dangerous than a bicycle who does the same, even if the cyclist should stop, too.

[cqholt]

If I'm reading the map from the OP correctly, an awful lot of these bike lanes are going to affluent, predominantly white areas. That's $2.5 million in one year alone that's going to provide spiffy bike lanes for people who can probably afford to pay their own freight. Imagine how much difference that money could make in terms of tutoring, after school programs, job training, medical and utility assistance and other basics of life.

Those projects were chosen based off data collected by CycleAtlanta app. It is an app designed to track cyclist, sponsored by Atlanta, ARC, and Tech. Of course a user needs a smart phone and the majority of smart phone users are middle and above incomes.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Those projects were chosen based off data collected by CycleAtlanta app. It is an app designed to track cyclist, sponsored by Atlanta, ARC, and Tech. Of course a user needs a smart phone and the majority of smart phone users are middle and above incomes.

In all honesty that sounds like a rather privileged group - smart phones, technologically sophisticated, expensive bikes and the time and leisure to collect data to support their preferences.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by arjay57

In all honesty that sounds like a rather privileged group - smart phones, technologically sophisticated, expensive bikes and the time and leisure to collect data to support their preferences.

Isn't that how it goes in America? The rich get richer.