Neighbors Galvanizing to Make 'Freedom Bridge' Happen (Atlanta, Moreland: 2015, credit)

[Airforceguy]

Seems people are serious about trying to get this built. I think if done right it could be an asset for the community.

Stakeholders pulling for a long-planned bridge near Little Five Points that would lift pedestrians and cyclists out of traffic have scheduled a "bona fide charrette" next month in hopes of lighting a fire under the project. An open "community-driven design and planning session" for the Freedom Bridge concept will happen on the evening of Oct. 22 at Manuel's Tavern, a longtime incubator of genius schemes and dastardly collaborations. First pitched a quarter of a century ago, the pedestrian and bike connection would span Moreland Avenue where it meets Freedom Parkway — a spot where PATH Foundation trail users are often stuck for extended periods of time, waiting for traffic lights to change and sucking car fumes.

The bridge originally proposed for the site (as seen above) would have been a granite-clad, tree-lined path that curved elegantly over Moreland Avenue. Having recently defeated a highway proposal in what is now Freedom Park, neighbors actually pushed back against the bridge idea at the time — it seemed too much like road infrastructure, after all — and the idea was quietly shelved.

With alternate transportation on the upswing and Beltline fever rampant, intown zealots dusted off the plans and launched a "Freedom Bridge ATL" Facebook page earlier this year, calling for a bridge that's a functional, architectural statement. Supporters include Ryan Gravel, the Beltline visionary, Don Bender, a developer credited with helping revitalize Little Five Points and Ken Edelstein, a longtime Creative Loafing editor and current president of the Candler Park Neighborhood Association.

Neighbors Galvanizing to Make 'Freedom Bridge' Happen - Bureau of Big Ideas - Curbed Atlanta

[jsvh]

Yeah, this would be a nice thing to have. Would improve the look and "feel" of that intersection too.

[fourthwarden]

removed - orphaned

An open "community-driven design and planning session" for the Freedom Bridge concept will happen on the evening of Oct. 22 at Manuel's Tavern.

As for the bridge, it would be pretty neat! That intersection (and whole area) gets pretty crazy backed up. Removing the pedestrians and bikes from the signal timing might help that a bit.

I wonder how it'll be paid for.

[Fubarbundy]

Will the galvanizing be for structural members as well as at-large members?

[cqholt]

Bridge is too expensive, there are other, cheaper options. Create a pedestrian scramble at the light. Create raised, crosswalks that force vehicles to slow down as the approach. Enforce the no right on red arrow. We could permanently pay an APD officers to enforce the laws at this intersection for the cost of that bridge.
I do not agree with removing people from the street and killing any street level activity.

[onemanarmy]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Bridge is too expensive, there are other, cheaper options. Create a pedestrian scramble at the light. Create raised, crosswalks that force vehicles to slow down as the approach. Enforce the no right on red arrow. We could permanently pay an APD officers to enforce the laws at this intersection for the cost of that bridge.
I do not agree with removing people from the street and killing any street level activity.

I tend to agree. Atlantans must stop thinking of separating bikes and pedestrians from street traffic, all transportation must work in harmony. Atlanta's driving culture needs drastic changing, but a lot of that could be changed with public policy. Slowing traffic down, widening sidewalks, separate bike lanes, no right on reds on any road with a bike lane, public campaigning, and ENFORCING existing traffic laws. This bridge could fund miles of separate bike lanes across the city. The bridge sounds great, but it only reinforces the idea that bikes and pedestrians don't belong near cars.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Bridge is too expensive, there are other, cheaper options. Create a pedestrian scramble at the light. Create raised, crosswalks that force vehicles to slow down as the approach. Enforce the no right on red arrow. We could permanently pay an APD officers to enforce the laws at this intersection for the cost of that bridge.
I do not agree with removing people from the street and killing any street level activity.

Originally Posted by onemanarmy

I tend to agree. Atlantans must stop thinking of separating bikes and pedestrians from street traffic, all transportation must work in harmony. Atlanta's driving culture needs drastic changing, but a lot of that could be changed with public policy. Slowing traffic down, widening sidewalks, separate bike lanes, no right on reds on any road with a bike lane, public campaigning, and ENFORCING existing traffic laws. This bridge could fund miles of separate bike lanes across the city. The bridge sounds great, but it only reinforces the idea that bikes and pedestrians don't belong near cars.

The thing is, that Freedom Park Trail is ALREADY a separate right of way for cyclists and pedestrians. The trail is already separate from Freedom Pky. and Moreland, except for these intersections. A bridge like this only seperates pedestrians and cyclists from the road in as much as sidewalks, and trails already do. That is to say, it offers a nice, layered, multi-use intersection that limits the chance for delay / injury due to the interaction of the modes. That is no different than building separate cycle tracks. along a road, or giving exclusive lane to a transit mode. They don't mix, but they are sharing the area.

A bridge over an extremely busy intersection isn't going to kill the street-level activity in the immediate area since, well, there isn't any other than to cross the road. Any people walking from Little 5 north towards Poncey-Highlands wouldn't really be obstructed, and anyone going to Little 5 from Freedom Park could still easily get there.

As for cost, you're right about building cycle tracks being cheaper, but if it's a neighborhood effort to raise the money for this project, without impact to the city's bike infrastructure plan (or maybe in tandem with it), then I see no problem in letting the neighborhoods spend the money themselves.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

The thing is, that Freedom Park Trail is ALREADY a separate right of way for cyclists and pedestrians. The trail is already separate from Freedom Pky. and Moreland, except for these intersections. A bridge like this only seperates pedestrians and cyclists from the road in as much as sidewalks, and trails already do. That is to say, it offers a nice, layered, multi-use intersection that limits the chance for delay / injury due to the interaction of the modes. That is no different than building separate cycle tracks. along a road, or giving exclusive lane to a transit mode. They don't mix, but they are sharing the area.

A bridge over an extremely busy intersection isn't going to kill the street-level activity in the immediate area since, well, there isn't any other than to cross the road. Any people walking from Little 5 north towards Poncey-Highlands wouldn't really be obstructed, and anyone going to Little 5 from Freedom Park could still easily get there.

As for cost, you're right about building cycle tracks being cheaper, but if it's a neighborhood effort to raise the money for this project, without impact to the city's bike infrastructure plan (or maybe in tandem with it), then I see no problem in letting the neighborhoods spend the money themselves.

If the grassroots effort raises ALL the money on their own, then I have no issue. If they want to use city, taxpayer money, then that is where I have an issue. We can use the money that the city would spend on this non-priority project, to build more bike infrastructure in areas that do not have it and connect those neighborhoods to the existing infrastructure. Think west, southwest, and southeast Atlanta. Areas that have historical received less money than the NE quadrant, this is where race can be an issue.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by cqholt

If the grassroots effort raises ALL the money on their own, then I have no issue. If they want to use city, taxpayer money, then that is where I have an issue. We can use the money that the city would spend on this non-priority project, to build more bike infrastructure in areas that do not have it and connect those neighborhoods to the existing infrastructure. Think west, southwest, and southeast Atlanta. Areas that have historical received less money than the NE quadrant, this is where race can be an issue.

I'll agree to that, and was mostly what I was getting at. If the NPUs in the area raise (all) the money themselves, then I don't see why the city shouldn't be allowed to sign off on the project and carry it out.

Hopefully we'll see some more money in the less-wealthy areas in the near future with the Beltline's and Connect Atlanta's work and construction. We'll see, though.

[onemanarmy]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

I'll agree to that, and was mostly what I was getting at. If the NPUs in the area raise (all) the money themselves, then I don't see why the city shouldn't be allowed to sign off on the project and carry it out.

Hopefully we'll see some more money in the less-wealthy areas in the near future with the Beltline's and Connect Atlanta's work and construction. We'll see, though.

No doubt, if the NPU raises the money for this, I think it's a great idea. I do think SW & SE should see better development, but I believe the most bang for the buck should be prioritized in the CBD, Downtown and Midtown should see majority of the development, because you will get the most cyclist and train the most drivers here.