Quick Wins – Cherokee Ave Bike Lane Gaps

Closing the gaps on a vital neighborhood connector would go a long way towards having a connected City.

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

Subscribe to receive email notifications for new articles.

✓ Subscribed

This is the first installment of a new series I’m starting called Quick Wins which will examine relatively small infrastructure tweaks that would make a huge difference in how we get around.

Cherokee Ave is a critical North-South connection connecting the new Memorial Drive cycle track past Grant Park toward the BeltLine Southside Trail.

Currently the cross-section varies from protected two-way facility, to buffered directional, to gaps of sharrows.

Cherokee Ave has a relatively low to moderate volume. However, variations in cross-sections and forced merges into traffic significantly degrade its usefulness as an All Ages and Abilities facility. This has become more apparent with the addition of the Memorial Drive cycle-track last year. The situation will be compounded with the Southside Trail opening next year.

The forced merge just off the bridge heading Southbound is particularly dangerous. Bikers have to turn fully around to see if any cars are coming. It can also feel like the merge comes out of nowhere when coming over the bridge, even for riders like myself who ride it multiple times per week.

Creating one cohesive cross-section from Memorial Drive down to Atlanta Ave will go along way towards transforming this into the bikeway deserves to and is so close to being.

Flipping the cycle track from the East side to the West side at Sydney Street and carrying that cross-section up to Memorial Drive encounters less driveway conflicts.

While this results in some parking loss near Sydney Street (which is why I imagine we have the setup we have now), the two-way configuration is more efficient space wise and the parking loss can be made up over the bridge.

The Northern block’s parking is also typically underutilized and there is an abundance of parking in the adjacent surface lots. Consolidating the parking to only the East side of the block enables us to carry the cycle-track to Memorial Drive uninterrupted.

While the number of people on bikes in Atlanta is seemingly exploding over the past couple of years, the quick wins such as this are key in creating a network that allows all users the choice to travel freely without a vehicle.

FURTHER READING

InPhil Designs: InPhil Designs

All ideas: The Urban Connector

All things Atlanta: https://philveasley.com/atlanta/

Phil Veasley, PE, CNU-A, The Urban Connector, is a Professional Engineer with Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates focused on creating safer, more vibrant cities through strategic multimodal infrastructure design. With expertise spanning traffic analysis, hand sketching, conceptual design, and full construction documentation, he thrives on transforming roads into great streets where people of all ages and abilities can flourish. Based in Atlanta, Phil is a passionate advocate for walkable, dense, and equitable neighborhoods. Outside of work, his passion is exploring urban life through sketching infill ideas and navigating cities primarily by bike or foot. His on-the-ground perspective informs his professional work, helping him design transportation systems that are not only functional but also people-centered and inspiring. Phil brings both technical depth and a city lover’s enthusiasm to every project, drawing on the belief that infrastructure and urban form must go hand in hand to support vibrant, inclusive communities where everyone has access to opportunity and quality of life.

Please check out the menus above for all of my ideas and also check out my YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.

Opinions and insights are my own and are not representative of my employer or any organization.