Atlanta’s best and brightest street safety advocates flocked to Wild Heaven’s West End Brewery on May 9 for Propel ATL’s 18th annual Blinkie Awards. The fundraiser and awards ceremony hosted by the citywide pedestrian and cycling nonprofit honors the work of local advocates and project leaders.
In 2021, the 30-year-old Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and Pedestrian Educating Drivers on Safety merged into one organization. The new organization launched as Propel ATL at the 2022 Blinkie Awards. The ceremony “meets and celebrates with the people working to make Atlanta a better city to walk, bike, take transit, run” and more.
Below are the winners from Propel’s annual awards ceremony hosted by comedian Mark Kendall.
Leadership in Mobility Award: Georgia Institute of Technology
Propel ATL awarded the Georgia Institute of Technology with its mobility leadership award for Atlanta University’s new protected bike infrastructure and partnerships with the City of Atlanta, PATH Foundation, Midtown Alliance, and Propel ATL.
In 2024, the school extended its bike and micro-mobility infrastructure to include two-way cycle tracks from Midtown to the West side of campus. Today, the school has been designated as a Bicycle Friendly University status for four years by the League of American Bicyclists.
Georgia Tech Landscape Architect Jason Gregory accepted the award and credited the campus community for the accomplishment.
“Most of these results that you see today started as a student project,” Gregory said. “We challenge our students to come up with safer solutions.”
Expanding the Movement Award: Pedal Pushers Cycling Club
Dominique Nixon founded Pedal Pushers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when families and children were forced to stay home. He wanted a safe way to get out of the house.
“I felt this would be a great opportunity for parents to spend time with their kids,’ Nixon said.
His local bike rides quickly expanded into more. Pedal Pushers is a nonprofit that promotes health and wellness through cycling, particularly by pairing at-risk youth with adult mentors. It works as a violence intervention program to promote community safety and stronger neighborhoods through “safe, fun and accessible” cycling.
Sustainable Transportation Champion: Ben Kamber, Senior Program Analyst with Atlanta Regional Commission
Atlanta’s popular E-Bike Rebate Program, run by the Atlanta Regional Commission, kicked off in 2024 with great success — over 11,000 people applied to the lottery, and 581 residents have redeemed their discounts to buy local electronic bikes since its launch. The program was helmed by Ben Kamber, who pioneered one of the southeast’s first e-bike rebate programs.
ARC Program Coordinator Bennett Foster said it’s “essential but unseen work that doesn’t seek recognition.” Kamber accepted his award by thanking the rest of the ARC team and City of Atlanta partners. He said other cities are now asking him for advice on how to launch their own programs.
“It really shows the major leadership role that Atlanta is playing,” Kamber said.
Safe Streets Advocate Award: Veronica Watts
After surviving a serious crosswalk crash as a pedestrian, Watts jumped into transportation safety advocacy to prevent further traffic violence. She has worked extensively to create a “Vulnerable Roadway Users” Senate study committee at the Georgia General Assembly.
The committee would be able to review all issues affecting people who walk, bike and roll around the city without cars.
“I just look forward to continuing to advocate for those who are no longer here, who don’t have a voice, as well as their family members,” Watts said.
Legacy of Support Award: DJ Mike Zarin of Zegi
Zarin is Propel ATL’s longtime DJ, especially for the Blinkie Awards. He worked the May 9 event, stepping away from the turntable only to accept his award for a legacy of support.
He founded Zegi in 2009 to deliver custom DJ sets around the city and years later booked his first gig as the DJ for Streets Alive. The event hosted by Propel ATL shuts down roads to cars and creates a temporary pedestrian utopia with live music and local vendors.
In recent years, Zarin also founded Atlanta Streets Alive Radio with Propel ATL to broadcast live during each event. He has worked with Propel since 2015. Today, he’s part of an “e-bike family” and works as a transportation advocate.
“Propel ATL has been just such a motivator for me to get involved in pushing for more sustainable and equitable transportation options in Atlanta,” Zarin said.
Transportation Media Award: Asia Simone Burns and Justin Price of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The duo of Atlanta reporters spent two and a half years on an in-depth investigation of dangerous high-speed pursuit practices by Georgia State Patrol. The resulting report, “Chases Unchecked,” uncovered how the state patrol pursuits have resulted in the worst police-pursuit death rate in the U.S.
Burns accepted the award on the pair’s behalf and stressed how rare it is to spend such a long time working on a single story — but it was worth it.
“I’m really blessed to have a platform, and I’m really blessed to be able to use it to help the citizens of Georgia be safer,” Burns said.
Amidst the awards, attendees donated funds, made transit commitments, and bid on silent auction items. Propel ATL Executive Director Rebecca Serna thanked the crowd for the so-called “best Blinkies ever.”
“You’re all such an important part of this ecosystem, working for Atlanta streets that are safe, inclusive and thriving,” Serna said. “Those are spaces for people to walk, ride bikes, ride transit, use wheelchairs and do all of the small wheel things that are happening and growing and just blossoming in Atlanta today.”
For more cycling coverage, see Kelly Jordan’s Bicycles in Atlanta gallery.
