There’s a familiar scene at the Healey building on Thursday night. Transit advocates have gathered for a panel and discussion on how to improve Atlanta’s transportation system, and they have plenty of ideas.
Cyclists suggested road quality improvements and maligned the many potholes on the streets, while transit advocates pushed for expanded light rail (particularly on the Beltline). Familiar transportation faces like Beltline designer Ryan Gravel, cycling organizer Zahra Alabanza and former City Council President Kathy Woolard sat on the panel.
The moderator is a familiar face, too. Rohit Malhotra spent years moderating policy and candidate panels as the executive director for Atlanta’s Center for Civic Innovation. But the Sept. 11 event had one major difference: Malhotra was in the hot seat.
It’s a shift for the longtime organizer, advocate and self-proclaimed “policy nerd,” who announced his candidacy for Atlanta City Council President in May. He will face off against Atlanta City Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet.
At times during the panel, Malhotra slipped back into the old host role while talking about transportation solutions.
Malhotra even joked that he “forgot he was running for office,” but the attendees pushed on his “first 100-day” goals and transit priorities. It’s a change for the advocates – this time, they have the ear of somebody who is hoping to be the second-in-command to the Atlanta mayor.
“Tonight affirmed that people have a sense of urgency around these issues, that they want to see something done,” Malhotra said at the end of the event.
Malhotra asked the panel of transit advocates and experts about their own relationship to the city’s transportation system, and each pointed to their own experiences over the years. Zahra Alabanza is a mobility justice advocate who started the nonprofit Red Bike and Green, a Black community-building collective that promotes bike culture. For Alabanza, transportation access means centering vulnerable communities and creating easy mobility.
“You can’t talk about housing, you can’t talk about food without talking about transportation and the ways in which people access those,” Alabanza said.
The organizer pointed to some Atlanta transit positives, like the MARTA train station at the airport, increased presence of e-scooters and bikes and the massive popularity of the Beltline. But she urged the city to go further, too.
Urban designer Ryan Gravel is a little more frustrated. He said it can be hard to love Atlanta sometimes, especially when it comes to the Beltline – Gravel designed the project to have light rail on the 22-mile loop. For Gravel, it’s “frustrating” to see the city make few strides in the field, especially while other cities are adding to their rail and bus systems.
Alabanaza agreed.
“If we want to be the world-class city we have the potential to truly be, we’ve got to be able to walk, we’ve got to be able to bike, and we’ve got to be able to get on the train,” Alabanza said.
The panelists agreed there are issues with Atlanta’s car-dependent culture, but each said the city has to create better transit to solve it. Throughout the night, they pushed for better road quality, more transit access, and equity-focused transportation development.
Woolard said the first thing she realized when she served on the transportation committee, though, was how invested people were in the city’s transit landscape.
“I realized Atlanta had no transportation plan, but everybody had a transportation plan for Atlanta,” Woolard said.
The panel opened up to an audience Q&A, where people aired out their issues with the city and the things they hope to see. Malhotra said he spent the night “actively listening and learning” to what people want and need in Atlanta.
“It was so beautiful to be curious and for the first time in over a decade to play a different role,” Malhotra said.
As for his first 100 days? Malhotra said if he were elected, he would jump into the city budget and figure out the transportation spending to make sure it’s being allocated and spent properly.
