Atlanta pedestrian, cyclist and transit nonprofit Propel ATL brought local candidates to a series of transportation-oriented panels last week, where Atlanta Civic Circle reporters honed in on where each hopeful lies on the city’s street landscape.
Across two nights, some of the candidates from competitive Atlanta City Council races answered questions on MARTA, cyclist infrastructure and funding for pedestrian safety. As part of its ongoing election coverage. Saportareport attended the District Two and District Seven panels.
Below is a breakdown of what the candidates said.
Atlanta City Council District Two
After Councilmember Amir Farokhi announced he would resign to run the Galloway School in February, a wide-open field packed with candidates for the district seat. Kelsea Bond, Jacob Chambers, Alex Bevel Jones and Courtney Smith all attended the Oct. 21 transit panel. Candidate James White did not attend.
District Two includes parts of Midtown, Downtown, Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, Virginia Highland, Poncey-Highland and Candler Park.
The candidates laid out some of the things unique to District Two: It’s a dense district, with a combination of historic intown neighborhoods like Virginia Highland and the more urban Midtown area. It also has a number of MARTA stations, a robust bike network and pedestrian safety measures in place.
It leaves candidates in an interesting position. All of the panelists said the district needs to focus on transit-oriented development, though each had a different idea of what it looks like.
Courtney Smith said the district must “continue to expand density where it’s already comfortable and easily invited,” but also pushed for “creative” ways to handle density just outside of the transit overlay..
“We’re a major economic engine, so we have the ability to create some interesting, creative revenue streams that we could allocate to other parts of the city,” Smith said.
Jacob Chambers also pushed for creative development. He advocated for zoning reform around MARTA stations that would allow for “gentle density,” like townhomes and condos, as well as neighborhood-scale commercial development.
Kelsea Bond took a laser-focused approach on affordable housing. She said housing and transit go hand in hand, and dense housing developments need to be built with transit in mind — or the density may make traffic worse. Alex Bevel Jones agreed.
“We’re talking about every development moving forward, having transit in mind, and also the folks that are going to rely on that transit,” Bevel Jones said.
The candidates also focused on safety. Bevel Jones pushed for more tactical urbanism, like pop-up bike lanes, to make it safer for cyclists. All the candidates pushed for “Vision Zero,” a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities.
Atlanta is committed to achieving Vision Zero by 2040. Chambers wants it now.
“It all comes down to street design,” Chambers said. “When streets are designed where cars feel safe driving quickly, they drive quickly.”
But transit-oriented development, narrowed roads and more bike lanes all cost money. Bond wants to fund the process through the budget — she said the police budget takes up the largest chunk of the general fund. Bond wants to spend more dollars on Vision Zero, instead.
Smith also mentioned the budget process, but did not specify where she would change funding.
At the end of the panel, each of the candidates gave their bold vision for the city’s transit landscape.
Courtney Smith teased a plan to reinvent curbside management, with new loading zones and rideshare dropoffs. Alex Bevel Jones wants a bike lane on the Beltline. Jacob Chambers wants MARTA to “look like Tokyo,” and Kelsea Bond wants Atlanta to have a robust light rail network like Berlin.
District 7
Atlanta’s District Seven encompasses part of Buckhead, including North Buckhead, Buckhead Forest, Garden Hills and Peachtree Heights East. Councilmember Howard Shook is not running for reelection.
It leaves a wide open playing field. Candidates Thomas Worthy, Rebecca King, Thad Flowers, Allen Daly and Jamie Christy are all vying for the seat. The District Seven panel focused on smaller-scale measures, student support and MARTA commitment.
Thomas Worthy, who spent nine years on the MARTA Board, said the district has a blend of historic and residential neighborhoods as well as a commercial district, but he believes “you can reach consensus” on development.
“I think, quite simply, we must approach city life with a philosophy that how we move is how we live,” Worthy said.
Worthy touted bus rapid transit as a feature for expanding transit options in the area, and also advocated for a dedicated funding source for Vision Zero.
Funding was key for the panelists. Rebecca King floated the idea of a revolving impact fee that could fund local projects, and pushed to fund the Beltline and “make sure that once you pay for a study, you listen to the study.”
Thad Flowers said development is a complicated process. He wants to “balance” political pressure from residents and protect neighborhood character while still encouraging development. Flowers also wants to focus on Vision Zero enforcement, by pushing for more laws like a no right turn on red rule at certain stop lights.
Jamie Christy also said the process is essential. She wants to educate constituents and invite them into any planning process or development.
“When citizens feel seen and heard, they are more likely to buy into any proposed change,” Christy said.
She also endorsed Vision Zero and floated street parking revenue as a way to pay for it.
Allen Daly also pushed for street safety, but looked to small-scale solutions like traffic calming measures and separate bike lanes. He wants to “start with the basics.” But Daly remained skeptical of MARTA, and said the transit agency needs to get its riders on board.
“MARTA needs to step up its game when it comes to making sure that trains are clean, to make sure that riders feel safe,” Daly said.
He cautioned against reduced parking and less car-friendly development without improving MARTA. Daly said people won’t use transit if it doesn’t run on time.
Every panelist pushed for easy access to MARTA, especially when it comes to students. Christy suggested a daily fare cap, so students wouldn’t have to pay more than $5 a day to get around. Flowers wanted to create a “credit” program so kids could tap to pay. He also wants more affordable housing near schools.
King said “when you start young, you look for it the rest of your life.” She wants to encourage MARTA as a habit for young people, but taking the train isn’t exactly a habit for the candidates.
When asked the last time they used MARTA, the panelists gave a variety of answers. King said she rode it a week and a half ago, and Worthy said two weeks ago. Flowers said he took it “a couple of weeks ago” to the airport, and Daly said he used it over a month ago on Labor Day. Christy had the largest gap: the last time she took MARTA was in 2021.
These candidates and more will be up for election on Nov. 4, 2025. For more information on the candidates and polling locations, click here.
Eager to read more about “a plan to reinvent curbside management, with new loading zones and rideshare dropoffs.”
This is in digital download form or just a motif?
It’s encouraging to see strong consensus around Vision Zero and the integration of housing and transit, reflecting a broader shift toward people-centered urban planning. The candidates’ varied “bold visions” from light rail expansion to innovative curb Eggy Car management — show that transportation is central to Atlanta’s future livability and sustainability.