Safe streets save lives and support active, sustainable communities.

Safe streets are key to health and wellness and building strong communities. Wykeisha Howe, engaged parent and community member, was looking for a safe, healthy way to keep her children active and stay involved in the community as a family. She learned of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition’s Bike Family program — which provides elementary school students and their families with bike safety classes and free bikes, helmets, and lights to keep — and quickly joined. From then on, she has been an active advocate, engaging families and community members to create safe spaces for all modes of transportation for all ages. As a lifelong resident of Atlanta’s Westside, Wykeisha knows her community’s strengths and challenges. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition’s educational and advocacy programs gave her the skills and techniques to take her advocacy to the next level. Wykeisha also helped organize the #RespectCascade initiative, a grassroots advocacy campaign to improve the safety of Cascade Avenue in Southwest Atlanta. As a result, the City of Atlanta announced it would include safety improvements during its repaving project on Cascade, keeping the vision of safe and accessible streets alive.

When asked about what motivates her dedication in advocating for safe streets, Wykeisha mentioned her neighborhood’s most important asset: the people. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition’s mission is to reclaim Atlanta’s streets as safe, inclusive, and thriving spaces for people to ride, walk, and roll. By working with community members like Wykeisha, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition can better achieve the vision of an Atlanta where everyone moves safely, easily, and sustainably.

When you give to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, you ensure more Atlanta residents like Wykeisha can successfully advocate for transportation policies that create safe, thriving spaces across our city. From family cycling classes to providing public comment at City Council meetings, we use a variety of tools to advocate for an Atlanta where everyone moves safely, easily, and sustainably throughout the city, and we need your support.