Every morning, my kids and I argue about the best way to get to Virginia Highland Elementary (VHE). I always push for taking Cooledge Ave, the “hard way”—a short, narrow brick street that most drivers tend to avoid. The problem is, it's a constant climb from Monroe, followed by an even steeper hill that ends right at VHE’s back door. The bricks keep cars away, but they also rattle my 7-year-old and her 20” steel bicycle to pieces. There’s nothing like being “all shook up” before your day even starts!
My kids would rather ride their bikes down Virginia Ave, the shorter, flatter, easier route. Who can blame them? It leads right up to VHE’s front steps, where they can spot even more of their friends. The problem is, Virginia Avenue’s 48-foot-wide, two-lane road is no place for a 7-year-old who’s just learned to ride. Even the school’s crossing guard warns, “It’s dangerous out here. These drivers don’t respect the kids, even when they have the right of way.”
“It’s dangerous out here. These drivers don’t respect the kids, even when they have the right of way.”
With its extra-wide lanes, drivers often don’t realize they’re well over the 30-mile-per-hour speed limit. So when they unexpectedly come across a child biking—just a bit faster than walking—right in the middle of their lane, it’s a shock. The driver either slams on the brakes or tries to squeeze around the novice rider, darting into the oncoming lane. It’s a heart-stopping sight, and it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.
The beauty of tactical urbanism is that it is approved by ATLDOT and lets us test a decade-old plan quickly and affordably, giving us a real-world glimpse of how it could permanently improve safety—not just for drivers, but for everyone. If the neighborhood decides it’s not working, we can easily remove it. MNA and VHCA are aiming to raise $11,000 and install the changes in less than two days.
“aiming to raise $11,000 and install the changes in less than two days”
This nearly 3,000-foot project showcases three additional ideas, beyond just providing a safe route for biking between Midtown and Virginia Highlands.
Virginia and Monroe Intersection
Slip lanes would never exist if we truly prioritize safety over speed. Currently, pedestrians crossing Virginia Ave at Monroe face an 85-foot stretch exposed to speeding cars—250% more crossing distance than necessary for just three lanes of traffic. This is further complicated by a slip lane stoplight that is mostly ignored.
The Virginia and Monroe intersection is set for a redesign as part of ATLDOT's Monroe Complete Street project, though the final design and the timeline for construction hasn’t been released. This tactical urbanism project provides a preview of what might happen if the crossing distance is reduced by at least 20%. If and when ATLDOT decides to move forward with the project, they can take and incorporate learnings from the temporary tactical urbanism project made by MNA and VHCA when they complete their more permanent work.
The block of Monroe between 8th and Virginia is Monroe’s widest point at 5 lanes wide. This project tests narrowing part of this five-lane stretch by shutting down the right turn slip lane to match the width of the road north of Virginia. By narrowing Monroe, we create a shorter crossing distance for bikes and pedestrians as well as create a safe space for the dedicated cycle track along Virginia and still leave plenty of room for a MARTA bus to pull up to the curb in front of Trader Joe’s. Midtown High School has the opportunity to decorate this new temporary space, bringing a bit of creativity and community into the mix.
Virginia and Park/Ponce Pl Intersection
The Virginia and Park/Ponce Place intersection, directly in front of VHE’s auditorium, is a major safety hazard for pedestrians. Everyday the crossing guard witnesses near misses between children walking in the crosswalk and drivers rushing to turn right on red or trying to squeeze by other cars waiting to turn left. This project temporarily narrows the driving lanes to one lane in each direction by eliminating the blind slip lanes which reduce pedestrians' exposure to drivers by 22 feet—or 50%—on both sides of the intersection. Cars regularly dart into these slip lanes to illegally pass turning vehicles, which is an extremely dangerous maneuver, similar to what caused memorable accidents at the 10th and Monroe intersection. The closure of the slip lanes also opens up an opportunity for Virginia Highland Elementary to decorate the newly expanded pedestrian space, fostering a stronger sense of community.
Drop-off Lane
Parents go a little nuts at drop off time. They park in ‘no parking’ areas, they double park and send their kids out of the car, they drop their kids off on the other side of the road and frogger across, while others pull U-turns in the middle of the road. It’s a miracle there hasn’t been a large public incident yet. The area from Park Avenue/Ponce Place to the school’s driveway (Arcadia Street) is supposed to be no parking during drop off and pickup. This tactical urbanism project tests installing a physical barrier preventing parents from abusing this rule while creating a safe space for parents and children to ride bikes all the way to the front steps. This new bicycle-friendly area is another spot where VHE can add some creative flair and boost school spirit.
Most of Virginia Highland Elementary’s students live less than a mile from school and being a few hundred feet from the Beltline, VHE has the opportunity to be the most bikeable elementary school in Atlanta and maybe even Georgia. This temporary bike lane will demonstrate that VHE can provide a healthy opportunity to bike ride to school while reducing the need for cars on the road. And in so doing will achieve a more than a decade old plan to add bicycle infrastructure to Virginia Ave. MNA and VHCA aim to do this by raising $11,000 and installing it in less than two days.
Most of Virginia Highland Elementary’s students live less than a mile from the school, and with its proximity to the Beltline, VHE has the potential to become the most bike-friendly elementary school in Atlanta—Georgia—and maybe even the entire southeast. There are still a lot of hurdles to get over to make this happen with the biggest being raising the $11,000 needed to buy the needed material. PLEASE DONATE!