Atlanta's Bureau of Planning has been seeking public input on the city's first transportation plan. I attended a workshop at City Hall East this evening and got to see some of the ideas they're talking about.

I was encourage by a few things:

• One of the guys I spoke with had worked in Portland.
  
• A willingness to entertain ideas that other cities have found helpful (sharrows and bike boulevards for example).
  
• Increased designation of routes through the city (they have a good feel for what makes a good route).
  
• Good understanding of the needs of both experienced cyclists and inexperienced cyclists.
  
• A candidate list of roads that could go on a diet (take away lanes to turn over to cycling and pedestrian facilities).
  

The plan looks as far out as 2030, by which time Atlanta expects to add another 300,000 residents (city proper, not metro). They expect density to increase and understand that a shift to non-automobile modes of transportation will be critical.

I'm quite encouraged by what I saw and heard at this workshop.

The workshops are winding down, but Atlanta cyclists can still participate. There is still time to complete the online survey.