Move over motorists, scooters are favored, says Midtown survey

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - The future of Midtown Atlanta may not involve much more room for cars. At least that's what thousands of Midtown residents said in a large-scale survey released Thursday.

The latest results of a survey conducted every three years in the area, shows "walking and biking" is king, even scooters get higher marks.

"And they actually ranked above cars in terms of popularity and how we should invest our transportation dollars," said Kevin Green with the Midtown Alliance.

Green leads the Midtown Alliance. They conducted the survey last summer and fall and announced the findings Thursday during a community meeting. The results, he said, are pretty clear.

"We need a connected bicycle lane through Midtown, to provide a place for all of the bikes and scooters, get them off the sidewalk," Green said.

"It’s the best way to get around the city but it’s really dangerous to have to ride them in the street and you can't ride them on the sidewalk, so we need something," said commuter Katherine Norton.

For scooter-commuter Katherine Norton, the plans to repurpose some lanes and streets for alternative transportation is music to her ears.

"When people start adopting alternative forms of transportation, the city, it's only going to get better from there," said Norton.

The Midtown Alliance said nearly 5,000 people provided feedback in the survey. Even though several transportation projects are underway, Green said the need is there for even more action.

"When 94 percent of people responding to the survey say that's what they want that sends a very powerful message to city leaders and to our state partners," said Green.