There’s a simple way to make the Beltline even better.
Events have overtaken us.
The vision of a rail loop has given way to hard realities. Meanwhile, the actual Beltline has grown into the Emerald Necklace that has always been part of the plan.
It connects parks and neighborhoods along a world-class greenway. It nurtures communities and spurs economic growth. It’s a promenade, a refuge, a sculpture garden, an arboretum and a business incubator. It’s Atlanta’s elongated public square.
At its core, though, the Beltline is a transportation corridor. Every day, some 5,000 people travel the Eastside Trail at any one particular point. And that popularity is spreading all around the loop.
The trail is so popular, in fact, that dense packed pedestrians and wheeled vehicles have become hazards to each other along certain segments of the trail.
We have an opportunity to leverage the Beltline’s success into something even better — a unique amenity that will transform much of Atlanta into a urban zone where cars aren’t the main mode of transportation.
“The Atlanta Beltline has helped attract more than $9 billion dollars in private development as of the end of 2023.”
— Atlanta Beltline Inc.
“When you love a place, you will behave differently and do things that you wouldn’t do if you didn’t love it. I think all of the visual, structural art on the BeltLine contributes to the sense of space and our collective character, like what we see ourselves as.”
— Chantelle Rytter, Atlanta Beltline Parade Founder
No. 2 among “the Best Urban Rail Trails in the United States”
— Momentum Magazine
We’re urging Atlanta Beltline Inc. to begin work on a fresh vision — one that leverages the Beltline’s incredible success and takes advantage of 21st century ideas.
Today
The right of way formerly reserved for train tracks is off-limits. It’s composed largely of meadows and trees, but also serves as a the setting for public art.
Tomorrow?
That right of way could be transformed into a separate path for pedestrians, while preserving most of the meadows and perhaps all of the trees.
Momentum!
Atlantans are coalescing around an even better Beltline. In March 2025, Mayor Andres Dickens focused Atlanta’s transit plans from Beltline rail on the Eastside to more impactful projects, and in August ABI CEO Clyde Higgs acknowledged that a rail line on the Eastside Trail “no longer makes sense”. Higgs revealed that the Beltline is looking into building a parallel path on the Eastside, while it examines alternatives to rail on the Beltline’s Southside. That followed BAT’s advocacy for the idea, as well as a May AJC column in which the leaders of four major nonprofits — each with a large stake in the Beltline — called for ABI to consider “wheels and heels.”
And you can see below that ordinary residents are letting their feeling known on the topic. Please join in by voicing your thoughts on Beltline 2.0 in the form below!
Embrace the Future Now
I’ve always maintained the position of BAT before BAT even existed. It makes no sense logistically or financially to implement clunky 1800’s tech into the modern world when so many proven new transportation technologies are on line available now , very safe and reliable at a fraction of the cost.
- Ken Taber
Wheels and Heels
I have long felt that it is not safe to have cyclists and walkers on the same path. This is especially true given the increase in the number of ebikes and scooters. It would be a beautiful thing to have an alternative path that was curvy, tree lined and unpaved, much like the pedestrian paths in European cities. Having a path that is not paved but lined with a crushed aggregate with be friendlier toward trees and shrubs. I am disinclined to allow autonomous pods on the wheels path and I do favor speed limits. I am not sure how popular trails in other major cities have managed enforcement, APD on bikes comes to mind. Atlanta has a reputation for not being a pedestrian friendly place, we can change that.
– Susan Edgett
East Side Trail Path Improvements
The East Side trail would benefit from a new separate path for pedestrians only. Specifically a winding curved path to preserve existing trees as much as possible. Paved would allow users of wheelchairs to commingle with walkers and joggers. The existing path would be reserved for bikes, scooter, skateboards, uniwheels and other wheeled devices. Limit the speed to 8 mph and install signs that show riders speed that could flash when they exceed 8 mph.
– Chris Dyrda
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