Scootering is a passion for many in Atlanta. But most Atlanta streets were not designed with a passion for scooters. The unfortunate result of that lack of passion? Injury and death for scooterists.
Atlanta is, without a doubt, a gas-guzzling, car-loving city. But the times they are a-changin' and we would do well to have future transportation plans include alternatives for smaller vehicles like scooters.
Here is one idea that might be a partial solution - Exclusive Motorcycle Lanes (EMLs). EMLs are special lanes for small vehicles like scooters, motorcycles, and bicycles. The advantages of such lanes include a reduction in accidents (and therefore injury and death), less congestion in other lanes of travel, creation of an incentive for more people to get on their scooters and bikes, and reduction of air pollution (the more scooters we have on the road the less gas guzzling cars we have on the roads).
EMLs are found in cities across the world, London (photo above) to name one. They are more common in Asia. But they are not as of yet being taken seriously in the United States. I think they should be!
