Atlanta has a new bicycle mayor, Pattie Baker

There’s a new mayor in A-town, or rather, a new bicycle mayor. Pattie Baker, of Traveling at the Speed of Bike fame (and an inspiration for Bike Walk Life!), recently completed her application, making her the first one in the southeastern United States.

(And don’t worry, this role has no relationship with any current election events, for those of you seeking relief from that news cycle.)

“Bicycle mayors,” which I wrote about previously, aren’t mayors in any traditional sense. They aren’t civic mayors who ride bicycles. They’re people with a passion for bicycling and wish to commit to improving bicycling conditions in their cities. The international group BYCS vets their qualifications as leaders and activists and approves them as members of the bicycle mayor program. These individuals can then use their positions for networking and other advocacy purposes.

You can read about about her on her “meet the bicycle mayors” page.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MISSION?

I have three goals.
(1) Shine a light on those doing the work to make it more welcoming for people on bikes throughout Metro Atlanta in order to: honor people; share best practices; encourage others in their forward momentum; and identify opportunities for collaboration.
(2) Encourage people throughout Metro Atlanta to apply to become Bicycle Mayors of their cities or counties.
(3) Empower or assist more people, especially women and teen girls (as is my passion), who are underrepresented in our public spaces as bicycle riders.

Congratulations, and best of luck!