Let& #39;s talk about this intersection in Downtown Atlanta where a pole was knocked down today, likely by a speeding car.

This is at the NW corner of the intersection of Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd and Luckie Street.

This is what I think about when I see this picture...

1/5 https://twitter.com/wsbradio/status/1320688075085910017">https://twitter.com/wsbradio/...

It appears that this is the pole that was downed.

There& #39;s a Bike Lane sign on it. On the roadway you& #39;ll see a thin white line that serves as a narrow, unprotected bike lane.

This is a 4 lane road that leads drivers to an interstate access point. Folks drive fast here.

2/5

A few feet west of the pole is a white bicycle that marks the spot where Andrew Whitlock was killed 3 years ago by a speeding car that was being chased by cops.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/police-car-being-chased-by-officers-kills-bicyclist

Andrew">https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/poli... was a neighbor of ours in the Healey Building in Downtown when we lived there.

3/5

Imagine this pole was a cyclist. It could easily have been one.

This is a reminder of why major roads need more than a white stripe as a bike lane.

This is why police chases don& #39;t belong on city streets (APD doesn& #39;t chase anymore, but GA State Patrol still does).

4/5

Less that a half mile north of this on Luckie St is the public school our son attended when we live here.

We tried to walk him to school a few times, but having to cross streets like Ivan Allen made it feel too dangerous. Downtown shouldn& #39;t have threatening streets.

5/5

BTW, Ivan Allen Jr Blvd is a city street that we have full control over.

The only obstacle to making it less threatening is our opinion of how important car speed & flow are compared to everything else a street can do, such as providing safe routes for cycling & to schools.