Who is looking for a great job in a dynamic city with a great opportunity to make bicycle advocacy not just a passion, but a full time, rewarding and well-paying job? The City of Atlanta is in search of a a new Chief Bicycle Officer to replace the outgoing CBO, Superstar Becky Katz, who after 2 ½ years on the job is moving on.
A little bit of background first: In 2015, the City of Atlanta created the position of Chief Bicycle Officer (aka “Bike Czar”) to assist with a wide variety of activities related to bicycle transportation in City of Atlanta. The position was made possible by the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation, which awarded a 5-year $250,000 challenge grant to the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition to create the CBO position with the City. The first CBO, Becky Katz, has done an incredible job, but she is moving on to take a position in Germany.
Atlanta is a city with an enthusiastic and growing bicycle community. Atlantans are plagued by automobile traffic problems and public transit has been underdeveloped and underutilized, leading to crippling issues with transportation. Meanwhile, decades of suburban sprawl have given way to a recent movement of folks back into urban core of the city, leading to increased density and development. The City and State are at a crossroads and forward-minded politicians are making transit a priority, which includes a commitment to bicycling infrastructure. The CBO will be an important player in shaping the direction of transportation options throughout the Metro Atlanta area.
Meanwhile, the bicycling community in Atlanta continues to grow and thrive. Bike Law Georgia’s Bruce Hagen has witnessed the massive growth in cycling and how it’s changing attitudes all around the area. In 2016, Atlanta ranked on Bicycle Magazine’s list of Best Bike Cities for the first time ever. Relay Bike Share is rapidly growing and adding more bikes on a daily basis. The Atlanta Beltline, a mixed use Rails-to-Trails project, has transformed neighborhoods and accelerated the spread of cycling and related businesses. Social Media groups abound, including a bicycle commuter page on Facebook that has over 4000 members.
The City is looking to hire someone with a degree in engineering, planning, public policy or a related field, who has at least 5 years professional experience related to transportation planning and/or engineering. The complete job posting can be found here.
So if you’re qualified for the job and interested in making a big difference in the lives of thousands of cyclists, throw your hat in the ring and maybe you will be the next Bike Czar of Atlanta.
Bruce Hagan’s cyclist law firm is fully committed to representing Georgia bicyclists. “All of our attorneys and most of the staff are full-time riders,” he says. Bruce has handled hundreds of bike crash cases and actively helps bicyclists understand Georgia’s bike laws.
