Errant drivers’ Atlanta Beltline rides illustrate need for barriers

Within hours of the newest leg of the Beltline’s Eastside Trail opening to the public, a Lyft driver found themselves cruising down the freshly paved path Saturday night.

It turns out that driver wasn’t alone. But planned changes could remedy the situation, officials tell Curbed Atlanta.

An Atlanta Reddit user posted a video of the Lyft driver’s apparent blunder, which shows a white sedan moseying south toward DeKalb Avenue as the camera operator howls with laughter.

It’s possible the driver could have entered the Beltline by way of the Irwin Street intersection, near Krog Street Market. Although that entrance is usually blocked by bollards that allow just enough space for bikes and pedestrians to flow through freely.

The more likely scenario, though, is that the Lyft driver—like another driver spotted in recent days on the same new section—used driveways recently opened along DeKalb Avenue to enter what could be mistaken for a street.

Sean Keenan, Curbed Atlanta

Beltline officials told Curbed Atlanta they’ve sent the footage of the two cars on the Beltline to the Atlanta Police Department.

Additional bollards will be installed along DeKalb Avenue between Krog and Airline streets. Those were planned before the recent situations involving errant drivers but had yet to be installed.

Sean Keenan, Curbed Atlanta

Also, temporary barrels, officials said, are in place now to block confused motorists from driving on the trail.

Update: A Lyft spokesperson sent the following statement to Curbed after publication time: “Safety is our top priority, and we take allegations of unsafe driving very seriously. All drivers on the Lyft platform are required to follow applicable local laws and regulations while driving, and we have reached out to the driver to issue them a warning about this incident.”

Sean Keenan, Curbed Atlanta

Sean Keenan, Curbed Atlanta