Students for Progressive Transit (SFPT), an organization seeking to educate and to bring awareness to the student body on the importance of effective transportation in the Atlanta community, has been revitalized nearly ten years after it became inactive.
SFPT was originally established by Rebecca Serna, an alumnus of Georgia State’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Serna is credited as co-founder of SFPT’s grassroots parent organization, Citizens for Progressive Transit (CFPT), and served as president of the organization for a time.
Many of the goals and objectives of the SFPT draw from the CFPT, listed on its website as “building student’s awareness of transit options on campus and around Atlanta, making it easier for students to choose transit options on campus and around Atlanta, and contributing to Georgia State’s growth as a partner in building downtown.”
However, after its initial establishment, the SFPT soon became inactive on campus.
Now, freshman Joey de St. Aubin has taken on the task of revitalizing this previously dormant student organization.
“The idea [of SFPT] is to advocate and push for better and more visible transit options on campus and also to inform and work with students about the transit options that currently are here,” de St. Aubin said.
As the acting president of SFPT, de St. Aubin’s main task is to help with administration, including working with his vice president, Jair Thrasher, to make sure plans are executed among the members of the organization. Some of the tasks of the group will include hosting various forums and open meetings regarding transportation awareness and safety, similar to a recent forum in February featuring architect Ryan Gravel, one of the brains behind the Atlanta Beltline project.
Additionally, informational flyers on safety and transportation will be distributed to the student body, according to de St. Aubin. Certain resources will be available to students as a direct result of the organization’s partnership with the Atlanta Streetcar Project.
“We’ve partnered with them about doing safety educations and outreach because the streetcar is very different from a bus or a MARTA heavy rail train,” de St. Aubin said.
While discussing how the partnership with the Atlanta Streetcar originated, de St. Aubin referred to an email he sent to the Atlanta Streetcar Project’s communications director. He received the following response:
“Do not know if you are a praying person but your e-mail is a prayer answered. We meet routinely with officials from GSU and part of our discussion has centered on outreach to the GSU students, faculty and staff. We would welcome the opportunity to include you in a meeting (early January) with the Bicycle Coalition, the City of Atlanta and other partners to develop an effective outreach plan.”
According to Atlantaga.gov, the goal of the Atlanta Streetcar Project is to provide a modern streetcar transportation system to downtown Atlanta that will make commuting easier. The website also added that this system will provide a cohesion within the community and essentially build economic growth within downtown neighborhood areas.
For students at Georgia State, de St. Aubin emphasized some of the perks that come with having the streetcar, including shorter trips for students around Atlanta, free access to the streetcar for the first three months of operation and keeping the town more affordable for students who plan to live in the area for an extended period of time.
According to the Atlanta Streetcar Project website, the streetcar is set to be completed in the second quarter of this year.
“There are different estimates. The original estimate was May or June for when it’s open to the public, but I’ve also seen September. So I would say anywhere between June and September this year,” de St. Aubin said.
De St. Aubin also said that weather and operational issues have delayed the project’s construction.
Currently, de St. Aubin is in the process of making the SFPT an official chartered organization at Georgia State. He started the organization within the Andrew Young School of Policy but also said that he encourages all students to join who are passionate about better transportation in the Atlanta community.
“If you want to be involved, hit us up on Facebook. Our meetings are open and anyone who wants to get involved please feel free to get involved. We’re for all students, not just the Policy School,” de St. Aubin said.
