John Devine on Alternative Transportation: A Climate Digest Interview

Chapters

00:00 Meet John Devine 

02:32 From Georgia Bikes to Go Georgia 

05:14 Why Alternative Transportation Is a Climate Solution 

09:20 How Alternative Transportation Intersects with Equity 

14:43 Drawdown Georgia’s Sustainable Transportation Toolkit 

17:36 How to Grow Alternative Transportation in Your Community 

21:17 John’s Favorite Thing About Riding a Bike in Georgia 

23:40 What’s Giving John Devine Hope

Riding a bike can make you feel like a kid again, and if you commute on your bike, or use other forms of alternative transportation to get where you’re going, it can help reduce carbon emissions in our state too.

How can we make alternative transportation safe and accessible for all Georgians? In this edition of the Georgia Climate Digest interview series, host Eriqah Vincent sits down with John Devine of Go Georgia (formerly Georgia Bikes) to talk about what it takes to make biking, walking, and rolling a normal part of everyday life across the state.

Why Did Georgia Bikes Become Go Georgia?

John explains that the rebrand reflects work the organization has quietly been doing for years, serving everyone who gets around on foot, in a wheelchair, on a scooter, or on a bike. Almost everything Go Georgia does, from teaching kids safe cycling to training law enforcement, connects back to climate in what John calls “the most bottom-up way that we know how.”

How Does Alternative Transportation Intersect with Equity?

John is direct about who Go Georgia has to keep at the center of its work: the people who don’t have a choice but to walk or bike on unsafe roads. He and Eriqah also dig into a harder truth, that new trails and infrastructure investments, while great for walkability, can also drive up property values and contribute to displacement in the neighborhoods they run through.

What’s in Drawdown Georgia’s Sustainable Transportation Toolkit?

John authored the What Are Sustainable Transportation Options in Georgia? toolkit, a beginner-friendly guide to commuting by bike, on foot, or by other sustainable means. He shares practical advice, like why the best bike to start commuting with is usually the one you already own, and points to data showing how individual choices add up to real emissions reductions statewide.

How Can You Grow Alternative Transportation in Your Own Community?

From linking up with an existing local bike/walk organization to organizing a simple walking audit of your neighborhood, John lays out concrete, low-lift ways Georgians can start expanding safe transportation options where they live.

Whether you’re a daily bike commuter or just curious about getting started, this conversation offers a grounded, encouraging look at how alternative transportation is becoming a normal part of Georgia life.

What You’ll Learn

• Why Georgia Bikes rebranded as Go Georgia, and what that means for who the organization serves.
• How biking, walking, and rolling connect directly to reducing transportation emissions.
• Why equity, including the risk of gentrification from new trail investments, has to be part of transportation planning.
• What’s inside Drawdown Georgia’s Sustainable Transportation Toolkit, and how to get started.
• Concrete steps Georgians can take to grow alternative transportation in their own communities.
• Why John believes active transportation is becoming mainstream, not just something climate advocates do.
• What gives John Devine hope about climate progress in Georgia.

Continue reading in our companion blog to learn more about John’s insights on alternative transportation, equity, and his favorite things about riding a bike in Georgia.

Download the Interview Transcript

Prefer to read the conversation instead? Download the complete PDF transcript of this interview with John Devine to explore his insights on alternative transportation, equity, and community-led change.