Proposed bike trail to connect communities
Milledgeville may one day become more conducive to the needs of cyclists and pedestrians.
A joint venture between the Georgia Department of Transportation, The Middle Georgia Regional Development Program, the Oconee Greenway Authority, the Rail- to Trail project and GC&SU, is planning to do just that.
The project, called the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Bicycle/ Pedestrian Plan, will make Milledgeville and the surrounding areas more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians through an extensive network of bike lanes and shared- use trails.
“We want to create safe, accessible facilities that every citizen of this community can take advantage of walking or riding a bike,” Phil Clark, senior planner of the Middle Georgia Regional Development Center said. “The objective was to link the entire region, so that someone here in Milledgeville and Baldwin County could ride a bike to Macon, to Houston County, down to Wilkinson County, even up to Putnam County.”
The proposed path network would connect Lake Sinclair to downtown Milledgeville via trails on the Oconee River Greenway and extend southward to Macon via a Rail-to-trail project that would convert abandoned railroad lines into shared- use trails.
Bike lanes on area roads and highways will offer increased accessibility, as will a connecting trail between the West Campus and the main campus of GCSU.
Dr. Robert Haney, GCSU executive assistant to the President & Chief of Staff , said that making Milledgeville more bicycle and pedestrian friendly will have tremendous benefits for GCSU students.
“We like to think that what’s good for Milledgeville is good for Georgia College,” Haney said. “(The plan) will give students an alternative (mode of transportation) and it frees them up from traffic congestion. It’s good exercise; a bike is easy to maneuver.. A lot of institutions like us have really good bike paths and they encourage people to bike. We want to be that kind of institution.”
Junior political science major Satya Kamdar said GCSU students are likely to benefit from the plan.
“It’s definitely a good idea-hopefully we’ll get to see it before we get out of school here,” Kamdar said. “The biggest problem around here is parking and traffic. I’ve actually skipped class because I couldn’t find a place to park. I think if more people rode their bikes it would definitely help.”
While riding a bike is appealing to students and residents alike, current conditions around Milledgeville often prove hazardous.
“Once you get past the downtown and the campus areas, you’re going to get creamed,” junior English major Nikki Keys said. “And you’re not supposed to be on the sidewalk (downtown) so you kinda don’t know what to do. Do you get on the sidewalk or do you stay on the street and battle with traffic?”
While Kamdar and Keys may not see any of the proposed improvements before they graduate, Clark is quick to point out that their support and the support of others like them will ensure that the plans for the region will eventually become a reality.
“We’re planting a seed,” Clark said. “We will have this facility. We’re going to make this community, and our region, a walking and biking community.”
For more information on the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, please visit the Web site http://www.mgrdc.org/code/bike_ped.html.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Mar 3 2006. Filed under News.
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