Alabama bike routes may be on horizon
By Ginny MacDonald — The Birmingham News
February 08, 2010, 6:15AM
Vern Zander rides the Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama to the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia. State Department of Transportation planners are seeking public opinion on a plan to create a network of bicycle and pedestrian routes around the state.(The Birmingham News/Michelle Williams)A network of bicycle and pedestrian routes would be created under a new plan to allow people to crisscross the state safely without ever cranking a car.
Under the statewide plan, non-motorized paths would be designated along state roads or created to connect with existing or planned trails within cities.
The paths could be wide shoulders along highways, striped lanes on the outside of city streets or just recognition that certain state roads are specially meant to be shared by motorized vehicles, non-motorized vehicles and pedestrians alike.
Alabama Department of Transportation planners are looking for public opinion on the plan through a series of meetings this month.
“It’s very exciting to know that the state has kept us in mind,” said Elisa Munoz, who founded BICIcoop, a nonprofit Birmingham group promoting cycling.
“Alabama needs to catch up,” she said. “We are the least bicycle-friendly state in the country, according to the League of American Bicyclists.”
The league criticizes Alabama on its Web site, saying the state promotes “bicycling through its tourism board, yet lacks a statewide bike route network and still has dated, discriminatory mandatory side-path laws on the books.”
Tom Maxwell, senior environmental planner for the Birmingham Regional Planning Commission, said one drawback to the plan is that it effectively stops at the city limits.
The state routes connect to cities with planned bicycle and pedestrian routes, Maxwell said, when they should continue the bikeways and walkways through the cities.
“ALDOT maintains the state routes within our region and has the authority to develop the appropriate bicycle and pedestrian accommodations as part of future roadway improvements,” Maxwell said. “Implementing and maintaining non-motorized facilities along these corridors will require partnerships and collaboration.”
In the Birmingham area, the major routes proposed are:
An east-west route through the northern tip of Blount County along U.S. 278.
An east-west route along Alabama 25 through Shelby County that connects onto a planned bikeway and greenway system near Columbiana.
A north-south route in southern Shelby County on U.S. 31 that would connect to an east-west route at Alabama 25.
A north-south route along Alabama 269 connected to the planned bikeway and greenway system at Avenue C in Birmingham.
Alabama 269 is the primary bicycle corridor in the Birmingham area; however, planners are recommending looking for an alternate route to Jasper because of heavy traffic.
BIKE TRAIL MEETINGS
The Alabama Department of Transportation is seeking public comments in a series of meetings across the state:
> Feb. 16: Montgomery, 5-7 p.m., Sixth Division office, 1525 Coliseum Blvd.
> Feb. 18: Birmingham, 5-7 p.m., Third Division office, 1020 Bankhead Highway.
> Feb. 23: Mobile, 5-7 p.m., Ninth Division office, 1701 North Beltline Highway.
> Feb. 25: Huntsville, 5-7 p.m. City of Huntsville engineering building, first floor, 320 Fountain Circle.
Come voice your opinion to ALDOT on Thursday, February 25th from 5-7pm at City of Huntsville engineering building, first floor, 320 Fountain Circle.