Cycling in the Valley
by Allison Kennedy

Nothing compares to the simple pleasure
of riding a bike.

John F. Kennedy

If what the former President said holds true, Columbus is replete in pleasurable cycling options. Meander along the Riverwalk on any given day, and you’ll see wildlife, folks fishing for food and golfers on the links at Oxbow Meadows.

From the Riverwalk to the more recent Rails to Trails project to the dirt trails at Flatrock Park, local residents have plenty of options unimpeded by car traffic.

My personal favorite is the Riverwalk. I keep my bike downtown, thus enjoying easy access to the paved path that skirts the Chattahoochee River. I typically ride alone or with a friend or two. Through the years, people have asked if I’m afraid to ride solo, given the path’s relative isolation. But I have rarely been afraid. I figure I can outrun (or out-pedal) trouble. And, statistically, I probably should be more afraid of driving my car.

The Riverwalk technically starts at the city marina in north Columbus, about five trail miles from downtown. But the mile counter actually begins below the Columbus Convention & Trade Center, and heads south. About 10 miles later, the path ends at Fort Benning. The trail is well-marked and well-graded.

Sheila Santa Peeler, a stay-at-home mom, rides this path often. Three or four times a week, Peeler heads out with two girlfriends for approximately 40 miles per trip. Once on post, you can choose any number of roads, that vary in length, away from car density. Roads on the outskirts of Fort Benning, including the one around Lawson Airfield, are not heavily populated by cars.

“We’re so lucky here,” said Peeler, who moved to Columbus from Atlanta in 2004. She doesn’t like the idea of having to drive, or at least drive far, to find a good, safe place to ride.

The latest addition for cycling in Columbus is the Rails to Trails project, an approximately 10-mile route that follows former train lines. Its other name is the Columbus Fall Line Trace. Running from the 14th Street Pedestrian Bridge downtown to Psalmond Road in Midland, the land was purchased by the Columbus Consolidated Government from Norfolk Southern Railroad. It contains two park and ride/rest areas (one near Hannan Magnet Academy and one across from Legacy Chevrolet). The project also involves improvements to several bridges, including the railroad bridge that crosses over I-185; and various hardscape and landscape improvements, such as benches, trash receptacles and signage. The trail can be used for commuting or exercise.

Pat McHenry, Ph.D., teaches at Columbus State University and commutes to work from his home about two miles, one way, from CSU. The only reason he wouldn’t commute by bike: lightning. He makes provisions for rain and other inclement weather.

“I ride because I love to ride,” said McHenry, who’s seldom used a car to get to work or school in the other places he’s lived. “You get the bug, and it’s fun.

“It’s nice to get the exercise, but you also become aware of the damage that cars do to cities.”

Using cars simply costs cities more: more wear and tear on roads, more pollution, demand for more building and more sprawl. There’s lots of documentation showing that building more roads leads to more roads,” he said.

McHenry has long worked with city planners and engineers to help make Columbus more bike-friendly. While he believes paths like the Fall Line Trace will encourage more commuting by bike, he also advocates for more subtle changes like bike lanes and route signs.

He would like city planners to think in terms of destinations for bike riders in ways that connecting the various paths makes sense. “Often when we talk about bicycling or being more pedestrian-friendly, people think we’re just talking about more money for paths like the Fall Line Trace. That was a very expensive project, but what we really need are route signs, lanes and bike boulevards.”

The boulevards are mainly for bikes, though cars would also be welcome. Along with McHenry, many other local exercise enthusiasts are working on the advocacy level, promoting education, rules of the road and awareness.

Brent Buice, executive director of Georgia Bikes! in Athens, was in town in November to meet with about a dozen such advocates who want to make Columbus as bike-friendly as possible.

Buice, who said he’d never spent much time in this part of the state, was impressed by what he saw. “Half of the trips people take are under three miles,” he said in a recent interview, “and that’s a perfect distance for bicycling. Sixty percent of people say they’re interested in bicycling, but they’re concerned about safety.”

Like McHenry, he commutes to his job by bicycle. Yet on the national political level, he added, there’s not a big push for biking safety; it happens more on local and state levels.

“It’s incumbent upon citizens to make this an important priority,” he said.

In Georgia, three cities/towns are designated as bike-friendly cities by the League of American Bicyclists: Athens, Tybee Island near Savannah and Roswell in northwest Atlanta.

Columbus is at the beginning stages of receiving such a designation. McHenry is among those working on it. He named Chattanooga, Tenn. as a city comparable to Columbus that recently achieved this designation.

Buice is confident that Columbus will reach it. “With the energy and the things the city has already done to be bikefriendly, I think they will be one of the strongest (advocates) in Georgia in the next 10 years.”

To see this story complete with photos, pick up the latest issue of Columbus and the Valley
at a retail outlet near you, or click here to subscribe online so you’ll never miss a word.
Facebook fans click here to see the full magazine online.

Phone: 706-324-6214
E-mail: contactus@columbusandthevalley.com