Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan 2005

EXISTING BICYCLE

and PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES

A review of existing bicycle and pedestrian facilities in the Middle Flint region reveals that facilities for cyclists are few while pedestrian facilities are fairly common in the region’s towns.

The only bicycle facilities in the region are represented by the designation of State Route (SR) 96 in Taylor County as State Bicycle Route (SBR) 40 and of US Highway (US) 41 in Crisp and Dooly Counties as SBR 15.  Four-lane sections of SR 96 in the western half of Taylor County contain dedicated bicycle lanes and safety signage; those portions of SR 96 in the eastern area of the county are currently under widening construction and will contain bike lanes and signage upon completion.  However, the US 41/SBR 15 facility contains no designated bicycle lanes and no safety signage.  Neither bicycle route contains any signage identifying them as designated state routes.  US 41 through Crisp and Dooly Counties has varying shoulder widths and slopes that would likely require reconstruction to incorporate dedicated bicycle lanes.

Pedestrian facilities are generally limited to sidewalks and walking trails within the region’s incorporated towns, although hiking and nature trails are found in Crisp County’s Georgia Veteran’s Memorial State Park and Macon County’s Whitewater Creek Park.  Existing sidewalks in the region typically emanate from a town’s historic commercial center and connect nearby historic neighborhoods; sidewalks have generally been properly maintained.  In the area’s larger towns, such as Americus and Cordele, sidewalks have been extended to include newer commercial areas.  The region’s communities generally recognize the value of sidewalks and many have utilized federal transportation enhancement (TE) funding to undertake pedestrian expansion and improvement projects.  Recently, the cities of Americus, Butler, Cordele, and Reynolds, and Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus have employed TE funding to improve and expand walkways, as well as provide some additional pedestrian-oriented amenities, such as benches, information kiosks, and small parks.  Georgia Southwestern, Butler, and Vienna have received additional TE funding for sidewalk expansion and improvements.

County	City/Area	Bike/Ped	Park/Facility	Facility Description
Crisp	Countywide	B	State Bicycle Route 15	Route follows US41 through county
Crisp	Cordele	P	Crisp County Hospital	Walking/jogging track
Crisp	Cordele	P	Williams Field Athletic Complex	Walking/jogging track
Crisp	Cordele	P	Crisp County High School	Walking/jogging track
Crisp	Cordele	P	Harmon Park	Walking/jogging track
Crisp	Cordele	P	Turner Park	Walking/jogging track
Crisp	Lake Blackshear	P	Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park	Yucca Trace (1 mile) and Lake Shore (1/2 mile) nature trails
Dooly	Countywide	B	State Bicycle Route 15	Route follows US41 through county
Dooly	Unadilla	P	Jewel Bowen Park	Walking/jogging track
Dooly	Vienna	P	Vienna Walking Track	Walking/jogging track
Dooly	Vienna	P	Vienna Elementary School	Walking/jogging track
Macon	Montezuma	P	Blacks Recreation Complex	Walking/jogging track
Macon	Montezuma vic.	P	Whitewater Creek Park	Walking/nature trail
Macon	Oglethorpe	P	Buck Creek Bypass Park	Walking/jogging track
Marion	Buena Vista	P	City Park	Walking/nature trail
Schley	Ellaville	P	Board of Education	Walking/jogging track
Sumter	Americus	P	Finklea-Robinson Field Track	Walking/jogging track
Sumter	Americus	P	Ga. Southwestern State University	Walking trail
Sumter	Americus	P	T. G. Barnum Senior Citizens Park	Walking trail
Sumter	Americus	P	Muckalee Creek Park	Walking trail
Sumter	Americus	P	W. L. Walton “Boone” Park	Walking trail
Taylor	Countywide	B	State Bicycle Route 40	Route follows SR 96 through county
Taylor	Butler	P	County Recreation Complex	Walking/jogging track
Taylor	Reynolds	P	Liberty Street Park	Walking/jogging track
Webster	Preston	P	Webster County Elem. School	Parking lot used as walking area

Pedestrian trails and tracks are found in each county and include small, variously paved ovals and meandering paths, and athletic tracks on active and defunct school campuses.  These facilities are found almost exclusively in the region’s towns, although the aforementioned state and county park nature trails are located in rural areas.  The tracks and trails are commonly utilized by fitness-minded residents for both walking and jogging.