Decatur’s commission approved an agreement between the city and the PATH Foundation to develop a master plan for a bicycle/pedestrian network.
The last two decades have seen the creation of many protected bike lanes within city limits. The Atlanta-Stone Mountain PATH has run through Decatur’s center for 25 years, and in the future the city’s planning protected bicycle lanes on North McDonough Road, Church Street and Commerce Drive.
Further, East Decatur Greenway is close to opening a one-mile PATH trail from South Columbia Drive to College Avenue, which eventually will connect to the overpass leading to the Avondale MARTA Station.
According to Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon the collaboration with PATH will ultimately connect all these trails within the city and possibly to trails leading to Emory University and the Beltline.
“This network won’t be just for recreation,” Saxon said. “The main thing, we want people of all ages to feel comfortable using bikes for transportation.”
Saxon added the entire timeline for the project may span 10 years, and the cost is unknown. The cost for just developing the master plan is $24,200 with PATH offering to fund half of that.
About the Author
