Bicycle Lanes Connect Mercer to Downtown Macon

Bike lanes are being rolled out in Macon this week connecting cyclists safely between downtown and Mercer Village. In a collaboration between the City of Macon and Mercer University through the College Hill Alliance, the bike lanes are a pilot to promote alternative forms of transportation. This public/private partnership provides outside funding with in kind services of engineering and construction to complete this project.

The bike lanes being implemented are sharrows, a series of roadway markings and signage that promotes awareness of cyclists to vehicular traffic. Both the signs and the markings will start to go up Monday, May 24 and should be finished by the end of the week. There is no need for vehicles to avoid the sharrows, instead they are intended to raise awareness and provide safer access to roadways for bicycles.

“Bike lanes are a sign of a progressive and creative community, and this project demonstrates that Macon is one of those communities,” said Mayor Robert Reichert. “I want to thank Mercer University and the Knight Foundation for their partnership and commitment to our first neighborhoods through the College Hill Corridor effort. Macon will continue to be revitalized through joint projects such as this one we are starting today”

“One of the key components of the College Hill master plan is to create more bicycle-friendly neighborhoods between the Mercer campus and downtown,” said Mercer President William D. Underwood. “This is a positive first step toward realizing that objective, and we appreciate the City of Macon’s contributions to a project that I believe will demonstrate how well bicycles can contribute to the transportation mix for our community.”

“A goal of the College Hill Corridor Master Plan is to promote an urban bicycling culture and invite citizens to get out of their cars and ride their bikes through Macon’s historic neighborhoods to a variety favorite downtown destinations including retail shops, restaurants, museums, and recreation areas,” said Pat Madison, Executive Director of the College Hill Alliance.  Sharrows offer a low-cost opportunity to raise motorist’s awareness to the presence of bicyclists and provide safer routes for riding.”

The College Hill Corridor is a joint effort of the City of Macon and Mercer University to improve the area between the campus of Mercer University and downtown Macon. The College Hill Alliance is funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and is tasked with implementing the College Hill master plan, bike lanes are an aspect of this plan. For more information about the College Hill Corridor visit www.collegehillmacon.com .