Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Around the Block

Macon, Georgia, Striped a Good Network of Temporary Bike Lanes and Cycling Soared

1:04 PM EDT on June 28, 2017

Bicycle counts increased an astounding 800 percent after Macon installed a pop-up bike lane network. Image: Newtown Macon

What would it take to get people biking in midsized Macon, Georgia? Short, disconnected bike lanes haven't done much, but a recent experiment demonstrated the power of a safe, connected network of bike infrastructure.

Helena Kotala at Bicycle Times Magazine reports on Macon Connects, a project of the local non-profit Newtown Macon:

In the past, the city government had put up three non-contiguous blocks of bike lanes and then claimed no one rides. Macon Connects set out on a mission to change that perception. With eight miles of temporary bike lanes, the increase in bike traffic was astounding, proving that if you build it, they will ride.

This video from October gives a good look at the initiative:

Bicycle counters were set up along four streets where Macon Connects striped bike lanes. The average increase in bike traffic after the lanes were installed was more than 800 percent, according to Newtown Macon.

The trial, which cost $150,000, lasted two weeks, but it has resulted in some longer-term changes for the city, Kotala reports:

A few permanent bike lanes have already been built since the experiment, with plans for more on the way. Now, every time a road is repaved, it will be evaluated to see if a bike lane can be added. One of the city’s traffic engineers even volunteered his time to design a bike lane that connects four neighborhoods to downtown Macon, while a private donor paid for its installation.

More recommended reading today: The Political Environment reports that a federal court has blocked Wisconsin from using federal funds on a highway expansion the state justified with bad data. And Reinventing Parking says that even in places with no transit access, it's still beneficial to put a price on parking.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Why We Care About Some Transportation Tragedies More Than Others

Why do we respond to major transportation disasters with so much urgency — and why don't we count our collective car crash epidemic among them?

March 28, 2024

The Toll of History: MTA Board Approves $15 Congestion Pricing Fee

New York City's first-in-the-nation congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.

March 28, 2024

Take Thursday’s Headlines Home, Country Roads

Heat Map reports on why rural Americans are resisting electric vehicles, and why it might not matter much for the climate.

March 28, 2024

Guest Commentary: Traffic Engineers Must Put Safety Over Driver Throughput

No other field would tolerate this level of death and destruction. The tragedy of West Portal is more evidence that the traffic engineering profession is fundamentally broken.

March 27, 2024

Wednesday’s Headlines Missed Connection

The Biden administration is spending billions to reconnect neighborhoods torn apart by urban freeways. But the projects seem to simply paper over the problem, Governing reports.

March 27, 2024
See all posts