Biker and Jogger vs. Driver: A Race to Piedmont Park (2024)

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34 Responses to “Biker and Jogger vs. Driver: A Race to Piedmont Park”

1. Ted says:

   October 13, 2012 at 4:56 pm

   My 10 year-old and I biked the entire way from just outside downtown Decatur to Piedmont Park and back yesterday. I think the beltline is a truly fantastic addition to Atlanta. Great way to get around town and get some exercise, and there are a lot of cool sculptures being built along the way.

   I am really looking forward to seeing the finished product.

   • Decatur Metro says:

     October 13, 2012 at 5:03 pm

     Cool! What route did you guys take?

     • Ted says:

       October 14, 2012 at 7:57 am

       We went along Ponce (using sidewalks, mostly) to Clifton then hopped on the PATH to Freedom Park where it joins the beltway. Along the beltway until it ended at Monroe. Back again, with a couple of detours (like a stop at SAVI market for a snack for the exhausted boy).

       Agree with Chris’s post about needing a better route on Ponce. The other option is to take the PATH along Howard/Dekalb to Maclendon, take Maclendon and Clifton to the Freedom trail. While Maclendon doesn’t have a dedicated bike lane, it’s less heavily trafficked than Ponce, but does through a few more hills in.

2. Swillard says:

   October 13, 2012 at 5:14 pm

   I have commuted the 5 miles from Oakhurst to work (Pylant St) by bike for over 50% of the time this year. I have resisted the temptation to use the imcomplete path, but starting Monday, I will be using the new Eastside Trail. It will add about .3 of a mile, but should reduce my commute time by eliminating several stop lights. Very psyched.

3. Chris says:

   October 13, 2012 at 8:39 pm

   Now, if someone could just come up with a solution to get from West Ponce where the bike path ends to the start of the path at DeepDene Park. So far my solution is the sidewalk, but its uneven and sometimes barely wide enough.

   • ww says:

     October 14, 2012 at 9:07 am

     I bike commute from Decatur to Piedmont Hospital 2-3x a week. I am looking forward to trying the new route.

     The segment to the Deepdene is the least pleasant of the entire trip. I wish the sidewalk was at least in good shape. I have cut a tire at the broken spots.

     • Barry says:

       October 14, 2012 at 5:17 pm

       Hi “ww”: It depends on where you start in Decatur, and I do not know your usual route . . . but a non-direct start might help avoid that cluster*&#! that is the W. Ponce-Scott-Parkwood-Artwood intersection.

       You could take the west part of Commerce south (new bike lane) to the PATH on Howard (braving the Atlanta Ave.-Adair silliness) then connect to McLendon from Rockyford. A link to a route: http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/downtown-decatur-to-peidmont-hospital. This is less added mileage than it first appears.

       See Also

       Form DEF 14A Broad Street Realty, For: May 29Journal articles: 'Starr Broadcasting Group' – Grafiati

       • At Home in Decatur says:

         October 14, 2012 at 6:46 pm

         If cycling from West Commerce to Howard, do you still have to lift your bike up over the curb to get up onto the bike path? Or is there a curb ramp now? The lack of a curb ramp on the bike path side at that intersection has discouraged me in the past, especially if cycling with kids.

         • Scott says:

           October 14, 2012 at 8:15 pm

           There’s a ramp now.

           • At Home in Decatur says:

             October 14, 2012 at 8:40 pm

             Wow. Life is good.

       • TeeRuss says:

         October 15, 2012 at 8:44 am

         Also, this may seem counter-intuitive, but taking Oakview-Hosea Williams is a safe and relatively easy alternative to McLendon and the Freedom Park trails. If you cross under the tracks at Rocky Ford and take Howard west from there, it runs into Hosea at Kirkwood, and you have a bike lane from there. This is better for folks just heading downtown, but might be worth looking at if you are headed to southern parts of midtown.

         http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Decatur-to-Downtown

         • glockenspieler says:

           October 15, 2012 at 12:41 pm

           This is exactly my route to work in the morning and I quite enjoy it, and the hill leading up to kirkwood is nice to help me warm up on a chilly morning. The big problem with Hosea is that they won’t clear the debris from the bike path until sometime in spring, if the last couple of years are any indication. This makes the bike lane on Hosea pretty unusable in some places for a good part of the winter.

           Google maps suggested this route to me and I think their bike routing has continued to improve, although they do currently recommend a bone head route from Decatur to Tech so it isn’t without some limitations.

     • HistoryJoe says:

       October 15, 2012 at 11:37 pm

       WW, when you get close to Deepdene Park, just take N. Ponce Ave (the little residential street to the north of the park) — very tranquil and don’t think it would add more than 20 linear feet to your trip

   • KC Boyce says:

     October 14, 2012 at 10:44 am

     I know this is on the Active Living Board’s radar, but since its outside of the city limits, it’s a DeKalb County/GDOT thing as I understand it. If you feel so inclined to contact “the authorities” about your support, they’re the ones to contact…

     • Decatur Metro says:

       October 14, 2012 at 12:45 pm

       Is there anything else COD can be doing to facilitate the process?

       • KC Boyce says:

         October 15, 2012 at 8:14 am

         Good question – I’m sure Bill Adams or Greg White can address more comprehensively.

4. swillard says:

   October 15, 2012 at 9:14 am

   If you cycle around Atlanta you may find the following smart phone app very useful. It is found here:

   http://cycleatlanta.org/

   A neighbor of mine who works for Atlanta Regional Commission pointed it out to me.

   It does report data back to City of Atlanta and you can add comments about problems such as pot holes, bad interchanges, etc.

   Really looking forward to using it.

5. Dana Blankenhorn says:

   October 15, 2012 at 11:19 am

   DeKalb Ave. is safer than y’all think. You can take it from downtown Decatur all the way into the Inman Park station, then hit Edgewood. Don’t know what we’re going to do when the Edgewood bridge comes down, but the Beltline makes a good option north-south.

   • glockenspieler says:

     October 15, 2012 at 12:48 pm

     I really think that cyclists should avoid Dekalb Ave, both directions but I think going east on Dekalb is sheer insanity. Cars are too fast, and there is just no place to go in several places. Maybe on a weekend morning, but definitely not during the week.

     I had not heard about the Edgewood bridge issue until just doing a search now. Yeah, that’s going to kinda suck… But then Edgewood into downtown has been a nightmare of construction for a while…

     • J_T says:

       October 15, 2012 at 12:55 pm

       I get scared driving on Dekalb Ave, let alone thinking about biking it.

       • Coconuts says:

         October 17, 2012 at 3:41 pm

         Same.

   • Stationary Dave says:

     October 15, 2012 at 4:27 pm

     Good luck to you but, no, I’ll stay off of DeKalb Avenue and any street where vehicles are going faster than 35.

   • bicycle commuter says:

     October 15, 2012 at 7:34 pm

     With going on 13 years experience cycling and bicycle commuting I stay far, far away from Dekalb Ave. Too many pot holes, cars drive way over the speed limit, and there are two roads that run parallel to it that are much safer even though they may be 1/2 a mile out of the way to get to.

6. swillard says:

   October 15, 2012 at 1:21 pm

   There are may reasons that DeKalb Avenue is marked red on ABC’s bicycling suitability map. I kind of feel that bicyclists who insist on riding this road during rush hour not only are taking an unnecessary risk with their own lives but they are essentially flipping the bird to all the motorists, too. This is why I will not ride DeKalb. There are many ways to be a courteous bicyclist and one is choosing a proper route.

7. Toml says:

   October 15, 2012 at 2:32 pm

   I agree that there are suitable alternatives to DeKalb Av. but see no reason a cyclist should not use it when they choose. I’d ride there more often if the pavement was not so chopped up.

   Great to see comments by so many commuters and others out enjoying the city by bike.

   There will be a 7:30 meeting of Bike Decatur, a local advocacy group, on Thursday, Oct 18 at Harbour House. Come over and meet your neighbors and get to know some of the movers and shakers who are working to improve cycling in Decatur.

   • J_T says:

     October 16, 2012 at 4:17 pm

     You “see no reason a cyclist should not use it when they choose.” That’s a nice, idealistic attitude. Unfortunately, when ideals and SUVs collide, my money will be on the SUV every time.

     • toml says:

       October 16, 2012 at 5:36 pm

       I happen to be a nice person with an idealistic attitude.

       Without being too personal, I would appreciate it if you and FM Fats would back off. I feel like you two have recently misconstrued my posts and I do not appreciate these attacks. Maybe we could discuss over a beer some time.

       • J_T says:

         October 16, 2012 at 6:16 pm

         I’m really not sure what you think I misconstrued or what you perceived as an attack. If you are referring to my statement just above, I’m not sure that a discussion would do much good because I don’t see how you could characterize it that way. On the other hand, I’m pretty flexible when it comes to beer.

8. bicycle commuter says:

   October 15, 2012 at 7:43 pm

   I do have a question regarding the pathway in front of GA Power’s abandoned warehouse space. It could connect Howard/W.College and Rogers St in Kirkwood. One can access it at Rogers Street but it dead ends with a fence. What are the possibilities of finishing off the connection to Howard/W College? This would save having to ride through “downtown” Kirkwood and give people a safer alternative to Dekalb Ave when the “PATH” turns at RockyFord.

   • TOK says:

     October 16, 2012 at 9:00 am

     There is a dirt path running parallel to the RR tracks that goes from the end of W College (go through the gravel parking lot first) across to the warehouse space you’re talking about, right next to Rogers. I usually take Hosea, but that route isn’t bad either. I wouldn’t do it with a super-skinny-tired road bike, but with anything a bit more rugged (doesn’t need to be a mountain bike) you should be fine. There is enough room to get through the fence pretty easily, with a bike or on foot.

     • bicycle commuter says:

       October 20, 2012 at 1:01 pm

       Thanks TOK, I tried it out today. I was on the road bike and said what the heck and was able to pedal through the gravel and dirt trail. Will most likely only use it when on the cross bike next time. It kind of adds a little adventure to the city.

       • TOK says:

         October 20, 2012 at 8:35 pm

         Oh, you’re welcome. Glad to hear you liked it. It’s nice to have lots of alternative routes back and forth, just to keep things interesting.

9. Chris says:

   October 16, 2012 at 12:23 pm

   Here’s a work around I have used a number of times but it does increase the time needed.
   Go east on West Ponce to a L on Upland (or East Parkwood) cross over above the park to W Parkwood (shorter than EP), bike up hill to East Lake, turn R, fairly level path to Ridgecrest, L on Ridgecrest to McLendon, nice downhill and then uphill and through the light at Clifton, R turn on Candler Park Dr til you hit the Freedom park bike path.

   Using glockenspieler’s rosy outlook, you will be quite warmed up when you get there.

   • smith says:

     October 16, 2012 at 4:07 pm

     I live on E. Parkwood and that is the exact route I follow when I ride to work in downtown Atlanta. The section on E. Lake is the only dicey part, especially when getting over to the left lane to make the left on Ridgecrest. People drive FAST on E. Lake. Other than the brutal hills the McClendon section is pretty nice.