TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — Two Leon County projects in the works are aimed at helping you get on your bike and to your destination with increased safety.
Jane Fletcher fell in love with cycling in Tallahassee.
"We have the canopy roads. We have clay roads. We have roads out in the country that are just beautiful," Fletcher said. "In town, we're getting better. "
That is why she is excited to see two projects are in the works to add multi-use paths within city limits.
"I do run errands on my bike when it is safe place to go but there are places where I don't feel like I can ride my bike." Fletcher said. "The multi-use paths will help that and make it more likely that I will run errands on my bike."
The Lake Jackson Greenway project broke ground on construction last week.
It aims to connect the Midtown area to North Tallahassee, making a pedestrian friendly path from Lake Ella to Lake Jackson.
Another project, the Thomasville Road Multi Use Path, has been in the works since 2020, but is not yet completed.
"All of those things will help people be able to connect from one place to another using some transportation other than a car," Fletcher said.
The Thomasville Road Multi-Use Path would give pedestrians and cyclists a path from Midtown to the Northeast side of town just south of I-10.
While Fletcher is a fan, not everyone is as thrilled.
In 2021, the Betton Hills Neighborhood Association released a statement against the project.
They wrote that they are for multi-modal transportation, but are against "...trail options on or beside Betton Hills streets..." and worry the traffic on Thomasville Road is too busy for a path.
Fletcher said the path will only make conditions safer for pedestrians and cyclists and not interfere with neighborhoods.
"One of the best things about multi use paths is that it separates pedestrians and cyclists from the car traffic and that increases safety for everybody," Fletcher said.
She is excited to see the capital city move toward a more walkable and bikeable infrastructure, like what is seen in European cities.
"It will also help the local businesses because people can get to them more easily," Fletcher said. "It's good for people's health to get outside more and get on a bike or walk and if it's convenient to do that, people will be more like to do it."
The Lake Jackson Greenway Project is set to be finished with construction next year.
The timeline for the Thomasville Road multi use path is still unclear.
