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Coastal public bikeway
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study set in motion
By Leslie Williams
A study to determine the likelihood of creating a public bikeway south of 1-10 from the Louisiana border to the Alabama border is underway, says Fred Wise, manager of transportation for the Gulf Regional Planning Commission (GRPC).
The study which began in early November should be completed in? approximately six months, says Wise.
The feasability of constructing the bikeway, and alternative routes will be determined in the study, asserts Wise, study, asserts Wise.
The study will be done by the GRPC and the Research Planning Institue (RPI), a consultant firm from New Orleans.
?The study calls for development of a plan which indentifies and locates alternative bike route locations and funding sources for both immediate bike safety programs and long range construction.
?If all goes as planned, a portion of the bikeways system could be financed by federal construction and demonstration project funds available through the Federal Highway Administration, The Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, or
the Department of Housing and Urban Development,? says Wise.
Information obtained in the study will be used to apply for federal grants to provide money to build bikeways in the future.
?We have an excellent chance of implementing the coastal bikeway,? exclaims Wise.
If the bike network is created, the network will be constructed in phases.
Criteria for determining which area will get bikeway segments first will be based on availability of monies and the ? demand for a bikeway by an area, explained Wise.
A series of meetings will occur in December to acquaint the public with the benefits of regional and local bikeway networks. A free showing of the film ?Bikeways- Let?s Get Serious? will be shown at the meetings.
?Most people don?t realize it,? says * Wise ?but when traveling less than five miles, the bicycle is the most efficient and economical form of transportation available.?
?It is fairly common knowledge that the average automible costs 15 cents per mile to operate, but few realize a bicycle only costs 1 cent per mile to ' own, operate and maintain,? he added.