Did you know that Athens is designated as a Bicycle-Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists? We’re well known for our thriving bike community and, with Athens-Clarke County steadily expanding dedicated infrastructure like bike lanes and multi-use trails, we’re making progress toward becoming a great place to ride.
Check out local infrastructure such as the recently-installed Prince Avenue bike lanes, which help protect bicyclists and other vulnerable road users. Though a temporary design is still in place, more permanent infrastructure is on its way. Georgia law does not require cyclists to use bike lanes, so you’re permitted to depart from the bike lane when necessary to make a turn or avoid roadway hazards.
Bike boxes are another great example of bike-friendly infrastructure that Athens has added in recent years. These green painted boxes on the pavement provide a dedicated place for people on bikes to wait before turning left or proceeding straight. You can find examples at the intersection of Prince Avenue and Barber Street, Pulaski Street and Hancock Avenue, and on the UGA campus.
While main roads aren’t always great for cycling, especially for people who aren’t yet comfortable in traffic, Athens has many neighborhood routes that make for a safer and more comfortable ride.
Prefer to bike, walk or roll entirely separated from car traffic? Athens has opportunities for both multi-use trail riding and mountain biking (see a full list of parks and trails below). When using the Greenway or Firefly Trail, be sure to use good trail etiquette by keeping at least one ear free from ear buds, maintaining a reasonable speed, and warning others if you’re about to pass them, either by using a bike bell or simply calling out a friendly but loud “On your left!”
No matter where you’re riding, wear a helmet, stay off the sidewalk if you’re over the age of 12, and use a white front light and red rear light or reflector when riding in low-light conditions. Make sure you signal your turning and stopping intentions when riding on the road, and obey all traffic laws, signs and signals, including yielding to pedestrians. All buses operated by Athens Transit and UGA feature easy-to-use, secure bike racks; your driver will be happy to help you figure out how to load and unload your bike.
Biking Around Town
Getting to Downtown:
– From Five Points: Lumpkin Street will get you there and back with conventional (unprotected by physical separations from cars) bike lanes; it’s hilly!
– From Normaltown: Two routes are suggested here. Take Talmadge Drive and cut over through the hospital to Cobb or Hill streets until you reach the Prince Avenue protected bike lane; or take Oglethorpe Avenue (which becomes Satula once you cross over Prince) north to Boulevard, from which you can use Lyndon or Grady avenues to get to the Prince bike lanes.
– From South Campus: East Campus Road has a parallel multi-use path from Milledge Avenue to E. Green Street. Most of the remainder of E. Campus Road has unprotected bike lanes, but be aware that there are a few gaps where bicyclists must use the vehicle lane.
– From the East Side: Whit Davis Road, Barnett Shoals Road and College Station Road have unprotected bike lanes; the North Oconee River Greenway, accessed via Carriage Lane or the water treatment plant off of College Station, connects to the Firefly Trail at Lexington Road and in Dudley Park (the Firefly gets you close, but not all the way into, downtown). Riverbend Road has a comfortable and semi-protected bike lane, but be ready for a climb! From Riverbend, take College Station to the E. Campus Road multi-use path toward downtown.
Parks and Trails
- Oconee Rivers Greenway Trails System provides a family-friendly multi-use path with 3.1 miles of natural surface hiking-only trails and 8 miles of concrete, multi-use trails that are designated for non-motorized use.
- Walker Park is known for its mountain bike trails with varying difficulty levels.
- Dudley Park has a multi-use loop trail that is great for beginners, and a bridge over Trail Creek near Dudley Park pays homage to the historic train trestle pictured on the back cover of R.E.M.’s Murmur album.
- Oconee Forest Park’s gravel and dirt trails near UGA’s east campus are open from sunrise to sunset. Bikes are not allowed on some sections.
- Firefly Trail provides a separated and relatively flat corridor for biking and walking heading east from downtown Athens; the gap between Hancock Road and the charming city of Winterville should be completed sometime in 2026. When the entire project is finished (longterm), the Firefly will eventually span 39 miles through Athens-Clarke County, Oglethorpe County and Greene County.
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