I'm sure everyone is aware of the potential to put in a multi-purpose trail from Easley to Pickens along the old rail bed. It would be similar to the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville. I'm sure many of us have driven all the way to Greenville to use the trail and would really support a trail in this community. Talk to your friends and neighbors and get their support. There is a meeting Thursday at the Pickens County Museum at lunch to hear about the Master Plan. Theresa and I attended the meeting tonight and it was pretty informative.
Totally FOR it. I hope this works out!!!
I never expected much opposition to the trail but there appears to be some. http://www.facebook.com/PickensDoodleRailsToTrailsJustSayNo
Let's all try and focus on the positive aspects that this could bring to the community and make it happen. As many people as possible should try and attend the Council meeting. I will try to find the dates and times.
FWIW I attended the Bike Easley meeting at the city council meeting last night. The first thing I noticed is the cyclist and runners were badly under-represented. If we as a community want a project like this to work, we need to get involved. The city leaders want to make Ealey a "Bike Friendly" city but they need our support. The bike paths that have been installed need to be used. We really need to make our presence known. I am as equally frustrated as the rest of you as the paths lead to nowhere and dump you into dangerous areas. I briefly mentioned that the big picture needs to be paths without boundaries from community to community but their big focus appeared to be a path from Brushy Creek Baptist Church to Pope field. I am big supporter of any walking path but I am concerned that this may be another expensive "path to nowhere" that is poorly travelled and gives the opposition more ammunition in their "fight against multi-purpose paths"
I have always been a big advocate of "do it once, do it right, and move on". We really need to band together and make a strong push for the local governments to work together and provide Greenspace for our children. A multi-purpose path between Easley and Pickens seems like a great opportunity but without our presence at the meetings and show of support, I'm afraid our local leaders will continue to take the path of least resistance.
I know about the very abbreviated section of bike path along, what is that, 135? It was used in the MAC ride on the way in. Like you said, a path to nowhere. Are there other paths? I'd sure like to use them...if they led somewhere.
Agreed, we need to rep. Maybe we can rally a group of folks together for the next meeting?
If you go to BikeEasley.com and download the Master Plan, it is in chapter 3. I had a hard time finding it because the link was hidden in a banner on my browser. I just checked and it shows up better now.
A city email announced this:
The City is ready to embark on the next phase of the Brushy Creek Greenway. There will be a Special Called meeting/workshop next Monday, March 25, 2013 @ 5:30 pm. The meeting will take place at City Hall in the Council Chambers. The meeting is open to the public.
Is this part of the bikeeasley stuff?
- itri -
I'm not sure. I knew there was going to be a meeting on Monday and thought it was a BikeEasley meeting but it looks like Council will be there to announce the start of the Greenway. I had planned to attend the meeting anyway. One of the things we really need is a group of local cyclist to represent our interest. It could be a sub-committee of the Y-race team or even the entire group. Some of the local leaders consider cyclist to be road hazards and nothing but a nuisance.
I find it a little interesting that they called the group The Bicycling and Pedestrian Group and not BikeEasley. I may be reading too much into it, but Greenville recently change their emphasis to include pedestrians. The reality is theses paths are better for walking and running that cycling anyway. As a cyclist we will continue to need safe, shared roads.
I would expect to hear nothing more than a sentence or two about the "Doodle Rail Project" unless there has been a major break through or there are some outspoken anti-trail people at the meeting who will mention how bad the idea is.
It's official, Easley and Pickens are now co-owners of the property, I am very excited to see this happen.
http://easley.patch.com/articles/easley-pickens-purchasing-former-rail-line
Cool! Do you think it will be wide enough to actually bike on (while others are walking/jogging)? It would be great to incorporate this into future 5k/10k races. or maybe use the whole thing for a half marathon.
Absolutely it will be wide enough. One of the early mistakes in the SWT was the narrow areas. It is better to learn from other peoples mistakes than repeat them. My major reservation with the Greenway project is how narrow it will be in order to come within budget. It is also another road to nowhere. The Doodle Rail will be different. It will be a lot cheaper to build a wide trail over a pre-existing rail bed than an elevated path over a swamp. This will be a great place to hold a half marathon but even nicer to give the community a great place to walk or ride their bikes. Especially the ones that don't have the ways and means to go to Greenville. I run through the Railroad St area a couple times a week. I almost always see young kids riding their bikes on a dangerous road with blind curves. They frequently engage in impromptu bike races and often chase me on their bikes. Having access to a trail for them would be priceless
This is the last item on city council's agenda at the meeting tonight:
11. RESOLUTIONS: Resolution No. 2013-12: To award a contract to Alta Planning and Design in an amount of $43,800 to complete a feasibility study for the Doodle Line
This is the last item on city council's agenda at the meeting tonight: 11. RESOLUTIONS: Resolution No. 2013-12: To award a contract to Alta Planning and Design in an amount of $43,800 to complete a feasibility study for the Doodle Line
Still going to be a long process but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Alta comes with a good resume including the Silver Comet trail. At some point during he winter we need to consider a 5k or another run to raise awareness and funding for the trail.
I think that's a fantastic idea... a night run would be neat. Maybe Kevin can lend us some of the fire trucks and we can get area law enforcement and med emer to assist. They're good guys. A race for a good cause and good guys supportIng it ought to bring the people in.
There's an industrial park in Liberty that is fairly undeveloped...event location possibility?
The trail is moving along. There will be a public meeting at the Pickens Y in Nov. If you have any ideas or just want to show support, stop by.
http://www.cityofpickens.net/news-board/