News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville may become a designated part of a statewide bicycle route that runs from Memphis through Knoxville.
City Manager James Mills said they received a request from Bike Walk TN and the Adventure Cycling Association to add Cookeville as an official location on US Bicycle Route 80. Mills said joining the route could help the city get more grants to fund the addition of bike lanes for roads along the route.
“Our, I think commitment here is just to allow and designate a specific route through the city for this bike route,” Mills said. “If we choose to, we’re not required to I believe (with) the information I’ve read, we could provide signage along this route.”
Mills said joining the route should not prevent them from changing or improving any roads that are featured on it. After discussion with city council members, Mills said they will add a clause to the agreement ensuring they can alter the route or the roads on it as needed without any repercussions.
The council will consider a resolution to designate the bike route Thursday.
“This is what they say, ‘The route proposal is just that, a proposal,'” Mills said. “‘Local agencies will be the ones who determine the final routes as they are the ones who have to assure support for the route to T-DOT.'”
Mills said the route suggested avoids the city’s heavily traveled roads as much as possible.
“If you trace that on a map, and we’ll have something on the screen for you Thursday night, it appears to be about the safest way to get through the city,” Mills said.
Mills said the city has a history of working with cyclists to develop bike routes from their Bicycle and Pedestrian Circulation Plan.
“We got most of them signed that were designated in the plan as bike routes,” Mills said. “Course, that’s up to us. We can change those routes. With that one and the update we involved all the bicyclists to (learn) where do they ride and that’s what we tried to designate. It’s share the road, and that’s the same thing this would be. It’d be share the road.”
