1. Creating Bicycle Connectivity to the
Chattahoochee River
National Recreation Area
Hagen Thames Hammons
Transportation Planning Scholar
National Park Foundation
2. Outline
• Context
• Goals
• General Management Plan
• Route Elements & Types
• Unit to Unit Connectivity Studies
• Visionary Renderings
4. The purpose of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA)
is to lead the preservation and protection of the 48-mile section of the
Chattahoochee River corridor for the benefit and enjoyment of the people, and
to enhance visitor enjoyment of the open spaces by
adding land-based linear corridors
to link existing units of the recreation area.
5. Current CRNRA General Management Plan Zones
Management Zones are sensitive to certain
types of bicycle use and route type
GMP can be potentially revised to
accommodate this use
6. GOALS
1) Develop alternatives to inevitably link a proposed “CRNRA Bicycle
Route” throughout the corridor connecting all 15 land based units
through CRNRA lands and county/city infrastructure.
2) Eventually, over time, embrace a chosen route to connect safely
and directly to all CRNRA units.
A planned out route will serve these purposes:
▪ Sustainability: Due to continuous population growth, encourage people to
experience the park by bicycle rather than automobile.
**park gets an estimated 3.2 million annual visitors
▪ Bicycle Tourism: Connect to gateway communities helping grow
sustainable tourism and expand on growing bicycle culture.
▪ Urban Agenda: NPS current initiative to connect its more urban parks to the
gateway communities they serve and to be more relevant to the next
generations (presently the Millennials), as they are starting to cater to
alternate transportation modes.
▪ Bicycle Connectivity for All: Bicycle route connections to expanding
network, to city centers, and Safe Routes to Schools.
7. Route Types & Elements
Multi-Use Path
•8-12’
•Separate, but
parallel to roadway
Multi-Use Trail
•8-14’
•Totally separate &
away from road
Bicycle Boulevard
•on low-use
Collectors
•ideally <3K ADT
•Can work <5K ADT
•traffic calming
devices
