Published: October 29, 2009 10:41 pm      

Ashland buses become bike friendly

Racks added, recreation trails completed

ASHLAND — Ashland officials have taken another pedal forward in making Ashland a more bike-friendly city.

Two new city buses recently added to the fleet have been retro-fitted with bicycle racks, according to ABS Administrator Lorraine Woolery.

Woolery said the buses are in service on the Catlettsburg and 13th Street routes.

There are no additional fees to stow a bike on the rack while riding the public transit sytem but the rider is responsible for putting it on the rack, according to Woolery.

“We thought it was an excellent opportunity to become more bicycle friendly,” she said.

The new buses cost $170,284 together while the bicycle racks cost $1,500 each. Both were paid in full by funds from the Federal Transit Administration.

Commissioner Cheryl Spriggs, who has been an advocate of making Ashland more bicycle friendly and, specifically, the Ashland Recreation Trail Route initiative, praised the addition of racks.

Spriggs said the move will both encourage and assist Ashland residents in embracing healthier lifestyles and improve safety.

“With us having bad air here and obesity problems, it’s just a healthy opportunity for everybody,” she said.

Spriggs said the racks will also allow riders who live further out in the city to catch a bus downtown where they can then ride on the recreation trails or to other destinations downtown.

She said the downtown area is a popular destination for bikers not only because of the trails but because the terrain is flat and roadways are generally viewed as safer for riding.

Ashland is finishing work on the first half of its planned recreational trail route, which will create a loop through downtown and the east central neighborhood.

Phase one is fully paved but workers are still erecting signage on the route. It runs from seventh to 35th streets.

The trail from 7th Street to 15th Street runs on the riverside of the floodwall. At the Transportation Center the route moves inside the floodwall, where it follows Front Street until 18th Street. At 18th Street, the path transfers to the alley between Greenup Avenue and Front Street until 23rd Street where it returns to Front Street.

The path then follows Front Street five blocks before again moving to the alley between Front Street and Greenup for another block.

From 29th to 32nd streets the path is along Front Street, then from 32nd to 35th it follows the old Greenup Avenue.

Phase two of the project will connect the existing trail from 35th Street along Winchester Avenue to the east end of Chatteroi Street. Beginning at Chatteroi the route would travel through Railroad Avenue, crossing 29th Street and extending through Mayo Plaza to 18th Street.

Plans are also in the works to continue the trail to the Ashland Town Center.

CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.