B1 – B6. Policies and Design Standards

B1. The City of Carrollton unanimously voted to approve the Complete Streets Policy in a resolution passed on December 14th, 2015. The city has not added any new roads since the Policy has been adopted, however,  all road topping projects have bike lanes, road applications, or bike friendly wide shoulders to accommodate cyclists and slow motorists. The city is also adding sharrow road markings to further accentuate the bicycle-friendly road design.


B6. In addition to hosting and participating in conferences, the city officials and the public had a chance to listen to the executive director of Path Foundation, Ed McBrayer, who also consulted on the construction of the Carrollton GreenBelt, and Greta de Mayo, an architect and urban planner who owns Kaizen Collaborative. Together, they presented ideas and features that could be added to public streets to accommodate bicycles and pedestrians, and make biking and walking safer. In 2016, PATH celebrated 25 years of service to the Georgia/South Carolina community as well as reaching a significant milestone of building over 250 miles of trail.

Local leaders also participated in a workshop led by Mark Fenton, nationally renowned public health, planning, and transportation consultant, who praised Carrollton’s progress to create a healthier community, and branded the city “a model where you can see what your funding is doing,”. Mr. Fenton participated in three Get Healthy Live Well Summits since 2014.

Walk audit during Mark Fenton’s visit to Carrollton / Photo courtesy of Melanie Boyd / Times-Georgian

B7 – B11. End-of-Trip Facilities

B7. End-of-trip facilities

Uncovered bike racks:
  • Trail:

  • On the square – each quadrant has a small bike rack for guests:

Covered bike racks:
  • Parking decks:
Covered bike rack in a parking deck downtown.
Bike corral:
  • City Hall:


B8. The subject of bike repair stations is currently under review. A few locations have been selected for future installation and the Friends of Carrollton GreenBelt are looking for sponsors to purchase the tool stations. We are hoping to have at least one station ready to celebrate Bike Month in May 2017.

There are currently 10 publicly accessible air pumps. All of them are located at the bike share stations. For locations, please refer to the Carrollton GreenBelt Map and “Bike Share Stations”.

Please follow Bike Carrollton news section and Facebook page for updates!


B9. The City does not have a formal policy to follow APBP guidelines, however, the standards are available to the city employees and the majority of the newly installed bike racks conform with the guidelines.


B11. Our community actively embraces bicycling and several private initiatives have been put in place to welcome bike travel to destinations around our city.

Community sponsored racks:
Buffalo Creek Nature Trail entrance. Local Master Gardeners and Native Plant Society created off-GreenBelt trail entrance and provided a bike rack for visitors on two wheels. Photo: FoCGB
Carrollton Elementary School bike rack getting full during October 2016 Walk & Roll Challenge (SRTS). The rack was installed during the Trojan Lane addition (see B19). Photo: FoCGB
Bike rack at Carrollton Middle School. Photo
  • Off-GreenBelt, in front of the public pool:
This bike rack was donated by West Georgia Cycling. Photo: FoCGB
  • Grocery stores:
Example of covered bike rack in front of Food Depot located in Maple Street Commons. Photo: FoCGB

B13. Off-Street Bicycle Facilities

The Carrollton GreenBelt

From Erica Studdard, City of Carrollton Community Development Director, and former Executive Director of Friends of carrollton greenbelt:

I first learned about the Carrollton GreenBelt when I moved here in 2004. I was a city planner who had just moved from Athens, Georgia. In the next seven years the GreenBelt concept- a 30-year plan for a bike trail encircling the city, remained alive and well, but we still did not have any trail on the ground. It was a really good idea, but it had no momentum. Public awareness for the project was moving just as slowly.

In April 2011, after attending a Park Pride conference in Atlanta, Laura Richards founded the Friends of Carrollton GreenBelt, a non-profit organization that partnered with the city to oversee the planning and construction of the Carrollton GreenBelt trail.  The assembled team included trail designers, representatives from the Community Foundation of West Georgia, city leaders, a real estate specialist, several local community activists, and Ed McBrayer, the Executive Director of the PATH Foundation.  McBrayer and his organization were the chief architects of the Silver Comet trail.  During one of the early meetings the board formulated a plan to  build the 16-mile loop by 2016.  Construction began in the summer of 2011.

Erica Studdard – Friends of Carrollton GreenBelt’s Executive Directior – leading a planning session in the field.

At the end of 2016 we closed both the 18-mile loop and a chapter on the single largest greenspace conservation and trail project the city has ever undertaken.  We surpassed our original goal by adding two additional miles of trail to the project.  I do not believe anyone anticipated the impact the GreenBelt would have on the local community.  

Features of the Carrollton GreenBelt:
  • 5 Trailheads with parking and other amenities (restrooms, water fountains).
  • At least 8 other parking locations – some with amenities.
  • Connects: several established neighborhoods; Carrollton City Schools; University of West Georgia; disc golf course; Lake Carroll docks and fishing; city parks, sports fields, public pool and playgrounds; Buffalo Creek Nature Walking Trail; churches; hospital campus of Tanner Medical Center; Housing Authority’s Elder and Disabled community; and industrial district.
  • Bike share stations – 9 out of 10 stations are located on the trail.
  • Other amenities provided or planned by the community: high school students work on butterfly garden (in the works for the spring), kayak ramp planned as boy scout project, and so on.
Little Free Library – school campus

To learn more about the Carrollton GreenBelt, please visit our website – here, and follow us on Facebook.


B13.b. The Carrollton GreenBelt crosses under 4 busy traffic corridors – Hays Mill Road, Newnan Road, Columbia Drive and Alabama Road, and, the “fan-favorite” covered railroad underpass.

Covered railroad underpass. Photo: FoCGB
Columbia Drive Underpass. Photo: FoCGB
Alabama Street Underpass. Photo: Vern Zander

Four other busy crossings feature new refuge islands and button activated crossing lights.

Finishing touches on the installation of the push button crossing lights – Hwy27.

Additional safety measure – chicanes were installed in several locations to slow down the approach to busy intersections.


B13c. Way-finding – mile markers and elevation are marked on every sign. Crossroads and other locations feature signage with notable destinations and distance to reach them. Signs also provide information on right of way.

“Cut-throughs” and access paths were added to connect several neighborhoods with the trail. Notable ones include school access through Amy Lane and Nixon Street, and Avalon Drive spur connecting low-income and housing authority community to the trail.

Trail rules and etiquette are posted on trailheads and in parks the trail is passing through. The information is also available on CarrolltonGreenBelt.com.


B13d. The trail is maintained by the Parks and Facilities Department. Repairs are performed as needed, typically within a week of complaint. Information on reporting damage is available online. In addition to the Parks and Recreation’s department, there is an active volunteer program based on a Adopt-A-Trail model. The program is managed by Keep Carroll Beautiful (KCB), a local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Please read the letter of support from Lindsay Pfau, the Executive Director of KCB.


B14 – B17. On-Street Bicycle Facilities

The total centerline mileage of road network in the City of Carrollton is 141 . Out of those:

mph <20 mph <25 <30 <35 <40 45+
miles 3.8 43.01 9.8 55 4.5 18.4
Carrollton Speed Limit Map. Source: City Hall / FoCGB

Under 25

University of West Georgia Campus – woonerf

Car free zone and woonerf are in place on the University of West Georgia Campus. The former is located between University Dr. and Back Campus Dr. and the latter is on Front Campus Dr. Please see the campus map.

Campus Map. Source: UWG
Front Campus Drive. Source FoCGB

From UWG Perspective:

According to Brendan Bowen, assistant vice president of Campus Planning & Facilities, CP&F has actively partnered with Parking and Transportation Services, community stakeholders, and design experts to develop a safe and efficient infrastructure for biking on campus under UWG President Kyle Marrero’s leadership

Back Campus Drive. Photo: Tim McWhorter

More on the Back Campus Drive project here.

Source: UWG
Source: UWG

From UWG Campus Planning & Facilities:

  • Back Campus Drive will be ONE WAY running east to west starting just beyond Pub and Print Drive. (Refer to attached map).  It will exit into Parker Drive on the west end, and access is prohibited from Parker Drive.
  • Please observe a speed limit of 15 MPH at all times and be aware that the drive is intended for shared use by pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles.
  • We are installing traffic gates at each end in late September.  Until then, we are restricting traffic to faculty/staff parking and service vehicles.  In the interim, P&T will place barricades and signs to restrict through-traffic.  This rule will be strictly enforced 24/7 until the gates are installed.
  • There are a limited number of faculty spaces in the new design.   Please keep in mind that these spaces will likely be filled early in the morning, and for the safety of pedestrians, we discourage repeated searching for parking during peak pedestrian hours (9 am to 3 pm).
  • All parking spaces are designed for BACK-IN PARKING.  A diagram is attached and will be placed at each parking zone with instructions.     Please do not attempt to park in the usual head-in manner.
  • During the month of September, we will complete installation of light poles, landscaping, and site furnishings.   We may need to close the drive to vehicular traffic for brief periods, and we will notify campus if this is required.
  • Transit bus service should begin a route on Back Campus Drive with a stop at the library in late September.   Official announcements will come from Parking and Transportation.
Constructing the UWG woonerf. Photo: UWG
 Bike lane – West Georgia Drive, University of West Georgia

West Georgia Drive is the main campus street of the Universtity of West Georgia. Bike lanes are available on both side of the street. More info on the bike lane project at the UWG Website – here.


25-35 mph. Please see the street improvements below.


B18 – B20. Other Bicycle Accommodations

B18. How has your community calmed traffic?

Altered road layout: Newnan Street, Birkdale Boulevard, Rome Street.
  • Newnan Street streetscape changed to more walkable and bikable with the addition of wide sidewalks and pocket park in the business district. The pocket park houses a covered bike share station. The adjacent parking deck features covered bike rack on main level.
Photo: Google Street View
  • Birkdale Boulevard is a main artery of a residential neighborhood. To calm traffic, median was added to the road and speed-feedback signs were installed.
Birkdale Blvd – before – Source: Google Street View
Birkdale Blvd – after – source: City Hall
Birkdale Blvd – after – source: City Hall
  • A section of the Carrollton GreenBelt runs alongside Rome Street. The street was narrowed to accommodate the share use path and new landscaping was added.
Rome Street – before. Photo: Google Street View
Rome Street – after. Photo FoCGB

Road diets – Newnan Street, Rome Street,
  • Newnan Road went through a road diet resulting in reduction of travel lanes from two to one each direction. Wide, ridable shoulders were added.
Source: Google Street View

Lane Diets – Stewart Street, Austin Avenue,
Photo: Google Street View

Stewart Street before:Stewart Street After: 


Speed feedback signals

10 speed feedback signs have been installed in the community. Locations include Maple Street, Rome Street, Forrest Drive, Birkdale Avenue, Hays Mill Road.

Speed Feedback Signs – Source: FoCGB

B19. In what other ways has your community improved riding conditions and amenities for on-street bicyclists?

Both the Carrollton Elementary School and the University of West Georgia have recently (2016 and 2015, respectively) removed on street parking and replaced it with buffered bike lanes.

The Mayor, Walt Hollingsworth, School Superintendent, Dr. Mark Albertus, school board and donors – Grillo and Fulford Families, cut ribbon on the Trojan Lane Opening. The Trojan Lane now provides safe access to Carrollton Elementary School and feeds into Safe Routes To School network!

Trojan Lane. Photo: FoCGB


B21. Bike Sharing

Zagster Bike Share

More info on the bike share here. Our reveal post here.

Video of the ribbon cutting:

https://www.facebook.com/timesgeorgian/videos/1218940924841327/

The Zagster bike share was made possible by sponsors, who funded 100% of the program. This is a short term, app/GPS enabled system that operate 50 bikes and 10 stations. The Tanner Health System, Southwire Company and University of West Georgia provide free membership for their employees and students. The bike share is also available to the public – yearly membership costs $25 dollars and monthly $15. The membership entitles users to one hour of free service, with each additional hour charged at $3.

Between February 3 (launch) and February 7, the average number of rides a day was 30.  So far the system registered 159 active users. Please reach out to us for up to date reporting!


B22 – B23. Other Bicycle-Related Amenities

B22. The Carrollton GreenBelt’s main loop is 16.3 miles long and is the longest paved loop in Georgia! The skate park, located in East Carrollton Park,  is not only bike-friendly, but is also located just off the GreenBelt, as are the University of West Georgia’s three miles of nature trails. The trails can be accessed by mountain and fat tire bikes. Check out the trail map here.

Skatepark / Photo: City of Carrollton
UWG Nature Trails / UWG

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