Ever take a bicycle tour in Tennessee? Ever think about bicycle travel there?
If so, then the Tennessee Department of Transportation would like your input on a survey about long-distance bicycle touring in the state.
The Volunteer State is updating its State Bike Route System and wants to know what people are looking for when they travel by bicycle there.
See the State Bike Route System survey here. It takes about 5 minutes to complete. By the way, Saturday is the deadline.
Many bike routes
Currently, the state lists about 40 long-distance bike routes on its website.
Those include the previous Bike Ride Across Tennessee (BRAT) routes, shown above, as well as dozens of shorter routes for day-long or weekend tours.
Also, the historic Natchez Trace Parkway runs from just south of Nashville to the Alabama border (and beyond). The Mississippi River Trail passes along the western border of the state, and the Adventure Cycling Association's Underground Railroad route passes through on its way from Mobile, Alabama, north to Ontario, Canada.
Motivation
The impetus for the survey might, in part, be Tennessee's status as an important crossroads on the U.S. Bicycle Route System. One east-west corridor, USBR 80 through Knoxville and Nashville, and two north-south corridors, USBR 25 and USBR 45 (through Memphis) pass through the state.
As this is an opportunity for the state to create bicycle routes to connect its major cities and historic landmarks, they want to involve the public to make sure they don't miss anything.
At its bike route website, the agency warns that none of the roads have special lanes for bicycles and are shared with cars, trucks and buses. The routes previously used by BRAT are signed and numbered, however.
Creation of the bike route system was a joint effort of the state departments of transportation, tourist development, and environment and conservation, as well as the Bicycle Clubs of Tennessee and the Bicycle Federation of Tennessee.
Historic trace
Many years ago, I spent a few days touring the Natchez Trace Parkway between Meriwether Lewis State Park and Tupelo, Alabama. I don't remember what gave me the idea, possibly a story I'd read about the historic nature of one of America's early byways. A portion of that early footpath has been retained as the Sunken Trace.
The Natchez Trace is a designated bicycle route. The National Park Service explains about bicycling on the Natchez Trace.
I did plenty of off-route cycling because huge chunks of the parkway weren't finished yet, and I wanted to check out the countryside around David Crockett State Park.
I thoroughly enjoyed bicycling touring in Tennessee and plan to tell them so when I fill out survey.
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