JoeyBike

So "A work in progress" but without the progress. I drove and walked around Greenville for two weeks. The steep hills, narrow streets, 2-lane highways, or 8-lane arterials, loooong traffic lights (90-120 seconds), heavy traffic, and very few bike lanes did not make me hopeful. Also, many neighborhoods are cul-de-sacs so wiggling around back streets would be impossible or add a hundred years to any commute. I know the Walgreens where they began the race and that route. E.North does have a "bike lane" - basically a sharrow stuck to the gutter as an afterthought, and from Walgreens it's mostly downhill to Park St. In fact, most of the cyclist's route was downhill. Also, I stayed on E. North for a week and noticed most casual cyclists using the sidewalks as that "bike lane" would be terrifying to more leisure desiring cyclists.

One last thought: Living even a 10-15 minute drive outside of town (in a car) compounds the problem. Steady flows of traffic on narrow 2-lane highways or 6-8 lane arterials with hundreds of driveways to stores and eateries. I saw ZERO cyclists on those types of roads. Some used sidewalks and I can't disagree. Also saw ZERO cyclists cued up at traffic lights along with auto traffic. I'm never taking a lane doing 6mph up a long, steep hill in a 45mph zone with no room for vehicles to pass. Traffic was already frustrating without some dude on a bike making it worse.

The link is much appreciated! It kinda confirmed what I observed. Even on Strava I can't find any cyclists who commute Greenville. That is a bad sign also.