Trail Types
Trails ATL is Planning Multi-Use Trails
Trails ATL is a plan for multi-use trails. Multi-use trails are designed for all ages, all abilities, and all Atlantans. This means trails that are usable for people who rely on wheelchairs or assistive devices, and people who walk, run, ride a bike, ride an e-bike, ride a scooter, roller skate, rollerblade, or any other active transportation. Non-wheelchair-accessible nature trails are also very important to the community. While the extension of Atlanta’s multi-use trail network can support nature trails, planning for nature trails is not directly considered in the Trails ATL plan.
Types of Multi-Use Trails
Multi-use trails connect you safely and enjoyably to your neighborhood parks, schools, and transit stops. They can also provide direct access to jobs, affordable housing, and fun destinations like recreation centers, restaurants, bars and retail districts.
Greenways are trails in natural parklike settings well away from vehicle traffic. They are typically the safest trail type because they are well away from vehicle traffic and many consider them to be the most inviting because of their natural settings.
Sidepaths are trails adjacent to streets with substantial physical barriers separating you from vehicle traffic. Wide landscape buffers are preferred, but two-way cycle tracks with substantial physical barriers between you and traffic could also be considered sidepaths.
On-Street Trail Supportive Infrastructure
Multi-use trails can also include supportive infrastructure. Because Atlanta is already very developed, we cannot always build beautiful greenways and spacious sidepaths. In these circumstances we use the existing road network to connect to places you want to go – still in a safe manner and comfortable for most trail users.
Streets for All have wheelchair-friendly pathways and bike/scooter lanes (also known as Light Individual Transport or LIT lanes). These lanes are typically within the roadway and have vertical guidance barriers such as flex posts but no physical barriers between trail users and traffic.
Shared Streets are low-traffic streets with sidewalks and striped unprotected bike lanes or pavement markings indicating that vehicle travel lanes are to be shared with bicycle and scooter riders.
