When our children ask to ride their bikes, we’re faced with a tough reality; Athens has few safe, designated places for it. Most outdoor amenities cater to specific groups like golf, fishing, or organized sports, leaving families and children with limited, disconnected options for recreation. It isn't uncommon to see parents with strollers navigating along busy roads due to a lack of sidewalks. No resident should have to feel that risky endeavor.

Athens has the natural beauty and space to become a true outdoor recreation destination. By developing a connected network of multi-use trails, expanded sidewalks, and bike lanes, we can transform how residents move and play. These improvements would allow children to ride safely, parents to enjoy recreation without worry, and seniors to stay active close to home. 

The idea of this petition is to draw awareness, reinforce our desire, and to help shape the development.

Cain Park, for example, has incredible potential but is not being used to its fullest. The park’s open space could become a vibrant hub for residents, yet much of its outdoor area sits underdeveloped and abandoned. There are two neglected tennis courts, one of which is taped off and unusable space, one of these could be repurposed for skate and BMX park. There are large open areas, multiple dilapidated baseball fields unused, and scattered disc golf baskets, which I've never seen used. These features could easily be reimagined into multi-use trails, a mountain bike skills track, and more family-friendly walking loops. Even the current walking path feels fragmented and disconnected from the surrounding amenities.

Kiwanis City Park is another example of a park with great potential. The City recently purchased five adjacent properties, giving room for expansion and future improvements. The park is small, but youth in our community have already expressed interest in amenities like a skatepark, connected walking and bike trails, it would be a great opportunity to even include a small mountain bike feature or two.

Why the emphasis on Biking?

Biking is one of the most accessible, inclusive, fun, utilitarian and scalable outdoor activities a city can support. 

• All ages can participate: From children learning balance to seniors maintaining mobility, cycling is a low-impact, lifelong form of exercise. 
  It’s affordable: Unlike boating or golf, biking has a low barrier to entry, a basic bike and helmet make it possible for nearly anyone to enjoy.
• It promotes community health: Safe trails encourage regular physical activity, helping reduce long-term healthcare costs associated with inactivity.
• It improves safety: Without sidewalks, designated trails or protected bike lanes, families are left to share roads with vehicle traffic, something most parents, including myself, are understandably uncomfortable with. Dedicated trails offer a safe alternative for both recreation and short-distance commuting.
• It’s tourism-friendly: A well-marked trail system can attract cyclists from surrounding cities, bringing additional business to local shops and restaurants.

Great idea, but how?

1. Form a small Trail Committee (city officials + passionate residents).
2. Apply for an IMBA Trail Accelerator Grant to get a professional trail design plan done.
3. Use that design to apply for TPWD’s Recreational Trails Grant with city backing.
4. Supplement with local fundraising (events, sponsorships, community donations) to meet any match requirement.
   (additional program: TxDOT Transportation Alternatives )

This plan is how neighboring cities and towns successfully funded their trails.

MTB Park - Trail Examples:

(note these are purely for reference)