Casual strollers and serious cyclists now have a safe trail to take from Bo Diddley Plaza in downtown Gainesville all the way through to I-75 on Archer Road.
After seven years of planning, two years of construction and $4 million, the 2.5-mile UF portion of the trail was finished and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting and bike ride May 7.
“This new trail connects all the (current) city bike trails,” said Linda Dixon, the director of planning at UF’s Planning, Design and Construction Division, “and there’s plans to keep expanding.”
The trail connects the downtown Gainesville and Archer segments of what will one day be a bike trail across Alachua County, going all the way from the town of Hawthorne, Florida, to the town of Archer, Florida, she said.
The idea for the trail was first thought of in 1994, but it wasn’t officially planned until 2009. This segment of the trail has been in design since 2012, and it is one of the first bike trails to get national funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Two days before the official opening of the UF Campus Greenway, Zagster, a Boston-based bike rental company, started its pilot program for bike rentals and sharing in Gainesville.
There are 16 bikes in total available at two rental stations — eight bikes at Bo Diddley Plaza and eight bikes at Innovation Square — in downtown Gainesville. According to Zagster’s website, a monthly membership is $15 and an annual membership is $25. These memberships make bike trips under one hour free. Otherwise, bike rides are $3 per hour.
Cyclists can use a phone app or receive text messages to electronically track how long their rides are, view the cost of the rides and lock the bikes. When they finish riding, customers return the bikes to either of the rental stations.
“The code changes (electronically) with each new ride,” said Keli Hoyt-Rupert, Zagster’s customer success manager, “so we’re not really worried about someone stealing one.”
Cyclists who showed up to the official opening came decked out in gear.
Joe Meisemhelder brought two compact folding bikes residents in New York City and San Francisco are starting to use. They’re made in England and are not meant for long bike rides, but instead they are used by commuters who bike to get from bus stops or train stations in short bursts.
“I like different bikes for different rides,” he said.
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Mayor Lauren Poe (left) and Alachua County Commissioner Hutch Hutchinson (right) cut the ribbons before the celebratory bike ride for the new UF Campus Greenway.
