Why can't we have a suburban Beltline? (Atlanta, Roswell: 2015, apartment complexes)

[ATLTJL]

I was going to start this off as a bit of a love letter to Gwinnett county for its park system. Today, I decided why not take the dog to a park I haven't been to yet?

Looking at the map of Gwinnett county parks is like a Disney World for people who like the outdoors. The county, though not without its problems, has done an amazing job with its park system. Not to take away from other areas of the metro with their own strengths, but for other counties to even catch up to where Gwinnett county is today would take decades, and that's if they got serious right now.

I'm in love with the Gwinnett county park system, but that's not where I'm going with this...

As I was walking a nice multi-use trail in George Pierce park, I saw that it connects to the Suwanee Greenway. Other multi-use trails in Gwinnett county are starting to connect with each other, and I think there is a plan to connect more in the future. Many (not all) of these paths have their own right of way, the Suwanee Greenway goes under McGinnis Ferry Road, for example. There have long been talks to pave Rogers Bridge and provide pedestrian access between Johns Creek and Duluth (the recent renewal of the SPLOST may allow Gwinnett county to go through with this...I hear Johns Creek is dragging its feet on it).

So I'm thinking about the future, and there are certain subdivisions that have little "spurs" that lead to the paths. Smaller paths, maybe 200-1000 feet in length that connect them.

This got me wondering....could there ever be a day where entertainment, employment, and residential developments crop up in close proximity to these multi-use trails with their own connection spurs? Some apartment complexes already have them. What I'm looking towards, is what if there was a day when you could walk out your door, take a spur to a connected multi-use trail, and walk or bike a mile or two to your office, which is also connected with its own spur? What if along the way, you could take another spur to a Starbucks, breakfast joint, or whatever? What if on weekends you could walk to bars/clubs with their own spurs?

I'm thinking about something like the Beltline. Maybe not as dense, and not with businesses butted right up to it, but located a reasonable walk off of it, so you could easily walk to them. The multi-use trails would retain their nature, cutting through the woods. Imagine walking on a cool trail in the woods to work, to restaurants, etc. Of course, you can also always drive when it's raining or you don't feel like walking, but is connectivity in the suburbs really a pipe dream? It wouldn't look exactly like it does in the city, but I can really see a future where all of our paths are connected and there is at least a reasonable alternative to driving.

These paths are currently awesome for recreation, but I think they can do more. Am I insane?

[joey86]

It's essentially in the making. Roswell has plans for a citywide multi-use trail network. There are already quite a few in place that will be connected in the long term. The large mixed-use development, Riverwalk Village, that was recently announced will connect with the Riverside trail, which will be a part of the Roswell Loop.

These should eventually connect to the historic Roswell area when Roswell Road is overhauled. I would hope Avalon can somehow be connected to the trail system, although Alpharetta seems to be less enthralled with the burgeoning trail system. I'm sure the people behind Avalon could see the benefit. There are plans for a currently rundown street that runs from Avalon to the city center to be revitalized as a mixed-use corridor, in which case a trail would be an obvious benefit.

The Big Creek greenway accomplishes what you are speaking of to a degree. It connects some residential areas with the North Point corridor. There are plans for it to be connected to the Forsyth greenway.

Plans for trails in the suburbs aren't as cohesive or flashy as the Beltline but they are coming into fruition at a reasonable pace. I'm sure that with the renewed interest in walkable communities, they will continue to be built for a time to come.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

These paths are currently awesome for recreation, but I think they can do more. Am I insane?

Not at all, ATLTJL. This is a capital idea and very doable!

Gwinnett parks are among the best in the country. Gwinnett also has plenty of rail lines, many of which I suspect would be good candidates for rail-to-trail conversions.

[jsvh]

It can be done and is being done in many areas in the metro. But the densities in the suburbs are less and the distances to be covered are greater. So you are covering fewer people with longer distances.

[Clayton white guy]

Expense and will

[tikigod311]

The original "Beltline" resides in PTC.

Atlanta is behind the times....

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

The original "Beltline" resides in PTC.

Atlanta is behind the times....

Actually city streets were the "original Beltline" a hundred years ago, before we started passing laws that gave cars priority.

The forgotten history of how automakers invented the crime of "jaywalking" - Vox

[MathmanMathman]

I suppose a Georgia Tech Master's Thesis is just waiting for someone to write it.

[cqholt]

The beltline is used as a commuting corridor as well as a recreation trail. I don't see many of these being used by bike commuters.

[DreamerD]

Perhaps because most people in the suburbs love to drive. I doubt that the belt line would be used frequently enough to justify the expenses.