Where there

are roads, there will be bicycles... and walkers and joggers and skateboarders...

The problem

is that in Fayette County, they're taking their lives into their hands,

according to the Bicycle Users Group, which is pushing for a change in

county road planning to allow for more bicycle lanes in the future.

"There's

a crying need," said Glen Simpson, the group's leader. "The

streets here in metro Atlanta ought to be wide enough to accommodate walkers,

bicyclists, joggers, broken down vehicles... It would improve the aesthetics

of the community and also the value of the community."

Understanding

that it would be prohibitively expensive to add bicycle lanes on existing

roads, Simpson said the BUG group is pushing to have extra width included

as the county and local cities widen or otherwise improve roads, or build

new ones.

The only project

currently being worked on in Fayette is a separate bicycle/pedestrian

path running parallel to Redwine Road from Fayetteville's center to Kiwanis

Park. Later plans call for extending that path on to Ga. Highway 74.

But in Simpson's

opinion, the separate path is not the way to go. Because the path will

be a dozen feet or so away from Redwine, separated by a planted strip,

motorists turning off the road onto side roads will be surprised by bicyclists

crossing 20 feet or so from the intersection, just as they're starting

to accelerate, he said.

"What

we're calling for is just four feet more pavement on each side, and striping

it so the motorist knows it's a separate lane," he said. "People

might not feel like that's as safe, but I can show you statistically that

it is much more safe."

Simpson, who

spent some time living in California, said one thing he has learned is

that if people feel safer, they take part in bicycling and other activities

more.

"It's

important to the building of a community and the community sense to see

people out," he said. And people moving slowly through neighborhoods

on foot or on bicycles are a deterrent to crime, he added.

Members of

BUG addressed the Fayette County Commission on the subject a year ago,

and although the response wasn't entirely negative, so far nothing is

happening, Simpson said.

"Our progress

has been very gradual," said Carleton Williams, another BUG member,

in a letter to supporters. "Yet we continue to pursue our initial

endeavor to create a more friendly atmosphere of coexistence between motor

vehicles and bicycles," he said. Williams was struck by a car while

bicycling in 1998.

Simpson said

he commutes to work, about 18 miles, by bicycle, but has to go three miles

out of his way to avoid bad road conditions.

"I'd like

to see something done," he said.

For information

on BUG and its bike lane campaign, e-mail Simpson at [email protected],

phone 770-716-9968 or visit www.BikingForLife.org .