On a Roll: Bringing More Bike-Ped Trails to South Metro
Monday, December 1st, 2025
The message was heard loud and clear during the first meeting of the South Metro Trails Leadership Alliance: We need more bicycle-pedestrian trails, and we are determined to work together to make it happen.
Energy was high during the Oct. 29 meeting, which was convened by the Atlanta Regional Commission to support the agency’s regional bike-ped planning efforts in the South Metro area. The group of about 15 mayors and county commission chairs pledged to collaborate with each other and other organizations, such as ARC and the state DOT, to bring more bike-ped infrastructure to South Metro communities.
“We can no longer continue to work in silos. We must work together,” said Alieka Anderson-Henry, Chair of the Clayton County Commission. “I can’t do this by myself. You can’t do this by yourself. We are stronger together.”
Why it Matters
Bike-ped projects improve quality of life, drive economic growth, and can even improve health and wellness. Think about the Atlanta Beltline or the Silver Comet Trail, which have become wildly popular destinations.
But South Metro has lagged communities north of I-20 when it comes to multi-use trails and related infrastructure.
ARC staff showed the group a map of the existing trails in metro Atlanta. Green lines representing bike-ped trails cover much of the North Metro area. Far fewer lines are in South Metro.
The Way Forward
So, what’s next?
During the meeting, ARC presented a roadmap for action that covers three main areas: Planning, building, and convening.
Planning
On the planning side, ARC will soon start work on three related bike-ped studies:
- Flint River Gateway Trails Master Plan: This effort will create a master plan for the quarter-mile wide corridor centered on the Flint River, connecting the Tri-Cities area of East Point, College Park, and Hapeville and Clayton, Fayette, and Spalding counties. This plan will contain a strategy to mitigate displacement.
- South Metro Trail & Bicycle Facility Network Plan: This project will develop a regional trail plan for a six-county area (South Fulton, Coweta, Fayette, Clayton, Henry, and Spalding) that will identify specific alignment options. The planning area includes three rivers: The Chattahoochee to the west, the South River to the east, and the Flint in the middle.
- Regional Trail & Bicycle Facility Network Plan:This plan will create a regional trail plan for the entire 19-county Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Building
While this planning work is taking place, ARC will be working with local governments to move forward on the construction of trail segments in South Metro. This includes three projects that have previously been in development that are part of the Flint River Gateway Trails network:
- Lee Street in the City of Atlanta, a project that is funded but has stalled.
- Main Streetin the City of East Point. ARC staff is working with the city to identify funding through the regional Transportation Improvement Program.
- Tara Boulevard in Clayton County. Currently 11.5 miles of the roadway are set to receive pedestrian improvements. The county is working to expand the scope to build wider multi-use trails.
Convening
This is where the South Metro Trails Leadership Alliance comes in. Collaboration and buy-in from elected officials is essential to the development of a trails network. Members said they wanted to meet on a regular basis to build support, provide strategic input, and identify potential funding mechanisms.
