New Map Can Help You Plan the Perfect Road Route
A new bicycling map of Southeast Ohio roads will help cyclists plan routes that follow the best pavement the region has to offer.
The Southeast Ohio Bicycle Map is the result of a project that Athens Bicycle owner Peter Kotses started nearly five ago, working with the Cartography Center at Ohio University's Department of Geography. As the project grew in scope, Athens Bicycle Club members Tom Wolf and Bob Eichenberg got heavily involved, and Steve Miner provided assistance as well.
The goal was to create a map that shows all of the cycling-friendly roads in Southeast Ohio, based on traffic level, road conditions and connectivity between towns. Cartography Center director Margaret Pearce recognized the value of the project and donated her own time as well as that of graduate students to help make the project a reality.
The two-page, waterproof, tearproof map includes all of Athens and Meigs counties, as well as parts of Washington, Morgan, Perry, Hocking, Fairfield, Vinton, Jackson and Gallia counties. The roads on the map are marked according to traffic volume (based on Ohio Department of Transportation traffic counts) and road conditions (based on field checks by the map-making team).
The map comes nicely folded in a reusable zip-top plastic envelope, and costs $10 (plus sales tax). It is available at Athens Bicycle and other local establishments including Wild Mercantile and the Village Bakery. To order a map, send $11.50 (the extra $1.50 covers sales tax, shipping and handling) to Athens Bicycle Club, 14 W. Stimson Ave., Athens, OH 45701.
The project would not have been possible without grants from the Athens Foundation, the Athens Marathon Committee and Athens Bicycle Club, as well as gifts from private donors.
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