City Announces New Clearview Bike Lane

The City of Martinsville is proud to announce that a 0.6 mile stretch of bike lane has just opened along Clearview Drive. This is part of the City’s initiative to improve health awareness among present and future generations and enhance the quality of life by increasing the availability of recreational opportunities. “By building upon natural resources such as the development of trails and bike lanes, Martinsville’s attractiveness as a business location and as a destination for environmentally sustainable tourism is enhanced”, commented City Manager Clarence Monday.

According to Assistant City Manager Leon Towarnicki, over the past few years the West Piedmont Planning District Commission has worked with over 70 people to develop a regional bicycle plan which identified Clearview Drive as one of many potential streets for bike lane striping. The plan, put together by local citizens, also identified the need to develop bicycle route access and bicycle racks to make the Uptown Historic District more bicycle friendly.
Various upgrades have been made to the recreation infrastructure throughout the City in recent years. These include bike racks, purchased by the Martinsville Uptown Revitalization Association (MURA) and Activate. These types of projects serve notice that the Uptown Business District is open to and welcomes cyclists. “Now on any given day, you will see at least one cyclist if not a group of them biking through Uptown”, said Activate Program Director Jeannie Frisco.

Activate Martinsville-Henry County, whose mission is to promote walking, biking, and other physical activity, has been working with City officials over the last year to identify existing corridors that are conducive to adding bike lanes without using any tax funds. The overall vision for the City is to transform a patchwork of lanes and trails into a cycling network. This network will provide connectivity between residential areas and centers of activity such as business and commercial districts, historical and cultural destinations, and public facilities.