Research Update - Cailen Sniker

Hey everyone,

I've been starting my research on the construction methods and locations for the trail by looking at the Bikeville plan in use by Greenville, SC. A lot of this plan provides information on how to develop bike pathways that coincide with major roads, such as bike lanes. There is some guidance on newly-created bike-only paths. This brings up a valid point about our plan, though. Are we going to focus on a bike-only path, shared usage with existing roads, or hybridize in the middle somewhere? My thoughts on each approach below:

Bike-only path: This will provide the shortest distance between Six Mile and Clemson. A path would probably need to be cut through the overlapping areas of Clemson Experimental Forest and any residential areas between Six Mile and the intersection of Old Six Mile Highway and Six Mile Highway (Hwy. 133). From that intersection onward, lake crossings are frequent and to have a bike-only path many bridges would need to be built. Cutting through residential areas and private property brings about property rights issues, and cutting through the experimental forest could bring us into conflict with Clemson University. Also, the terrain around the  lake can be very hilly, so this might discourage users if the ride is too difficult, or incur greater construction costs if the hills are graded down to make them flat.

Road-only path: This will provide the lowest initial construction costs since we can use existing lake crossings and don't need to worry about flattening out hilly areas. However, it will take away from the scenic nature of the trail and it might also make the trail longer than a newly-cut path would be.

Hybrid: I believe this is the best approach. For cost reasons, we almost have to use existing roads once we reach a lake crossing, which there will be many of regardless of how we route the pathway (unless we really make it long and circumnavigate the entire lake). This also prevents property issues assuming we can get the cooperation of whichever level of government controls any particular road. We can still create some brand-new pathways through scenic areas to attract recreational users, and as long as we balance the length of the path with the desire for scenic views, we can hopefully end up with a multi-segmented trail that is in some places just a bike lane on the road and in others a full-fledged newly-cut pathway. We could even consider two bikeways: a "scenic route" through the forest that emphasizes lake views and wilderness, and a "utilitarian route" that simply follows the major roads and is designed to be a no-fuss way to get from Six Mile to Clemson on a bike.

-Cailen Sniker

Survey Questions: "Where?" and "How?"

These are the questions I think the public needs to answer pertaining to how the trail will be built and where it will be located.

(1) If a trail existed for biking and hiking use between Six Mile and Clemson, would your likelihood of using it be affected by how long it was? How so?

(2) Would your likelihood of using this trail be affected by whether the trail was paved or not? How so?

(3) Assuming you would use this trail regularly, would it be for pure recreation or do you think it would become a necessary commuting path you would rely on?

(4) How many times per week do you think you would use a trail like this?

(5) Would having this trail pass nearby to commercial or industrial locations affect your likelihood of using it? How close to these locations would you be comfortable with?

(6) Would you be opposed to this trail passing nearby to your house or the house of a loved one? How close are you comfortable with it being to these locations?

(7) Would your likelihood of using this trail be affected by how closely it approached to Lake Hartwell? How so?

(8) Would you be comfortable using this trail if parts of it ran directly alongside a major highway or other road? Would the proximity to high-traffic roads affect your likelihood of using the trail?

Some of these questions may end up being redundant with other areas of research, but these are the ones that will help me guide my research into the materials needed to build the trail and the location of it.

-Cailen Sniker