New US Bike Route 21 connects Atlanta to Chattanooga, with plans of reaching Cleveland, Ohio

(Photo from Wikipedia/Nick Nolte)

MARIETTA, Ga.—A  newly established bike route described as the first of its kind in Georgia connects Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

U.S. Bike Route 21 consists of about 161 miles of existing trails and bike lanes, The Marietta Daily Journal reported (http://bit.ly/1KKuKIQ).

The trail begins in downtown Atlanta at the Five Points MARTA Station, travels along Peachtree Street, then links up with the Silver Comet Trail northwest of the city.

The bike route travels through Cobb and Paulding counties on the Silver Comet Trail before turning north in Cedartown in Polk County and uses two-lane country roads to connect to Chattanooga.

U.S. Bike Route 21 will eventually connect to Cleveland, Ohio, as it continues to be developed, officials said.

The trail is part of a national network of similar routes intended to connect cities across the U.S., according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

The association is a non-profit group of state transportation officials working to establish the bike trail network.

The bike route is a step in the right direction for Georgia, which has lagged in developing such projects for cyclists, said Celeste Burr, president of non-profit cycling advocacy group BikeCobb in Cobb County, which includes several Atlanta suburbs.

“There are so many other states that do a much better job of promoting cycling, and Georgia’s a great place to ride. It’s beautiful,” Burr told the Marietta newspaper.

In addition to providing a place for people to ride, Burr said she thinks the route will have an economic impact on towns it passes through.

“Everybody’s beginning to recognize that bicycles really do mean tourism dollars,” Burr said.

“People spend a lot of money on their bicycles,” she added. “A lot of people will do an overnight or a local trip, ride and spend the night. They spend lots of money while they’re there. They spend money on hotels, they spend money on restaurants, they spend money on more bike gear, souvenirs. All that stuff.”