EASLEY – Easley’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is in the works as Christine deVlaming of the Vision 2025 Sense of Place team reported on Friday that lane markings are beginning to be seen on E. 1st Ave. as well as Brushy Creek Road.

deVlaming reported that the SCDOT has begun marking the roads from The Huddle in Easley to Pendleton St. where the bike lanes will be put in place.

deVlaming has been working with the Easley officials and the state to get the project moving. The City of Easley is on board with the plan, and now officials hope to get surrounding cities and towns on board as well.

Sense of Place members hope to eventually have bike trails that connect Pickens, Liberty and Easley. Scott Buckhiester of Dunburk’s Premier Events mentioned that Pickens, Liberty and Easley are all seven miles apart and would be a great bicycle tour. He also suggested marking the roads throughout the county with signs to indicate bike trails.

“This has become a reality and it’s really happening,” deVlaming said. “Bicycles are not second to cars anymore. That is good news. That means the SCDOT will be willing to put bike lanes down.”

The city has four key projects they will begin with. Alta planning is assisting Easley with the plans for the master plan.

SC 93 and Main St. is one of the first projects. The key job there is to ensure safety and complete street improvements in order to get the bike lanes started.

The Brushy Creek Greenway is another project. The Greenway will run from downtown to the future site of Easley High School on the south side of the city. It is a 3-mile path that will connect the future Easley Middle School, Hwy. 123 and residents along the way.

Another key project is to have safe routes to schools. The city is working with the national Safe Routes for Schools Movement to ensure that walkways and bike lanes met with safety standards around school areas.

The last of the key projects is the wayfinding/signing program.

This will set up a signage system to navigate through the town by placing signs throughout indicating to bicyclists and pedestrians their direction of travel, location of destinations and time and distance to a destination. Each sign will cost around $125.

The Easley Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is now available at www.bikeeasley.com. The Web site has the detailed plan available for all to see, along with photos of future plans.