Reichert, officials put the pedal to the pavement in downtown Macon

Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert and several other county officials took a tour of downtown on bicycles Wednesday morning.

The officials’ route was along pop up bicycle lanes that are part of the Macon Bike Share program unveiled last week. The temporary bike lanes were originally going to be up for two days, but because of the popularity they were extended for a full week.

The long-term bike share allows people to pick up bikes at the Washington Memorial Library, Tubman Museum and the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail on Spring Street. The bikes are free for the first hour and $3 per hour after that.

Joining the mayor on Wednesday were Parks and Beautification Director Steve Lawson, Engineering Director David Fortson, Recreation Director Reggie Moore, Alex Morrison, director of the Urban Development Authority, Macon-Bibb spokesman Chris Floore and Julie Moore, assistant county manager for budget and planning.

“It gives people some idea of what it might be like if there were a network of bicycle lanes and appropriate streets that would connect them to different spots,” Reichert said before Wednesday’s venture.

Reichert will visit Copenhagen, Denmark in October to view how bicycling has become a prominent activity in the capital city. About 52 percent of Copenhagen residents use bicycles as their daily commute.

This story was originally published September 21, 2016 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Reichert, officials put the pedal to the pavement in downtown Macon."