Meet the Bibb County woman working to make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists

It started with a gift.

Macon’s Rachel Umana was commuting less than a mile to work, and, after she was given a bicycle, she began to make that trek under her own power. She quickly noticed the positive impact cycling had on her health.

Six years later, Umana heads the nonprofit Bike Walk Macon, which advocates for pedestrian and cyclist safety and accessibility on public streets. Earlier this month, she was recognized as one of Georgia Trend’s “2021 40 under 40.”

“At first, it’s surprising because Georgia’s a big state,” Umana said of the honor. “It’s hard to narrow it down to 40 people and there was only one person in Macon.

“Macon is recognized as a leading city that takes these bold steps and tries new things to make our city better. I’m excited but I also wouldn’t be on the list without all the volunteers and all the supporters we’ve had that have helped Bike Walk Macon grow.”

Umana founded Bike Walk Macon after applying for a $5,000 grant designed for folks looking to improve civic engagement or public spaces. The grant also provided training on how to implement Umana’s ideas.

“It started very grassrooted,” she said. “I presented an idea to start a bike advocacy group that would meet up, do social roads, build those community voices for speaking up for the improvements to our streets; it was all volunteer efforts based on my personal experiences.”

As the group gained popularity, the events and activities in the community increased with signature events such as Open Streets Macon, held this past Sunday. Open Streets temporarily closes streets to vehicle traffic so folks can reimagine their streets as places to walk and bicycle.

“We have always been centered on accessibility and transportation for the benefit of building a better street network for pedestrians and bicyclists,” Umana said. “Our main focus is just giving people the opportunity to get where they need to go safely and comfortably.”

After building Bike Walk Macon through donations and grants, Umana was able to work with the organization full time, becoming its executive director in November.

“A year after Bike Walk Macon was started, Macon published a long-range transportation plan that said that one-in-three people in Macon don’t have access [to a car] or don’t have a driver’s license. And we realized that our goals were, and, and far more important that we realized when we started,” Umana said.

Advocating for safer streets

One of Bike Walk Macon’s initiatives is pop-up bike lanes, including one on Columbus Street funded through a grant intended to improve safety for people traveling downtown in the high traffic area. The organization has also worked on projects to slow down traffic and make cycling and walking safer for people traveling to work at Atrium Health Navicent’s Medical Center and children going to school.

“My favorite part of my job is when I see the pavement changing and see people biking and walking on them,” Umana said.

One of Umana’s long-term goals is for Macon to have a complete network for bicyclists, pedestrians and mass transit users to travel anywhere in the city.

“My vision is a complete network for pedestrians and bicyclists and transit riders. So you can get wherever you need to go. Meaning you have sidewalks or you have bike lanes and will have a partnership with the Macon Transit Authority,” Umana said.

Bike Walk Macon is also planning to expand its educational programs and will offer free classes to help people become comfortable cycling and walking in public streets. Other projects include more traffic calming efforts, more collaborations with neighborhoods and more crosswalks and bike lanes.

.Macon-Bibb County recently passed a complete streets policy that stipulates all new road projects have to consider all forms of transportation.

Umana encourages everyone to get involved in Bike Walk Macon by signing up for the organization’s newsletter to see how improving biking and walking affects everyone.

“Everybody could benefit from supporting our mission, even if you don’t consider yourself a cyclist or a dedicated pedestrian,” she said.