Tulsa is doing a little bragging about their bicycle trail system and on paper, it seems well justified. Unlike the OKC system, Tulsa’s seems well designed for both recreation and transportation which is a big bragging point.
It connects neighborhoods to downtown and that’s not the case in many cities.
Since 1999 the system has grown from just 25 miles to about 100, with a lot more trail work being planned.
I’ve never cycled much in Tulsa, what are your experiences? What are they doing right and wrong and what could we do better here in OKC?
4 responses to “Tulsa Touts Their Trails”
I haven’t biked Tulsa’s trails either, but it looks like they’ve done a lot right.
OKC’s trails really aren’t slouches, but there isn’t a very big loop right now. It appears our trails are pretty much going to go with federal funding programs, and I imagine those have lost a lot of momentum since 2008.
I don’t know the status of the “N. Canadian West Trail” from the OKC master trail plan. If and when this trail is completed it will link Hefner/Overholser to the Oklahoma River, S. Grand trail and Katy trail systems. If you included a loop around Hefner, you are now talking about a 60-80 mile back and forth ride. Of course the Grand trail has so many crossings it isn’t much different than riding on the street.
Good for Tulsa, and hopefully OKC’s plans don’t stay dead in the water. St. Louis has a very good number of trails that interconnect. Ridden them many times (family lives there) and the ride possibilities are numerous.
I moved here from Tulsa in ’99. In the early 90s I rode around Tulsa, specifically the River Trails and the old train bed between Tulsa and Sand Springs. I haven’t been in Tulsa much since moving to OKC, but they have made a great deal of progress concerning bicycle trails.
What are they doing right? They are moving forward with their plan. As far as the status of the trail connecting the river trail to Overholser, I exchanged email with a gentleman at the city offices and he stated they would be moving forward with that in fall of 2013. I’m really looking forward to that as I live at 10th & Morgan and at I40 & Portland, all but 1.5 miles of my commute will be on trails when the project is complete.
I moved from Edmond to Tulsa about 2 1/2 yrs ago. I love the trails here! I worked about 25 miles from my house for a year or so and I had dedicated bike trails that I could take the whole way from home to work and back. The only time the trails are an issue is when a section along the Turnpike is close for repairs or construction on adjacent roadways. The bike trails are the only place my wife will ride (as a newer cyclist she doesn’t really like riding close to cars). Thumbs up!
The trail along the river in Tulsa is fantastic. It’s easy to get from the south end of town all the way into downtown, without having to wait on traffic lights and such. It is a very smooth trail with wide lanes.
OKC has a nice trail along the river, too, but I have one complaint. The irony of it all is that you have to drive to get to it! At least from the north end of town. What’s the point in having a great bike trail when you can’t ride to it?
Granted, I take my chances anyway. It’s alot better now than when the new highway was under construction – the Skydance Bridge at Robinson is helpful.