For a week in the summer of 2016, Macon, Georgia was home to the largest pop-up bike lane network in the world. Consisting of more than five miles of volunteer-installed bike lanes, the initiative, called Macon Connects, encouraged safe active transportation, brought neighbors together, and made people more aware of the city beyond their windshields. Among other striking figures, bike ridership increased 854% (!) for the week, and 75% of surveyed users noticed a store or amenity along the ride that they had not seen before. 

Macon Connects was born out of a Knight Foundation grant, which equipped the city with the necessary capacity and materials (lots of paint, temporary bollards, and several striping machines). Volunteers did much of the rest. Ninety people chipped in over the course of four sweltering days to paint and construct the lanes in a variety of styles, then celebrated the network’s completion with a block party that doubled as a data collection opportunity. Since the successful pilot, plans are underway to install a three-mile permanent bike lane on a downtown thoroughfare.