Top 10 roads to bike on in Auburn

1: Cary Drive 

2: South Gay Street

3: Wrights Mill Road

4: Moores Mill Road

5: Sanders Street

6: North Gay Street

7: Lem Morrison Drive

8: Shell Toomer Parkway

9: Woodfield Drive

10: North/South Ross Street

1: Cary Drive is ranked first since it has a bike lane for its entire length. Along with the bike lane it is very low with traffic from cars with Cary Drive being pinned in between North Donahue Street and North College Street. The final reason that makes Cary Drive stand out above the rest of the roads in Auburn is how it’s well-paved. Cary Drive is not newly paved and not a “perfect road” but it’s everything you need in a road to do constant loops at decent speed with a little bit of elevation gain without clipping out or stopping consistently. 

2: South Gay Street is ranked second because it is essential for connecting people who live/ride south of I-85 to have access to ride roads north of I-85. South Gay Street spans 1.41 miles and has a bike path along both lanes of the road. The traffic levels depend on what time of day/year you are riding at. The cherry on top is Coffee Mafia at the intersection of East Samford Avenue and South Gay Street. It’s a great stop to fuel up whether you are going south to Chewalca or North to Will Buechner Pkwy. 

3: Wrights Mill Road is ranked third because it goes hand in hand with S Gay Street. Wrights Mill Road allows riders to have access to roads south of I-85 such as Ogletree Road, Shell Toomer Parkway, Murphy Drive (Chewalca State Park), Canary Drive, Mill Creek Road, and many more. This road is a key part of how riders in Auburn can get around Auburn without riding on two-lane highways such as S College St and Shug Jordan Parkway.      

4: Moores Mill Road is ranked fourth since it has heavy traffic and inconsistent bike lanes. Along with those factors, it is a hard road to bike on regardless if you are riding toward or away from Auburn’s campus. These hills will give riders of all skill levels a tough time with grades on the hill ranging from 6% to 8%. Moores Mill Road is one of the major roads for riders to go on long rides on country roads south of I-85. Bo Bikes Bama also uses Moores Mill Rd as an intersection to redirect riders from the country roads to the start/finish at Jordan Hare Stadium.

5: Sanders Street is ranked fifth because it is more tucked away in the neighborhoods of Auburn compared to other roads on this list. Sanders Street is located near Cary Drive allowing riders to ride other streets while staying in the same neighborhood. The length of Sanders St is 1.2 miles with an average grade of 1%. One downside of Sanders St is it Cary Woods Elementary School is along it which means traffic levels can vary depending on the time of day or year. 

6: North Gay Street is the shortest road on this list but that doesn’t mean it's not an important road. North Gay Street is a way riders can avoid being on North College Street and still be able to maintain a consent speed while being on a less populated road. The traffic levels are high since it is near The Avenue and less than a mile away from Auburn’s Campus. It also has potholes and bumps in the road which can injure the rider or even worse damage the bike. 

7: Lem Morrison Drive is ranked seventh because of all the stops and intersections that bikers run into. Even though Lem Morrison Drive has a bike lane it has roads such as South Donahue Drive, Duncan Drive, and Biggio Drive which year-round have consistent traffic making it hard to sustain a fast average speed. The reason Lem Morrison Drive is ranked this low even though it is “bike friendly” is simply because of the amount of traffic on and around Lem Morrison Drive. 

8: Shell Toomer Parkway is a very well-paved road with rolling hills and access to Chewalca, neighborhoods, and country roads but does not have a bike lane. On top of this, it is very busy with traffic from South College Street and Wrights Mill Road. The traffic and no bike lanes make this road very dangerous when busy and I would personally only ride it in the morning or evenings. Around those times traffic is significantly down compared to the middle of the day. 

9: Woodfield Drive is very similar to Lem Morrison Drive in the fact they are both “bike friendly but have to go across South Donahue Drive. What makes Woodfield Drive more dangerous than Lem Morrison Drive is that when you have to cross South Donahue Drive you don’t have a crosswalk or anything to signal the drivers that someone is crossing the road. Unlike the Lem Morrison Drive and South Donahue Drive intersection where there is a crosswalk and a much safer way to cross South Donahue Drive. 

10: North/South Ross Street is ranked last for multiple reasons. The first is that it is extremely busy year-round with four-way intersections with stop signs and traffic lights making traffic very easy to start. Secondly, the streets that intersect into North/South Ross Street are very busy ones such as East Magnolia Street, East Glenn Avenue, and Oplikea Road. The third and final reason is that there is no bike lane making cars get sketchy close to riders.