Downtown

The following are some tips for bicycling in downtown Huntsville:

• Watch out for one way streets. Most streets downtown are two-lane, one-way streets.
• There are “No Turn on Red” signs at traffic lights where road users are not allowed to turn left or right. For safety, take the middle lane position of the direction you’re turning to avoid over-eager motorists from right or left crossing you and your bicycle.
• Traffic lights are timed. They are about 18 seconds long, so not much of a wait.
• North-south routes sometimes have strong winds. Dependent upon which direction you’re going, there could be a nice tailwind or a difficult headwind. For headwinds, the more trees and buildings on your route, the more comfortable your ride will be.
• Avoid travelling east at dawn. It’s safer to bike downtown after the sun has risen, which is usually less than 30 minutes past sunrise.
• Avoid travelling west at dusk. It’s safer to bike downtown before the sun goes down. If you do bike after dark, use bike lights and make sure they are turned on. The brighter the lights, the closer the cyclist appears.
• Some downtown locations have very steep hills (like on Randolph Avenue, from Spragins Street going east, and on Green Street.) When riding these routes, you should lower gearing.