By britches in April, 2008
Will this ever be extended into a Gainesville - Waldo Trail??
By Larry Vaughn in February, 2005
"This trail has been extended west nearly to SW 34th Street in Gainesville. There is a good bike shop on the south east corner of Archer Road and SW 34th Streetnext to Radio Shack. I haven't seen any evidence of a new connector to the Gainesville-Hawthorne trail, although you can take surface streets to it.
The western portion of the trail is commonly used by students traveling by bike or foot power to the University of Florida. To the west of 34th street, you can ride the sidewalk (carefully, watch for cars turning or not stopping for you while accessing parking lots, it's not for the meek) past I-75. There are bike lanes on Archer Road west of I-75, but there are also sidewalks which are hardly used and away from one of the most heavily travelled roads in Gainesville.
The sidewalks go past 92nd Street and more are being built. I have used this route several times to pick up rental cars at the airport, about 15 miles away.
The railroad depot area downtown has been painted. Nearby are some monuments worth looking at. They are large cememt castings, embedded with fractured remains of several expensive bicycles. The riders lost their lives several years ago after they were run over by a driver who was sightseeing on US 441 south of Gainesville. Route 441 goes through Paynes Prairie. Recently this scenic truck route has been widened for bike lanes and rumble strips have been installed, but the lanes are still part of the road.
The Waldo Road Greenway trail is good for transportation and less effective for sightseeing and relaxation. It does go by the south side perimeter of the University of Florida. The roads within UF have an enforced 20 mile per hour speed limit and make an enjoyable ride by themselves.
I can provide high res digtal photos of the area's trails and attractions for publication."
By "Carl Parnell, Jr." in July, 2004
"The trail runs through some of the lesser neighborhoods of Gainesville. The area is a high crime, low income area. Women should not take trail without escort or some pepper spray."