Originally Posted by
John N
I don't know if there are "official" sections to ECG, i.e. ACA's TransAm Route, Section 1, but by sections, I meant a portions of the ECG route. Most of which were NOT bike paths. For instance, I have ridden between Savannah and Myrtle Beach. That was just way too much traffic; many places greater than 35k AADT, especially if they locals are not used to seeing cyclists frequently. Sure some of the roads were perfectly fine but overall, this section is not for an inexperienced rider for which it could be very dangerous IMO.
On a different tour, I used the Brunswick to Yulee section. Again lots of traffic and then when it finally died down, it routed out into the countryside adding lots of miles when the road was sub 2000 AADT. Again, some of the roads were fine but overall, this should not be for inexperienced riders.
The first time I used it was on a tour from NYC to Asheville, NC, as part of a larger tour about a decade or so ago. I rode the paved version between near Elizabeth, NJ, and Trenton, and while there frequently was a narrow shoulder or bike lane to ride in, the traffic made it miserable. Once again, not for an inexperienced rider.
I am sure there are portions of the ECG that are wonderful. However, my small sampler was not the least bit enticing me to want to ride the entire route, especially when there are so many other areas in North America to ride in that have way, way, way less traffic.
All that said, ECG does have the most difficult area of the country to create a route. Maybe away from the east coast, we are spoiled with lots of sub 2000 AADT roads. I understand they want to go along the East Coast, but just because you can, doesn't mean you should. They should either not offer an unsuitable route or go away from the coast like ACA did where needed. To me, ECG just has too many high traffic section with small/no shoulder for the ECG to be a route for all riders to enjoy. Yes, I wish them luck in getting a separate bike path along the entire coast (which would be fantastic) but I just don't see that happening for decades unfortunately.
Of course, if you want to ride it, feel free to.
Tailwinds, John
I agree that it appears to not be a particularly enticing route to follow. If you Google the map, it shows that in most of central Conn the route is on the Farmington Trail, which 60 miles or so, but that’s an exception. I agree with you about how it just doesn’t seem to be an enjoyable route to want to follow, it’s s
certainly not on my bucket list.