For six years, Alpharetta didn't have a public bike share program. The one that launched in 2016 folded when its operator shut down in 2020, and the docking stations came out. This summer, the city brought the idea back. But the map that got approved looks different from the one that got pitched just weeks earlier, and the difference tells you something about who this program is actually built for right now.
If you already walk or ride the Alpha Loop, or if Big Creek Greenway is part of your weekend routine, the gap between proposal and approval is worth understanding before you go looking for a bike.
What Got Pitched on July 2
The Alpharetta City Council was set to consider an agreement with Tandem Mobility to provide a public bike share program with five docking stations and 25 bicycles, at a meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. July 20 at City Hall. The proposed stations would sit at the City Center Town Green, the Alpha Loop near Westside Parkway, North Point Park, the East Parking Deck at Avalon, and Rock Mill Park.
That's a trail-user's map. Four of those five spots sit directly on the Loop or feed straight into Big Creek Greenway. Rock Mill Park in particular is one of the Greenway's main access points, with parking, restrooms and a bike maintenance station already on site. If you were picturing a bike you could grab mid-run or mid-walk, that proposal put one within reach.
What the Council Actually Approved
After six years of inactivity, the Alpharetta City Council voted as one to approve a $60,000 bikeshare program for residents, in a five-year contract with Tandem Mobility to operate five self-service bike stations, with 25 bicycles available between them. Going forward, the city said it will place five stations around the city: two at True North 400, one at Avalon, one near Northside Hospital, and one at the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Line the two lists up and only one location survived the trip from proposal to vote: Avalon. Town Green, North Point Park, and Rock Mill Park are gone from the approved map. In their place are a corporate campus (twice), a hospital, and the visitor center.
| Proposed (July 2) | Approved (after July 20 vote) |
|---|---|
| City Center Town Green | True North 400 |
| Alpha Loop near Westside Parkway | True North 400 (second station) |
| North Point Park | Avalon |
| East Parking Deck at Avalon | Near Northside Hospital |
| Rock Mill Park | Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau |
Each of the five stations costs $12,000, with the double station at True North 400 costing $24,000, and the city is paying $12,000 annually while the remaining $48,000 comes from the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau, True North 400 and Avalon. In other words, the entities that are footing most of the bill also got most of the stations. That's not a scandal. It's how public-private trail funding usually works. But it does mean the geography of who paid shaped the geography of who benefits first.
Why This Matters If You Start From North Point or Rock Mill
The Big Creek Greenway's main access points in Alpharetta sit at Haynes Bridge Road and at North Point Parkway, directly across from North Point Mall. Neither of those made the final cut. If you live closer to North Point than to Avalon or the True North 400 corridor along Old Milton Parkway, the nearest bike share dock this year is going to require a drive or a longer walk before you're on two wheels.
None of this is permanent. City officials have said that should the program meet its goals, it could be expanded with additional stations. That's the detail worth remembering if you're on the North Point side of town: usage at these first five stations is likely what determines whether a sixth one ever lands closer to the Greenway trailhead.
The Trail Itself Is Still Growing Underneath All This
The bike share sits on top of a trail network that keeps getting longer. As of last October, 6.7 miles of the Alpha Loop had been completed, with another 4.7 miles in various stages of development. One of those in-progress pieces is a short connector at Lakeview and Morrison Parkways, bridging a gap between a lake and the nearby Gathering mixed-use center, which remains in development.
That stretch already has fans. The lake is home to deer, carp, herons and otters, and the connector will add about half a mile of trail, wood bridges and overlooks. Alpharetta resident Valerie Henderson, who walks the area regularly with her dogs, described it simply:
"You can't get that everywhere."
The city is contributing up to $300,000 of the connector's $750,000 cost, with True North covering the design and expansion. It's a small piece of trail by mileage, but it's the kind of segment that explains why people keep showing up to walk a loop that, on paper, is still unfinished.
A Few Stretches Worth Routing Around For Now
If you're planning a ride rather than a stroll, Bike Alpharetta's map notes flag ongoing construction on Webb Bridge Road and McGinnis Ferry Road, both of which carry Alpha Loop and City Bike Route connections toward Big Creek Greenway. Neither closure is a reason to avoid the Loop. It's a reason to check current conditions before you commit to a route that assumes those roads are clear.
Public Art Is Riding Along Too
The trail's growth isn't just concrete and mileage. An artist is currently painting a mural on a bridge near Rainwater Drive, part of ongoing work by the Alpha Loop Foundation, and the foundation expects three sculptures to be installed by the end of the year, following two other bridge murals added earlier this year. It's a small detail, but it's the kind of thing that changes a familiar walk without anyone posting a press release about it. You just notice, one day, that the bridge looks different than it did last spring.
What This Adds Up To
The honest read on this summer's bike share rollout is that it was designed around who's already paying for the trail system, not around where the trail gets the heaviest recreational foot traffic. If you work at True North 400 or you're headed to Avalon for dinner, you have a bike waiting. If your version of the Loop starts at Rock Mill Park or North Point, you're walking or driving to the nearest dock for now, and the expansion clause is your best evidence that this could change.
The rest of the picture is more straightforward good news. The trail keeps getting longer, the Lakeview connector is bringing a genuinely pretty stretch of woods and water into the network, and the Foundation's murals and sculptures are quietly making the whole thing feel less like infrastructure and more like a place people choose to be.
If you're the kind of resident who tracks this stuff because you live here and plan to keep living here, that's worth knowing before your next walk. And if watching a city invest this steadily in its trail network has you thinking about what else is changing in your neighborhood, or wondering what your home might be worth in a city that keeps adding amenities like this one, the Terri Hayes Team is always glad to talk it through. Get a Free Home Valuation whenever you're ready to see where your Alpharetta home stands today.
