The most important thing to remember if you are heading north towards ETSU is to avoid University Parkway whenever possible. University is a heavy traffic, high speed area and is not bicycle friendly. There are alternatives to take that will keep you separated from this dangerous area. NOTE: If you are ever crossing a busy road, do so at a stoplight with protected turns.
Buffalo Road
Buffalo Road is a good route to bypass a lot of both South Roan Street and University Parkway. It has a medium traffic flow and speeding, but still remains calmer than the other options. Turning left at the end of the road onto Cherokee then enables you to take a right onto Southwest Avenue to get to campus without using University at all.
Cherokee Road
Taking Cherokee Road to Southwest Avenue provides an easy access point to ETSU. It goes right by Buc Ridge and ends up near the Sherrie Library. This is a decently steep hill, however, so be aware that you will have to go both up and down it. Turning from Cherokee to Southwest lets you avoid University Parkway. There are safer crossings at University between ETSU and the Tree Streets compared to where University meets Cherokee.
On the northbound routes, the dangerousness of University Parkway, especially the further away from downtown, makes it nearly impossible to get to downtown or the Tree Streets without first going through ETSU. Adding a simple crossing where Cherokee and University intersect would go a long way into to making this area more accessible to alternative modes of transportation. Including a ramp or path up to Virginia Street as well would provide easy access into the Tree Streets.
South Greenwood Drive
South Greenwood, while usually having heavy traffic, is still a safer option than University. It will bring you to the west side of ETSU near the challenge course and sports fields. You can then turn onto Go Bucs Drive and the multi-use pathway that surrounds the soccer fields and goes all the way up to multiple outlets onto Jack Vest Drive. Not only is it less of a hill than JL Seehorn Jr. Road, but it also keeps you away from automobile traffic.
