High Country Council of Governments is developing a bike plan for Ashe, Alleghany, Avery, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey and Mitchell counties to identify need for cyclists.

The plan is intended to improve safety, access and mobility for cyclists by developing a network of designated routes that connect municipalities and other destinations in the region. The plan will also identify needed improvements to existing roadways, prioritize the improvements, and develop and signage plan to mark the identified routes.

Five identical workshops have been scheduled across the region to gather public input on the bike plan. At the meetings, participants can view maps of the region and provide input on where new bike facilities are needed.

The workshops are a drop-in format from 4-6 p.m. with representatives of High Country COG on hand to answer questions. A workshop is planned in Ashe County on Monday, Aug. 6 at Ashe County Public Library. There will also be a workshop in Boone on Tuesday, Aug. 7 at the High Country COG offices on New Market Blvd.

High Country COG is a voluntary association of the seven counties and 19 towns located in the northern mountains of North Carolina, and one of 16 multi-county planning regions in the state serving as a cooperative extension of local governements.

For more information on the bike plan, call Phillip Trew at 828-265-5434, ext. 121, or email ptrew@regiond.org.