Charlotte will open its first bike route this fall to show casual cyclists how they can leave their cars at home and ride safely to a neighborhood shopping center.

Or to a library, a park or school.

The south Charlotte route is a significant breakthrough for a bike-unfriendly city that built its first bike lane only two years ago.

"This is a big deal," says city bicycle coordinator Steve Hancock. "Lots of people don't realize they can make multiple turns on quiet streets and actually get somewhere."

Park Road Shopping Center is the focus of the 11-mile route, which travels streets through more than a dozen south Charlotte neighborhoods.

A little footbridge not shown on street maps allows cyclists from South Boulevard neighborhoods to reach the shopping center, Queens College, Freedom Park and Little Sugar Creek Greenway.

Hancock has targeted recreational riders, the 90 percent of cyclists who, studies say, travel only about 2 miles per outing. "They don't ride on busy thoroughfares," he said.

No street will be widened to open the bike route, which is merely a series of connected streets marked with special signs. Scaleybark Road with its extra wide lanes will be restriped so it has a 4-foot-wide bike lane in each direction.

Two minor construction projects are planned. The narrow footbridge at the end of Belrose Lane over Little Hope Creek will be replaced with a wider bridge. And an entrance to Park Road Shopping Center at Heather Lane will be redesigned to make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

The striping and signs will be added in the next few months. More costly work, such as replacing the old footbridge, could come in 2003.

The project will cost about $80,000, which will come from the $500,000 budgeted annually by the city council for bike improvements.

Hancock, hired by the city last year to improve amenities for riders, wants to better connect neighborhoods so the average cyclist can ride more. He's getting advice on planning routes from riders like Paul Griffin, an instructor certified by the League of American Bicyclists.

Griffin studies maps and meanders through residential streets to discover round-about connections and footbridges. One frequent route - from South Mecklenburg High to uptown - covers 13 miles, about 4 miles longer than by car. But it's quiet and safe.

Many riders who would never travel busy roads like South Boulevard can ride through neighborhoods if they find the right connections, Griffin said.