Posts in Greenway
AMC: Rail-Trail Effect: On The Success Of The Minuteman And Other Bike Paths

In many ways, this multiuse path, and my activity on it, exemplifies the tremendous power of the nation’s more than 20,000 miles of rail-trails. Beyond exceptional recreational resources, rail-trails are economic engines for local communities. They reduce traffic, cut global warming emissions, improve public health, and protect green corridors of car-free tranquility and wildlife.

In short, rail-trails come close to being an absolute good. It’s a fact demonstrated in communities across America, and one that has driven significant rail-trail growth in recent years. Yet rail-trails often remain a secondary consideration in regional planning—a nice but non-essential add-on to America’s car-centric culture—rather than an integral and hugely beneficial component of transportation infrastructure that planners should embrace and expand.

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Planning, GreenwayChet Clem