[IndianaTrails] Keep greenway's progress on the right track

[Robert J. Matter]

http://www.chronicle-tribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060524/OPINION01/605240311/1014/OPINION

EDITORIAL

Keep greenway's progress on the right track
Rails-to-trails path is an important part of county's well-being

John Selby's presentation before the Grant County Commissioners on May 9 
didn't get as much attention as the discussion about the proposed 
concentrated animal feeding operation proposed for the Van Buren area.

That's too bad, because what Selby had to say was important, too.

We believe the commissioners gave Selby's requests as much attention as 
they did the CAFO discussion. We hope so, anyway.

Selby, on behalf of the Cardinal Greenway board, asked:

# That the county continue its help with trimming trees and shrubs along 
the 7.5-mile rails-to-trails path.

# That the greenway and other recreational trails be included in the 
county's upcoming master plan.

# That the county put up "Share the road" signs to encourage motorists 
to be aware of bicyclists, runners, walkers and others using the trails 
and county thoroughfares.

The Cardinal Greenway, which runs from northwest Marion to Jonesboro, 
along with other trails, such as the Sweetser Switch Trail and the 
Mississinewa Riverwalk, are wonderful assets for the county. They 
provide connections with nature, with healthy activities and with other 
people.

The Cardinal Greenway system is special in another way: It is one of the 
few such systems that is supported by private money rather than being a 
government-funded operation. System officials have been asked to submit 
information about the system's operation, which will be included in a 
state plan for developing trail organizations.

Greenway officials will be among those in Indianapolis next Wednesday 
for a discussion of how to connect Indiana's trails into a statewide 
system. The discussion will include how the system would be paid for.

Gov. Mitch Daniels recently said he wants the statewide trail system as 
one way for Hoosiers to exercise, something many of them need, according 
to several recent studies about Hoosier health and fitness. Daniels also 
wants to use the system to bringing tourist money and to be an economic 
development tool.

According to news reports, Daniels said he learned about the 
recreational trails through his travels around the state.

Turning abandoned railroad rights of way into recreational trails hasn't 
always been as easy as it would seem. For example, some property owners 
between Jonesboro and Muncie have refused to cooperate with the Cardinal 
Greenway plan, leaving greenway backers to try to find other ways to 
link the greenway segments.

Even though the recreational trails are great things, Indiana isn't 
doing as well as surrounding states in converting old train courses to 
hiking and biking trails. According to TheIndianapolis Star, here's the 
rails-to-trails mileage for Indiana and surrounding states:

# INDIANA:81 miles.

# MICHIGAN:About 1,400 miles.

# OHIO:760 miles.

# ILLINOIS:500 miles.

# KENTUCKY:24 miles.

Just as Grant County should embrace its stretch of the Cardinal Greenway 
and its other recreational trails, the state should encourage the 
development of a broad Hoosier trails network. And it can use the 
Cardinal Greenway as a model for doing it efficiently - without adding 
more of a burden on taxpayers.

Originally published May 24, 2006