Alternative Transportation & Greenways System Plan Essay -- Transporta

Alternative Transportation & Greenways System Plan In Transportation Alternative's "Bicycle Blueprint" for the five boroughs of New York City, John Kaehny, executive director, states: Making greenway networks a reality will require partnership between planners and advocates, on the one hand, and public officials controlling purse strings on the other. Local elected officials, particularly city council members and borough presidents, have to be reminded that greenways can multiply the value and variety of open space in the region at very low cost in public resources; under ISTEA, bike and pedestrian projects may be paid for using a 20/80 local/federal matching formula. What's more, by offering fresh air, recreation, quiet and sheer visual relief, this enhanced open space can increase property values for both residential and commercial uses along the route. Greenways can also save or generate money by reducing infrastructure and energy costs, improving air quality and public health, and boosting tourism.1 Of course, Bloomington is a far cry from New York City but the statements made above hold just as strongly for the city of Bloomington, Indiana as for any other community interested in developing an alternative transportation greenway network. Over the past several months the city of Bloomington has been holding a series of public meetings and discussions to aid Bloomington planners in the creation of a greenways plan for the community. "The city already has miles of alternative transportation routes, including bike routes and lanes, trails, side paths, and multi-use trails, and the idea is to connect the parts," states Tom Micuda, Bloomington Planning Director.2 In fact, even before the public meetings began a grou... ...ricia Collingwood, City of Bloomington Planning Manager, and Josh Desmond, City of Bloomington Senior Planner, at City Hall on March 2, 2001. Follow-up meeting with Josh Desmond on March 30, 2001. Interview / phone conversation with Steve Cotter, Bloomington Parks and Recreation, on March 29, 2001. Johnson, Jennifer. Parking Revenue at $2.5 Million. Indiana Daily Student, January 29, 2001. Johnson, Marda. Ideas Sought to Link Greenways in Bloomington. Herald-Times, February 19, 2001. Johnson, Marda. Greenways Wish List Assembled. Herald-Times, February 21, 2001. Peck, Nick. Motorless in Montreal. Utne Reader, March-April 2001. Stuebe, Gayle et al. "Friends of the Limestone Trail" article from the Herald-Times provided by Scott Burgins. Transportation Alternative's "The Electronic Bicycle Blueprint" at http://www.transalt.org/blueprint/index.html