Newton Trails

For two decades, walking and biking have been making a comeback in America.  Faced with runaway fuel prices and soaring health costs driven by obesity-related illnesses and the perils of a sedentary lifestyle, Americans are rediscovering the health and economic benefits of active transportation.  Sadly, our current US Congress seems hell-bent on reversing those positive trends in one fell swoop of legislative folly.  And, time is running short for you and I to change that.

This week, the US House and Senate will debate and likely vote on legislation to reauthorize the transportation law that expired almost 2-1/2 years ago.  And, sadly, both the Senate version (MAP-21) and the House version (HR7) have stripped bare all funding for pedestrian and bicycle programs.  Gone are the Transportation Enhancements (TE) program used to build sidewalks, bike lanes, and shared use paths across America, as well as the Safe Routes to School program that has successfully reintroduced school-aged children in communities across our land to the simple act of walking or riding a bike to school -- something most of us took for granted growing up.  In the House, even a bi-partisan, Republican-sponsored amendment to restore these programs was voted down in the Transportation Committee.  Only a NO vote to HR7on the House floor can save the day now.

At a time of economic turbulence and runaway federal deficits, it may feel especially awkward to stand and demand money for bike/ped projects.  But, we are not asking to spend more.  We ask only that what we do spend on transportation in America be allocated fairly to all modes and not dedicated solely to the automobile.  Existing law is already far less than fair, as evidenced by the 2012 Benchmarking Report from the Alliance for Walking and Biking.  While walking and biking account for 12% of the trips made in America, only 1.6% of our transportation dollars are spent for bicycle or pedestrian facilities.  Worse yet, 14% of the fatalities in vehicle crashes on our roadways are deaths to pedestrians and cyclists.  In the past four years alone, some 20,000 pedestrians and 2,800 cyclists nationwide died for the simple act of walking or biking -- by choice or necessity -- on our roadways.

In a situation crying out for doing more to ensure the safety of our most vulnerable transportation system users, Congress is poised to make the overnight switch to doing nothing at all.  It's staggering.

We need to speak up now.  There is not time to wait.  If you need more information to understand why these proposed bills are so bad, please read these:

• Transportation for America:  Make a call to oppose House transportation bill so “uniquely bad” that it “defies belief”
• Alliance for Walking and Biking:  Save Our Streets:  Oppose the House Bill, Support the Senate Amendment
  
• League of American Bicyclists:  Boehner Bike Path Blog is Baloney, Say Bicyclists

We're at a fork in the road.  One path leads forward to a more balanced, healthier, happier tomorrow where safe walking and biking are a reality and Americans have an alternative to traffic congestion, dirty air, and the insecurity of dependence on foreign oil.  The other path -- the one Congress is on -- takes us back 30 years or more to a continued reliance on the failed, narrow-minded notion that we can bulldoze and pave our way to the future.  While there is still time, you decide.

For an easy method to write both Georgia Senators and your Representative, click here.  It's very important that you also follow up Monday morning with phone calls:

Senator Saxby Chambliss:  202-224-3521
Senator Johnny Isakson:  202-224-3643
Representative Austin Scott:  202-225-4272
Representative Rob Woodall:  202-225-6531

We who hesitate are lost.  Act now.

"The way we design and build our communities can affect our physical and mental health. Healthy community design integrates evidence-based health strategies into community planning, transportation, and land-use decisions."

Those aren't my words.  They're from the US Centers for Disease Control, explaining the idea behind the CDC's Healthy Community Design initiative.  I'm thinking a great deal about healthy places after a business trip this week to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota.  I knew of  Minneapolis's reputation as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in America.  But, I had no idea just how much that health-conscious mentality pervades the city's culture.  Indeed, the trails and greenways are everywhere -- transecting downtowns and outlying communities, circling lakes, and paralleling rivers.  More than 100 miles of trails by last count.  But, equally impressive was the plethora of dining choices based on fresh ingredients and healthy food choices.  Even, in the airport, the usual fast food fare was obscured by places offering up uniquely nutritious choices.  Despite winter's bitter embrace, you could feel the good health vibrations pulsing through this city.

Small wonder people are taking notice.  In May of 2011, the American College of Sports Medicine designated Minneapolis-St Paul as the fittest cities in America, based on its American Fitness Index.  That measure considers factors such as the percentage of residents who smoke, obesity rates, percentage of people who exercise, and availability of parks, walking trails and farmers' markets.

You can read more about the rankings and what sets the Twin Cities apart in USA Today and Forbes.

American businesses have taken note as well, with more than 70 major corporations and 18 Fortune 500 corporations headquartered in the Twin Cities and the surrounding metropolitan area.

How have these northern communities in the harshest of climates made such a serious commitment to outdoor recreation and fitness, while cities in the far more hospitable south seem to remain unconvinced?  Small wonder that national statistics on health and obesity-related illnesses consistently show the southern states falling to the bottom.

It's the place that matters.  Not just the natural gifts of where we are, but the man-made environment we create.  When we place no value on recreation, good food, and fitness, we put no importance on our health or that of our children.  To change that, we need passion, enthusiasm, and committed leadership like you'll here in the video below.

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An unplanned detour to stroll along the railroad tracks through downtown Covington had me thinking of Robert Frost's poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.  And, with apologies to the good poet, my mind soon wandered through a rhyme of my own imagination...

The sun won't set for another 45 minutes on this enchanting late Spring evening.  The air is warm, not hot, but it still bears a  coolness from the low humidity  -- something we'll miss for months to come.  All in all, it's a perfect time to venture out for an evening stroll along the rail trail near my back door.  Not far from home, I encounter an older couple from Decatur who've biked to Covington for the weekend.  They ask directions to the Hampton Inn, and I suggest a bike-friendly route to their evening's slumber.  I also recommend some dining choices on the Square.  Not long after that, I pass a boy scout troop on the final leg of a hike to Camp Bert Adams.  I assume they're from the area, but they proudly tell me they have journeyed here from Alabama.

Do my musings sound far fetched?  Think again!

Earlier this month, the PATH Foundation announced completion of another section of the South River Trail, a 12-foot-wide concrete path that, when completed, will combine with the Rockdale River Trail to link the Atlanta Belt Line to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers.  Three miles of the South River Trail are already built, connecting to the Arabia Mountain Trail leading to Lithonia.  This newest section, between Bouldercrest Rd and Clifton Church Rd is the start of the BeltLine connection.

Much of the linkage to Alabama is already in place, between the Silver Comet Trail running from Smyrna to the State Line and the Chief Ladiga Trail linking to Anniston, AL.

There is no doubt the path will travel east from the Monastery, the only question is:  by what route?  The City of Conyers and Rockdale County are actively working with PATH on those steps as well.  Phase 1 of the Olde Town Conyers Trail opened earlier this year, and phase 2 is slated for construction in 2012.

A connection through Newton County is far from assured at this time.  But, the blueprints are there.  In 2009, Newton County, the City of Covington, Rockdale County, and the City of Conyers jointly funded a conceptual plan with PATH for linking Olde Town Conyers to Oxford, Covington, and Porterdale.  You can view that plan on our website.

If these dreams sound ambitious, then read up on projects like the Coastal Georgia Greenway and the even more expansive East Coast Greenway.  Once upon a time, the national railroads and the federal highway system sounded equally incomprehensible.  Yet, with so much already built or being built around us, we only have a few small puzzle pieces to supply ourselves in Newton County.  The work starting now along the Yellow River in Porterdale is one such piece.

Let's get 'er done!

In difficult economic times, it's easy to understand why some Newton County residents can't imagine investing in greenway trails for walking and biking.  "Maybe later," they say.  "But, now is not the time."  On one level, I get that.  But, on a deeper level, there is an assumption things will simply get better with time.  And, there is every reason to believe that is no longer a given.

Last week, University of Georgia economists at the Selig Center for Economic Growth issued a dire forecast for Georgia's economic recovery this decade.  According to the report, the Georgia economy will not return to pre-recession employment levels until 2020.  More important than the timeline for recovery is the underlying message of what it will take to achieve it.  For years, Georgia's economic growth outpaced the rest of the nation, fueled by technology, housing, and finance.  But, the tech bust of the early 2000s and the real estate collapse of the late 2000s has meant a drastic and sudden reversal of fortunes in our state.  The message from UGA's economists is that we must rethink growth strategies and recalibrate around a new set of drivers for the Georgia economy of the 21st century.

And now you're probably asking "what does this have to do with walking and biking trails?"

According to Maria Saporta, in her Atlanta Business Chronicle blog, it has everything to do with walking and biking.  She shared her perspective on what the UGA forecast means to Georgians in an article published Monday titled "After decades of growth, Georgia now facing a whole new economic reality."

In Saporta's view, Georgia has been coasting for years on past glories.  And, in this century, we have lost our competitive edge.  Looking at US cities faring best this decade, she sees a common thread for economic vibrancy:  places that appeal to college-educated youth.

"Because they can choose where they want to live," Saporta writes.  "Young people are picking cities and states with great amenities — communities that offer a high quality of life for them — walkable live, work and play neighborhoods with sidewalks, bicycle lanes, parks, transit and a thriving arts and cultural scene."

Maybe those arguing "now is not the time" for building greenway trails and parks are right.  Perhaps, as it turns out, the time to do so was yesterday!  Not only must Georgia compete with other states and Atlanta with other metro areas for growth, but Newton County must go toe-to-toe with the rest of Georgia.  If not this, then what?  What is our strategy for creating a place tourists want to visit and small businesses and growth industries want to call home?

Perhaps yesterday was the time to act, but we are where we are.  And, there's no time like the present.

No Trail Talk Blog posts in over a month...  Wow, am I ever ashamed.  While I'm seldom -- OK, never -- at a loss for words, it does get tiring telling the same story over and over.  Then, along comes a video like the one below to snap me out of it.  This, my friends, is what it's all about...

Over 100 miles of greenways and off-street walking and biking paths, a successful and growing public bike share program, and an outdoor community filled with people from every walk of life -- out connecting with nature and with one another.  It takes vision and leadership to create what cities like Minneapolis have today.  You might think we lack that kind of vision in Newton County.  Well, yes and no...

In 2008, the Newton County Board of Commissioners adopted an updated Comprehensive Plan/Community Agenda for the two decades leading to 2028.  That plan, available here, is filled with clear, pointed statements about the importance of walking and biking to the community and the need for better facilities.  "Though the County has a bicycle plan, the need remains for more multi-use trails for walking and biking,"  reads the section on Transportation Opportunities.  And, the Transportation Strategies section includes an item calling on the County to:  "Expand pedestrian and bicycle facilities within recommended activity centers as part of all new development, and in support of the County Greenways Plan."

The section on Natural and Cultural Resources states:  "A greenspace plan, which identified opportune areas for trails and greenways, was created shortly after the County’s April 2000 Comprehensive Plan Update. This plan has stimulated greater levels of interest in trails and greenspace as both community assets and tools for natural resource preservation. Further efforts should be made to implement the plan and keep it up-todate.  The County has purchased several tracts of land for preservation, but more can be done."

The plan is filled from front to back with repeated references to trails and greenways in nearly every character area and development node.  To reinforce this point, we've accumulated an inventory of those references.  You can find it here.

Remember, the Newton County Board of Commissioners adopted this plan unanimously, on a motion made by Commissioner Mort Ewing and seconded by Commissioner Monty Laster.  The City of Covington has very similar strategies and plans in its Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2007.  The vision has always been there, supported time and again by citizen input.  What has been lost is the connection of our Commissioners and our Council Members to that vision.

These are the questions you need to be asking those running for election or reelection to these posts.  Do they remember the vision, and are they willing to work hard to make it a reality?  The choice is simple.  We can aim for the top, or we can fall aimlessly to the bottom.

On Wednesday, I attended a quarterly meeting of the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission's (NEGRC) Bicycle & Pedestrian Task Force.  The NEGRC is to the 12 counties around Athens what the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the metro Atlanta area.  Newton County is part of the Northeast Region.

At yesterday's meeting we were joined for the first time by the Mayor of Good Hope, George Garrett.  Mayor Garrett spoke enthusiastically to task force members about the great big things going on in the little town of Good Hope (population 289 people).

While small in population and land area (1.8 square miles), Good Hope is a sizeable landmark in the region's cycling community.  Situated at the junction of GA highways 83 and 186, the town is a crossroads linking popular cycling routes in the Rockdale/Newton/Walton County area to those frequented by cyclists out of Athens.  On any given Saturday, and many weekdays as well, you'll find hungry, thirsty riders sitting outside the Good Hope General Store, enjoying a homemade biscuit and a swig of Gatorade.

Every April, the town's population swells several hundred percent with the influx of riders participating in the annual Tony Serrano Century Ride.  The roads around Good Hope are fantastically good for bike riding, which leads to the town being prominently featured in rides like the Serrano.

So, with the Mayor's enthusiastic support, along with Serrano Ride Director Paul Jones and DeDe Harris at Walton Wellness, an incredible program is taking shape that will cement and enhance Good Hope's place on the Georgia cycling map.  The Walton Road Share project  is identifying and publishing popular cycling routes on the program web site.  And, Walton Wellness is developing a "wellness ride" to promote cycling as a healthy activity for county residents.  Along the way, the city will also be seeking grants to build a welcome center/comfort station for cyclists and encouraging more events to start/finish in Good Hope.

"Good Hope:  Happy to Share Our Roads."  That's the slogan on the Walton Road Share web site.  And, I loved how Mayor Garrett explained it as I talked to him after Wednesday's task force meeting...

"These rides bring over a thousand cyclists through our town," he said.  "And, when they leave, there isn't a piece of trash left anywhere.  We love having the cyclists.  We want them to continue coming and to stay longer with us"

Good Hope is a town that gets it.  And, that means more hope for the rest of us.

For more information on the NEGRC Bike/Ped task force, see the most recent Regional Plan for Biking & Walking.

Riding with two friends Sunday afternoon on the final leg of the Covington Community Bike Ride, we were chatting about public health, the role of trails in providing a response to the growing American obesity epidemic, and the difficulty of getting folks to see the connection.  "Personal health is a choice," one said.

And, that started me thinking.  (I do actually do that from time to time, despite what some might say.)  Just what kind of choice are we really giving people?

Since 2009, Newton County has added 33 acres of recreation space.  We've built 1.2 miles of paved trails in Oxford (largely with private funds and investment by the city and college).  Oh, and we've added some 40,000 people in the past decade!  We fall farther behind every day, while our county lags at the bottom in most public health measures, in a state that is near the bottom nationally.

Meanwhile, we've gone from one McDonalds to five -- soon to be six.  My parents live in Dunwoody, and they have to drive several miles or more to find most fast food restaurants.  We can find multiples of most chains within walking distance.  Not that walking is an option, mind you, with US-278, the Covington By-Pass, Washington Street, Brown Bridge Rd, Salem Rd, GA-36, and GA-212 all presenting quite formidable barriers to travel by foot or by bike.  Sure, people can choose, but the combination of fast food proliferation and streets designed for auto-only travel determines what the realistic choices are.

Recently, a Cobb County woman was prosecuted for vehicular manslaughter -- even though she didn't own and could not drive a car!   She was prosecuted and convicted by a jury because she chose to cross a busy five-lane highway with her three kids, rather than walking an extra 6/10ths of a mile at sundown to get home to her apartment complex just across the street from the bus stop.  When her youngest broke away and was struck and killed by a driver with prior hit and run convictions, who confessed to drinking and taking painkillers that day, the mother was prosecuted.  Her choice, right?

These are the kinds of choices we give pedestrians and bicyclists every day.  We engineer our roads to be dangerous by design.  We place unhealthy food choices on every corner.  And, we treat funding for safe walking and biking like it's a precious commodity of which the public is just not worthy.  Healthy living is a choice, you know.  Kind of like dissidents  speaking out in China, or women's rights advocates speaking out in Iraq or Iran...  It's a choice.  A sad an unnecessary choice.

Picture yourself in a boat on a river... 

Dozens of folks did just that Saturday in Porterdale, coming to the banks of the Yellow River to enjoy motorized and/or paddle-powered boat rides up river north of the Mill.  Thanks to dedicated volunteers Lamar and Kimberly Brown, Fred Franklin, and Cheryl Delk, such outings may soon be just another day in the life of a thriving town bustling with canoeists, kayakers, paddle boarders, cyclists, hikers, joggers, and walkers.

I arrived a little after the noon hour Saturday to find Lamar teaching a young man of 14 from Porterdale how to paddle a kayak.  Meanwhile, Fred was giving a father and his three sons a john boat tour up river and back along the shoals by the mill.  Amid it all, a young Covington man was practicing his paddle board skills in the calm waters around the bridge.

Kimberly Brown is spearheading a volunteer group to preserve and protect the Yellow River watershed for outdoor recreation, with objectives to keep the river clean and establish put in and take out points for a "blueway" trail along the river.  But, it's not all fun and games.  When the paddling was over Saturday, Lamar, Fred, and others were headed back upstream to pick up the trash and debris spotted along the shoreline.

Newton Trails is partnering with the Yellow River Preservation & Conservation Group, the City of Porterdale, and many other stakeholder groups -- with the objective of rallying support for a Yellow River Park within the 27-acres of riverside property owned today by the City of Porterdale.  Porterdale has twice secured Transportation Enhancement grants from the Georgia Department of Transportation to renovate the historic train depot as a trail head and construct a section of paved trail from Broad St to the existing loop trail by the river.  And, Newton County has plans to build the Yellow River/Turkey Creek trail connecting Porterdale to Turner Lake Park in Covington.  Together, in partnership, we are aggressively seeking additional grants, private donations, and corporate contributions make the park a reality.

It's a grand project in tough times -- especially in Porterdale.  But, it's a project with such incredible potential to transform the historic mill town and create an outdoor recreation destination to draw active tourists from all over north Georgia and beyond.

Close your eyes, and it's easy to imagine what might be.  I'm not seeing marshmallow trees or tangerine skies, but I can easily envision a park where "Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers, That grow so incredibly high."

In Porterdale, they dare to dream and they care enough to act.  The world needs such places.  Come join us and make it happen!

Sometimes, in Newton County, it's hard not to feel we're living on a different planet or in a parallel universe, separate from the all the other communities we hear about.  A good example is this news story about the Tweetsie Line Trail between Johnson City and Elizabethton, in northeast Tennessee. 

Click here, then watch and listen as elected leaders, business development professionals, small business owners, and residents share enthusiasm and excitement about what the trail will mean to their community.  Imagine for a moment the Newton County community united in the same way around the Norfolk Southern railroad opportunity.

It's hard work, but we have to keep telling the stories.  Nationally, there are more than 1,600 rail trails covering over 19,000 miles of converted railroad.  It's happening somewhere everyday...  Just ask the people in Johnson City!