The advantages of having more areas to bike safely are numerous. Showing how many advantages bike paths would bring to our area will greatly increase our funding opportunities. Therefore, the Town of Elizabethtown has formed a collaboration to help get the ball rolling on planning for more places for bicycling. The Kick-Off Bike Plan meeting for Elizabethtown was Thursday, at the Municipal Building. This is an important project for the Town, and we need the public’s input.
Healthy living is one advantage that was discussed at the meeting. If families had a safe area to use their bicycles in Elizabethtown it would increase activities for all ages. “Having somewhere to go and spend time with your children while being active is really important.” One member of the collaborative said.
Adding to that is the advantage of community building. The more activities we can do together as a community the better. People that are looking for a nice place to live, but still want to enjoy activities that are offered in the bigger metropolitan places, are people the new bike areas will draw to our town.
Economic vitality is another important aspect for adding these recreational options. “We have one of the most beautiful downtown areas in North Carolina. I know if we had a way to add a bike path to showcase our area it would be a huge benefit to our local businesses.” Gray Grady said.
In addition, some students may be able to ride their bikes to school. In some areas adding new bike paths have eliminated bus routes. After looking at the maps the group found it may be possible to eliminate multiple bus routes to a couple of schools in town.
The meeting built an excitement in all that attended. The next step in the planning process is to have a public meeting. The meeting has not been scheduled yet. However, the public will be invited at some point in March 2015 to give opinions about this great opportunity. We would like to encourage everyone that can to attend this next meeting. We will keep you posted about the progress of this planning process and when the next meeting will be held. Until then, think about the many benefits more bike paths would bring and questions you may have to bring to the public meeting.
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