The Economics of Urban Trails

WHITEFISH – A group of cyclists gathered in a parking lot last Friday morning, ready to wheel around the city to point out their favorite and least-favorite biking aspects in town.

Getting his gear ready, BJ Grieve, senior planner with WGM Group and former Flathead County planning director, was animated about improving the cycling routes in this city.

“It’s a hot topic nationwide,” Grieve said. “This idea of community infrastructure that creates the ability to ride your bike places comfortably.”

Whitefish selected WGM Group to update its bicycle and pedestrian master plan, which was originally created in 1998 and received updates and amendments in 2003 and 2007. The most recent update should be ready this fall.

The bicycle and pedestrian master plan acts as a guide for the future of this infrastructure in Whitefish, but also builds on what this and other communities have learned in the last few decades. It won’t just be amendments, but more like the city is starting from scratch on the plan.

Craig Workman, Whitefish’s public works director and city engineer, said this project has been on the mind of the bike and pedestrian committee due to the active base living in the city.

“In Whitefish, walkability and bikeability are more than just a trend, it’s a lifestyle,” Workman said. “The bike and pedestrian committee is very much aware of the broken links throughout town. They’ve been pushing the importance of fixing those links for quite some time.”

And as the former planning director for the county, Grieve said he is doubly excited to tackle this project, not only because there is so much potential, but also because he’s a hardcore cyclist himself.

“Cycling is my life,” Grieve said. “It’s how my wife and I met. This is a cool mix of personal and professional.”

The April 29 ride was planned so members of the public, along with WGM and city staff, could wander the streets, deer trails, actual trails, and other corners of the city these cyclists find themselves.

One such cyclist pulled up to the group and immediately said the trails all need to be connected, though he had doubts he’d ever see it. Grieve, however, said that’s the kind of input needed for this project, because it’s not the city or WGM’s preferences that should take center stage, but rather those of the public using the trails.

One key aspect of bikeability is being able to cycle around comfortably, Grieve said. Before he had kids, he was used to hugging the tiniest of road shoulders to cycle, but when his daughter started riding too, his perspective shifted.

“It’s not all Lycra-clad riders out there,” Grieve said. “Other people walk and bike. If it’s more comfortable, you’ll go out for ice cream on your bike. It is economic development.”

A recent report from the Urban Lands Institute found that bikeability and proximity to trails are becoming more important for homebuyers, and real estate developers as well as cities are more responsive to building communities “tailored for those who would rather bike than drive.”

The report, “Active Transportation and Real Estate: The Next Frontier” labeled the trend as “trail-oriented development,” in contrast to the typical transit-oriented development found in most cities.

Researchers found that 50 percent of U.S. residents consider walkability a top or high priority when deciding where to live. Bicycling itself has undergone a sort of “renaissance” in places around the globe, the report noted, with Americans who commute to work by bike increasing roughly 62 percent between 2000 and 2014.

Portland, Oregon has the highest rate of cycling commuters, with 7.2 percent in 2014, the report found, and the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has set a goal for 15 percent of citywide transportation to be by bicycle by 2025.

Better bikeability and walkability boosts economic growth, the report said, because it boosts real estate value, helps communities attract workers, makes workers healthier and more productive, and increases retail visibility and sales volume.

“Not only is it a health benefit to be able to walk and pedal yourself around, there’s an environmental benefit,” Workman said. “You have more connection to place when you’re out walking and biking.”

There’s opportunity for such movement here, Grieve said. The Flathead has a wide and varied trail and parks system, which includes Rails to Trails and other various projects.

“Those bike routes have to connect to something,” Grieve said. “There are opportunities to create paths. The question is how you can do the most with the least amount of resources.”

One way to do this is to build trail-connection areas with bike tools, work stands, and air pumps available for cyclists. They’re cemented into place and are relatively inexpensive, Grieve said, and they give cyclists a welcome feeling.

Another way is to provide programs that encourage kids to ride comfortably in town, and other educational opportunities that show the city cares, Grieve said.

“Without spending a lot of money, communities can make it clear that they prioritize biking and walking,” Grieve said. “It says ‘You’re welcome here, you’re encouraged to be here.’”

Grieve pointed out Kalispell’s core area plan to pull out the railroad tracks running through the middle of the city and turn them into a walking and biking path, and said it’s exciting because the project combines trail-oriented development with urban redevelopment. WGM is not part of that project thus far, Grieve said, but it shows there is opportunity throughout the valley.

“Kalispell is ready for this,” he said. “People are walking and riding on deer trails.”

And with future generations prioritizing walkability and bikeability, Grieve said it’s an exciting time for the valley.

“If [people] have somewhere to ride their bike, they want to live there,” he said.

The city will host two community workshops this month, May 19 and 23, at 7 p.m. at Whitefish High School to discuss aspects of the master plan.