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TRANSACTIONS 33 BUSINESS IS PERSONAL 34 Business
The Economics of Urban Trails
White sh has tapped WGM Group to create its Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, which it says will increase the city’s appeal for homeowners and businesses
WBY MOLLY PRIDDY OF THE BEACON
HITEFISH – 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 for- mer Flathead County planning director, is animated about improving the cycling routes in this city.
“It’s a hot topic nationwide,” Grieve said. “This idea of community infrastruc- ture that creates the ability to ride your bike places comfortably.”
White sh selected WGM Group to update its bicycle and pedestrian mas- ter plan, which was originally created in 1998 and received updates and amend- ments 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 White sh, but also builds on what this and other communi- ties 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, White sh’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 White sh, walkability and bike- ability 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
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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 bene t to be able to walk and pedal yourself around, there’s an environmental bene t,” Work- man said. “You have more connection to place when you’re out walking and biking.”
There’s opportunity for such move- ment 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 con- nect to something,” Grieve said. “There are opportunities to create paths. The
Community members bike through White sh to discuss cycling and pedestrian facilities. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
xing those links for quite some time.” And as the former planning direc- tor for the county, Grieve said he is dou- bly 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 mem- bers of the public, along with WGM and city sta , could wander the streets, deer trails, actual trails, and other corners of the city these cyclists nd 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 prefer- ences 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 rid- ing 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 eco- nomic development.”
A recent report from the Urban Lands Institute found that bikeability and prox- imity to trails are becoming more import- ant for homebuyers, and real estate devel- opers as well as cities are more responsive to building communities “tailored for
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MAY 4, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM