Rail Trail Politics  -  Some  Problems & Opportunities

Exercise and Community Participation - In1999, according to the U.S. Surgeon General, an estimated 61 percent of U.S. adults were overweight, along with 13 percent of children and adolescents.  It was stated that "overweight and obesity may soon cause as much preventable disease and death as cigarette smoking."  In the year 2000, the total direct and indirect costs attributed to overweight and obesity amounted to $117 billion. The problem has worsened since that time as we continue to design exercise out of our lives.

Children no longer ride their bicycles or walk to school.  Games such as hide and seek, stickball, or cops and robbers have been replaced by organized sports, television, and the computer.  People now feel threatened and stressed riding in ever larger cars over increasingly crowded streets.   We schedule activities, rather than engaging in exercise or leisure as an incidental and unnoticed part of their lives.  We get to know others socially over a cocktail, or with a sandwich and beer in front of a televised sports event, rather than participating together in manual labor. We may try and make ourselves feel good by buying 'comfort food' and watching television to glorify a rugged independent lifestyle, but our choices are actually fewer as neighborhoods now designed for the automobile, offer few opportunities for either healthy exercise, and leave us increasingly isolated from our neighbors.

 Twenty five percent of the trips that we make these days are for a distance of one mile or less, but 75% of these trips are made by car.  We are isolated from our neighbors and often fear our neighborhoods because we don't know them.  Road rage is at epidemic levels and we are buying ever larger SUVs to protect ourselves.

In 1991, the U.S. Congress reacted to a growing public awareness of this emerging public health crisis by passing a series of measures designed to reverse the trend.  Ten percent of US Transportation funds were required to be set aside for "enhancement projects" such as exercise paths and historic preservation.  The plan has proved very popular and as of June 2003, 1177 trails with a total length of over 12,000 miles have been developed in the United States.  Another 1,156 trails and 16,700 miles are in the planning stages to go through every type of terrain and neighborhood.  An industry of experienced and competent people has grown up to avoid mistakes and create a safe and quality product.

Trails have grown in popularity.  Tennis courts, swimming pools, golf courses and golf club houses have been replaced by those amenities which promote the interaction with other families, children and community organizations.  A survey done for the National Association of Homebuilders found that nearby walking and jogging trails were the top priority for homebuyers age fifty five and older.   Fifty-two percent said that a nearby trail would positively influence their buying decision.

Parking, Privacy and Noise - Opponents say that trails attract large numbers of people from out of town which would add to, rather than reduce road congestion.  People using the Nobscot Trail would clog area roadways and parking lots, and park in front of neighborhood homes.   They would disturb the quiet of the neighborhood with loud conversation, laughter and radio 'boom' boxes.  Opponents point to existing trails such as the Minuteman Trail in Lexington, MA and a study which was done by trail opponents in the town of Weston, MA to reject a proposed section of the Mass Central Rail Trail through their town. 

The final town vote of 698 to 410 by Weston citizens was in actuality, partly a reaction to a decision by the State Legislature to take town land near the Reservoir in order to build a covered water supply tank.  This left a wariness by many toward any project that they perceived as "state-orchestrated".  In addition there was a large group of equestrian users of the existing rail bed that did not wish to share the land with bicycles.  It had little if anything to do with the outrageous and unsubstantiated reasons that were stated in the majority report.

Primary factors against the trail for example were an extreme number of trail users who would flood the town each weekend, many (4,500) driving automobiles.  This was 'calculated' incorrectly it turns out, and also based on flawed assumptions from the Minuteman Trail, which happens to be the busiest trail in the country.  Multiplying the number of peak, weekend, summer day users by 360, doesn't produce a valid estimate of annual trail users.   Neither does the observation that many out of town tourists arrive by car to use the Minuteman trail,  allow one to predict anything at all about the use of the Mass Central Trail through Weston.

The proposed trail was also said to threaten public safety and the character of the town while reducing property values and generating a huge tax burden.   Without mentioning the source or evidence for such a conclusion, the report simply stated that the "evidence indicates that abutters stand to lose property equity (such losses could total tens of millions of dollars), while other town taxpayers will see an increase in their tax burden resulting from any tax abatements or adjustments, in order to maintain the current level of services."  No benefits at all of a trail to the Town were mentioned in this report, which is often quoted by concerned opponents from around the Nation, fearful of a potential trail's impact on their community.

The dissenting report submitted by the minority, paints a much more balanced picture.  While admitting that any trail  will have some impacts that can never be fully mitigated, it cited evidence from several police departments along the Minuteman trail to the effect that only 1-2 calls per week out of a total of more than 3000, are trail related.  The Police Chiefs were very pleasantly surprised about the lack of problems and stated their view that the Minuteman Trail was an "overwhelming positive addition" to their towns.  The most serious crime is the theft of unlocked bicycles.

The report also points out that five other communities on both sides of Weston have approved  proposals to provide for the trail through their towns.  When these trail sections are built without Weston's section, it will cause an unsafe situation in which numerous trail users will be diverted to local streets to compete with existing pedestrians and traffic.  Alternately should the State remove the rails on the proposed path now used by equestrians, then abutting property owners could be faced with large numbers of nearby users with no plans having been made for the management of the now de-facto trail, the public's safety, or the property owners' privacy.

Pollution & Vandalism - A common fear is that existing pollution from oil storage tanks, railway buildings, and even railroad ties might somehow be made more harmful if disturbed.  Only in a very few locations, for example where toxics are found at the bottom of a stream bed, or buried in a specially prepared landfill; it may be determined by experts that it is tolerable to leave toxics in place to avoid the expense of cleanup.  Materials such as Creosote or fuel oil near rail beds are very unlikely to be found in these types of locations.  Railroad maintenance workers also install or replace thousands of creosote crossties each year and are very practiced with the correct storage, handling, and disposal of these materials.

Potential environmental liability resulting from buried or hidden industrial or farm waste and other potential hazards, is greatly reduced though what is known as "environmental due diligence".  This means an investigation by experts to uncover prior ownership and use of the property, aerial surveys, and site visits to take samples.  Again, it should be remembered that thousands of trails have been constructed.  There are many experts available to ensure a good rail trail development experience.

It is often feared by many, that trail users would cut across private property to gain access to a trail.  They would knock on doors and ask to use the phone or bathroom.  They would leave food wrappers, beer cans and other litter behind them.  Trail user's pets would soil the trail and nearby owners property with their droppings.  The town would be forced to either assume the cost of constant cleanup or put up with an unsightly and dangerous mess.  It is also feared that users could cause vandalism to signs, emergency telephones, trash containers and other trail fixtures.

Experience has shown that if a trail is well designed and built according to established standards, these fears never materialize.  Trail users are most often your neighbors from nearby and will take pride in and maintain a quality trail.  Where there is a need, companies have developed products such as durable signs to display information, and disposable 'Mutt Mitts', for owners use in cleaning up after their dogs.

 A well designed trail incorporates community values and serves to showcase the history of the land through which it passes.  It is a shared location to greet old friends and meet new ones; not somebody else's property where trash can be wantonly discarded.  A well designed trail provides for a trail manager with an often posted phone number to report problems on the trail, and have them responded to immediately.  A trail manager keeps good records, follows a regular maintenance schedule to keep the trail looking sharp, and above all is proactive to anticipate and respond to potential problems before they occur.

Property Values near a trail are alleged by opponents to decline when a trail is built.   This might make sense if a trail is seen as a nuisance, or it was an area of high crime, but neither of these is true.  Trails on the contrary are seen as very desirable amenities by those communities that have them.  Trails are used by the community and they are much appreciated by their neighbors as a place of relaxation and leisurely socialization.

A frequently quoted study of the Burke-Gilman trail in Seattle Washington purports to show that property adjacent to  the trail increased at a lesser rate than property located at a distance.  The study results however are expressed  as percentage increases to assessed value, and the initial valuation of the adjacent properties was already 5.3 times the value of properties located further away at the start of the study.  When looked at in dollar terms, it is evident that the average value of the property abutting the trail actually increased by at least fifty percent more than the others in the study for any of the periods under study.  Non valid comparisons were made here to generate misleading conclusions.

Safety is often pointed out as a potential trail problem.  While in one breath, trails are said to attract large numbers of users; in another they are also used by solitary walkers who would be easy prey for criminal types hiding nearby.

In fact, statistics show that Rail Trails are safer than the average location in America.  In a 1998 study of 372 trails conducted by the National park Service and the Rails to Trails Conservancy it was shown that an estimated 5 million people use 36 Urban Trails covering 332 miles each year.  The national crime rate for muggings in urban areas was 335 muggings per 100,000 inhabitants compared to only 1 per 100,000 trail users.  Similar comparisons were reported for assaults, forcible rape and murder.  Minor crimes such as trespassing on urban property were mentioned for only five percent of the trails.  Twenty six percent reported graffiti and twenty four percent reported littering.

In other words, crime and safety do not become problems in well designed, constructed and maintained trails.  Numerous letters from Police Departments included as part of the just mentioned study, as well as the Weston Trail minority report also attest to this.  The Holden Mass police department has enthusiastically embraced the West Boylston section of the Central Mass Rail Trail that passes through their town.  They see it as a chance to further a sense of community and begin to overcome some of the isolation brought on by the automobile and computer.

The level of experience in trail building is such that trails are very seldom lacking in design, and the few examples cited by opponents are frequently found to be misquoted or taken out of context.

Cost - Finally, It has been alleged that walking trails are an exorbitant luxury in this time of tight budgets.  The town can't afford them without a tax increase and taxes are too high already in order to pay for basic services such as education and public safety.

Most certainly education and public safety are important priorities.  Nearly as important are the availability of a low stress environment, fresh air, exercise, and a place to informally meet, share a common experience and get to know others.  The most recent National Association of Homebuilders survey of those amenities desired by homebuyers show walking trails at the top of the list.  Formerly popular amenities such as tennis courts, exercise rooms, golf courses, and swimming pools are now at the bottom, or off the list altogether.  Trails are popular, they are used, and they healthful benefits to the community.

It has also been shown that trails have a positive economic impact on the community.  For example a study prepared by PKF Consulting for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources showed that while the Northern Central Rail Trail had a 1993 budget of $192,000, it provided direct economic inputs to State via tax revenue alone of $304,000.  The value of the goods purchased in 1993 as a result of the trail, was estimated to be in excess of three million dollars.

Studies by the American Farmland Trust have shown that open space and farmland make a greater net contribution to towns' revenues than do other types of property.  For every dollar collected in property taxes, open space and farmland typically require only thirty three cents in services.   Commercial and industrial properties cost around forty one cents for every dollar collected; and residential development comes in as the clear loser, costing towns $1.12 on average, for every dollar of tax revenue that they generate.

The Edge Effect - Perhaps one of the strongest coalitions working against trails draws its supporters from those who own bordering land.  As described in an article by Bruce Blair, manager of the Cannon Valley Trail, a linear park by its nature contains an abundance of  boundary area which he calls 'edge'.  A square shaped park for example, encompassing 64,000 acres, would measure ten miles on each of four sides and have forty miles of edge.  That same amount of edge, but only 242 acres, would be associated with a linear park 20 mi. x 100 ft. used for a walking trail.  A ten foot conflict or encroachment used for storage or dumping yard waste, may not even be noticed in the square park but can become critical to the needs and proper management of the linear one.  This tends to sharpen differences that would be less consequential in a different setting.

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