Building Trails in Tough Times

Photo: Two young entrepreneurs set up a trailside lemonade stand along the newly opened "Resort Bluffs" segment of the Little Traverse Wheelway just west of Petoskey.

How can you think about building trails during tough economic times? This is the subtext of several conversations that I have had in recent months with people who think trails are just add-ons to the main industry of moving people, something that we can afford only during flush times, much like art and music are thought to be luxuries in education.

The short answer: Trails are good for business. In the past two years alone the Top of Michigan Trails Council has overseen the dedication of 66 miles of improved trails. This summer there will be about five more miles finished and ready for dedication next summer. By 2011 another 70 miles should be completed with more being planned all the time. Surely the engineering and construction companies that built the trails have been pleased to get the business as have the countless restaurants, motels, bike shops, and other businesses that cater to trail users. Like any other "shovel-ready" projects, trails stimulate the economy.

Besides, trails are a smart investment. By encouraging healthy and safe ways to get about and enjoy life, trails add value to our lives in ways that another lane of highway might not. In my view, we can't afford not to have trails. I wouldn't reduce art and music in the school curriculum either.