Posted on 05/09/2019 5:23:46 AM PDT by SJackson
That “Tunnel Hill Trail” in Southern Illinois crosses exceptionally varied terrain: Flat (for miles) farmland, rocky bluffs, bottomlands, hills, wetlands, and an out-and-out swamp. And it includes trestles over valleys and a kinda cool old railroad tunnel. It is used by many hikers and bikers.
What are you talking about? Funding from state, local and federal transportation sources spent on this does take potential funding from infrastructure improvements. Your statement makes no sense. Not smart.
https://www.railstotrails.org/build-trails/trail-building-toolbox/funding/acquisition-funding/
This I’m totally in favor of.
Right...pot holes not filled, dangerous bridges, congested road bottle necks etc. But they have money for this and carving bike lanes out of city streets.
Ah, but can they figure a way to generate significant money with the pool, quickly enough to be helpful?
It seems to me that in depth economic analysis needs to be done before starting such projects as Rail Trails - not just platitudes and generalities about benefits.
There are thousands of miles of unused railways out there and it's an excellent idea to pave stretches of it over and give people a safe place to experience nature away from the noise and traffic of city streets.
Most of us live in a concrete jungle and it's nice to go to a place where you can ride your bike, walk your dog or just stroll for a few miles without having to dodge automobile traffic and cross busy intersections. Not to mention all the noise that goes with it.
Then out in the suburbs, you don't have sidewalks in most neighborhoods. People have to take their cars to drive to a store that might be just a few blocks away but don't want to walk out in the street to get there. No wonder our biggest social problem is obesity (and all the disease that goes with it).
This is not a "liberal" thing at all. Or it shouldn't be.
How about fixing the POTHOLES in our existing highways and our crumbling bridges and dams?
Besides, we already HAVE a well-trod ‘trail’ from Central American right up to and THROUGH our border!
‘Hikers’ can start heading south, using that!
They started by raising money to build trails, and turned it into raising money to hire attorney/lobbyists to make us build the trails for them, as well as taking land away from folks who don’t want to give their land up.
Keep in mind that not all infrastructure projects make any economic sense but are designed and planned for purely political reason (i.e., to payoff constituents).
BTW, the best way to finance infrastructure is to link it to the economic benefits it creates. No economic benefit, no infrastructure project.
No bridges to nowhere.
BTW, the amount of spending on rails to trails is comparatively minuscule.
More precisely:
It seems to me that in depth economic analysis needs to be done before starting such projects as Rail Trails when public money is to be spent - not just platitudes and generalities about benefits.
Your first sentence says it all. Absolutely Correct.
We’d love to spend a day or two walking that one. Southern Illinois is completely different from the northeast part of the State. Politically it’s almost completely red. And it’s quite beautiful. Blackhawk National Forest is an under appreciated gem.
Best,
L
Will there be rape trees?
A lot of the right of ways are prime undisturbed bird habitat precisely because they are untraveled and unkempt, they can nest in peace where the would otherwise be disrupted by the curious in a park.
Will make it easier to get around after the "great die-off"....
“it will take decades to complete”. I dont have decades to wait so I’ll continue to use and enjoy Rails to Trails that are complete. My favorite is the New River Trail in SW Virginia. It runs between Galax, VA and Pulaski, VA. It’s a VA State Park. Around 58 miles of trail running along the New River, absolutely stunning.
Public funds continue to be poured into our national, state and city parks and rightfully so. I’m not a liberal nor a tree hugger but I have spent countless hours in state and national parks that help adjust my attitude so I can stay sane in a world run amok by liberals and SJWs. I also get the same attitude adjustment at a gun range.
Put our nations jail birds on it. Several months to walk. Serve out their time. Find a way to tie them to it.
I agree.
And I DO keep in mind all the things about “benefits to the community” attracting people to the town to increase the tax base, all that, but...when you have heavily traveled roads that border on the impassible for YEARS...I would think (as I think you agree with me) that kind of things should take precedence.
LOL, great...
Calling for all infrastructure to be repaired sounds good but isn't smart because it overlooks that fact that each expenditure needs to be made only after considering the cost/benefit analysis of the money spent.
Even then, it is better that each infrastructure project pay for itself where possible. That is the only way to prevent politicians from building (and repairing) roads and bridges to nowhere just to payoff constituents.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.