It’s Sunday 19 October and this
newsletter is a bit late. My only excuse (if needed) is that I was on vacation
in Florida last week. Three new trails are completed this month. Read On
Below.
Little Miami Scenic Trail still closed. On 06 September I informed you that the Little Miami Scenic Trail South of Hedges Road was closed because of bridge problems. On 13 September I emailed all of you to tell you that the trail was closed North of Corwin because of pavement problems. As of this writing, both problems still exist. I have been told by several cyclists that they have bypassed the “Trail Closed” signs to get through the area. I advise extreme caution when thinking of this expedient to continue your ride. I will inform you immediately when any change in status is provided by ODNR. See my September Newsletter for more details
Iron Horse Trail Completed – I haven’t gotten a dedication announcement for this new 2 mile trail in Centerville, but one of “My Spies” reported the following:
“I wanted to tell you that the Iron Horse Trail is, for all intent & purpose, finished. There are no mile markers on it yet, and the street crossings at both Rahn Rd. & Whipp Rd. are a little rough, as they haven't totally filled in a small area with concrete yet there. But, the rest is good. I don't know yet about the area south of the actual Iron Horse Park in Wash. Township, but I am sure they are working on it.
The north end puts you out onto Hempstead Rd., at its south end. From there, heading north, you would ride on the street, eventually crossing E. David Rd. at a traffic light, as you proceed north toward the Kettering Meijer's store.
From where I live in the south section of Chatham Village, it only takes me about 5 to 10 minutes to get to Meijer's on my bike! Depending, of course, on what speed I go.”
Tipp City Connected to Troy! – At long last the gap in the Great Miami River Recreation Trail in Miami County between Tipp City and Troy is closed! The trail will be dedicated at 10:00 AM Thursday 30 October, 2008 at the Tipp City Nature Center. I plan to be in attendance, so if you decide to come, please say hello to me. Since the dedication is about two weeks away, I would expect that you could ride the trail from Kyle Park (South of Tipp City) North to Troy (Lytle Road North of Troy).
Section of Jamestown Connector To Be Dedicated
– What Greene County Parks calls the “Wellston Section” of the Xenia to Jamestown Trail was extended East to the Fayette County line this Summer. Greene County Parks is dedicating this trail section, Wednesday, October 22, 2008 l 10:00 a.m. Parking at Rosemoor Road, Jamestown, OH South off of Old 35 at the bike trail .
Please Click
Here to see the map to get to the dedication.
Links Page Updated
– I have added new links to local cycling clubs and blogs to help you learn about cycling events in the Cincinnati area.
Trail Usage Page Updated –
I have been keeping trail usage statistics on this page for some years. It shows the year by year growth in the use of our trails. Also on this page I have been attempting to capture the Economic Impact of the trails on the local communities. That is, as the trails are used more, then the trail users spend a higher total on their trail outings. Recently a student studying Community Planning at the University of Cincinnati wrote a Masters Thesis titled: "The Impact of the Little Miami Scenic Trail on Single Family Residential Property
Values." In the Abstract the author summarizes the study saying that the closer a house is to the trail, the higher is its property value!
Approved Multi-Use Trail Projects Updated- I am engaged in updating fully the webpage where I show all of the planned trails in the Miami Valley. I just updated all of the Clark County projects with the latest information with the help of the Transportation Coordinating Committee (TCC) which is Clark County's Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO); which is the organization that plans and funds for all transportation facilities in the county, including trails. I'll be updating the MPO for Montgomery, Greene and Miami counties as well as the Cincinnati MPO as soon as I can get the information.
Miami-2-Miami Trail Page Updated- I added the fact that an important meeting was held on 16 October in Liberty Township. I'll be providing more information on this page as it is received.
Miami County Trails Page Updated - I updated this page to show all of the new connectivity in Miami County that was
provided by connecting Troy's Trails in Tipp City's. The page contains the status of every section of the planned 22 mile trail from Montgomery County to Shelby County via Miami County’s Tipp City, Troy and Piqua.
Bailout gives tax break to bicycle commuters
– San Francisco Chronicle - The $700 billion bailout bill intended to stop the tailspin of the nation's financial sector did something else: It includes federal tax benefits for people who commute by bike.
Starting in January, workers who use two-wheelers as their primary transportation mode to get to and from work will be eligible for a $20-a-month, tax-free reimbursement from their employers for bicycle-related expenses. In return, employers will be able to deduct the expense from their federal taxes.
The money could be used to purchase, store, maintain or repair bikes that are used for a substantial portion of an employee's commute.
To read the entire article Click
Here.
Miami-2-Miami Trail
- In last month’s newsletter Click Here, I told you about updates on this webpage and the fact that the Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana Council of Governments would be having a meeting in October to discuss progress on this 84 mile trail and plans for the future. The meeting was held 16 October (which I missed because I was on vacation). On the page are maps from the original contract study
If you find these newsletters and my Miami Valley RailTrails website of use to
you, please pass the information on to your friends and neighbors who might enjoy our
Miami Valley Trails System, the wonderful system of multi-use trails in Southwest Ohio. Then they can write me
and get on the mailing list to get their own copy of this newsletter. Our trail
system is wonderful for
walking, running, in-line skating, birding, fishing and cycling and on some
trails horseback riding. You see more wildlife from one
of our trails than most anyplace else.
All of my newsletters are posted to my website at the same time I send you this
text version. The URL for your use is: http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/join_our_mailing_list.htm
