I could not agree more with Elizabeth and CBToday on that last post. I have started walking to school with my kids this year. Their school is less than a mile away but the only way to get there without walking on a freeway is to walk the railroad tracks. Last year, we debated it but their Dad said it was too dangerous. This year, I just did it.
People ask me if we see homeless people or hobos on the tracks. They look surprised to see a mom and two back-pack toting kids emerge from the tracks and insist we must be in danger. But we feel we have discovered a beautiful car-free trek. (You can see our walk above.) We've seen owls, turtles, (one possible cougar), butterflies, and birds. We go over the river on a cute little bridge where we feel certain we will spot a beaver eventually. We've never seen a single human; it feels like our private nature path. The walk takes about 15 minutes. It cost us nothing and we get to chat, play, and wake up on our way to school. Driving took 10 minutes (because of traffic and lights.) The only dangerous part I can see in our walk is crossing Independence at the end of it.
Why is there no light or crosswalk on Independence (at Park Blvd or at Randal Parkway) for pedestrians and bikes? Park Boulevard is marked as a bike route! And there is an elementary school and a nature park on Independence that no one can get to except by car. I'm pretty sure there are laws governing access to these public services.
We need to start a grass roots campaign to change this. I know I'm not the only one who is angry about this because I've hear every one of my neighbors complain at least once.
AIAWilmington started a grassroots effort of sorts last year. 2007 was the 150th anniversary of the American Institute of Architects and each chapter was given the charge to give back to their community. AIAWilmington chose to do a study of the "River to Sea" Bike Route 1 and provide a "vision" of how the original "Beach Line" could be turned into an off road multi-use path. The City still owns the easement so it makes prefect sense - no buying or condemnation of property, just the cost of the infrastructure. It also makes perfect sense because the route cuts thru Wilmington from east to west. At this point the final touches are being put on document to be presented to the City and viewable on wilmingtontrolleytrail.org. Ulitimately, though the public needs to encourage the City to allocate funds to this project to see it through. Granted the Cross City Trail is a great asset but as a viable means of alternate transportation it's not as efficient as the Trolley Trail.
ReplyDeleteI am excited to hear about this trail in more detail. I have a client whose mother will not allow him to ride his bicycle from a neighborhood near the beach to his job on the beach. I get why she doesn't but feel this would be a great exercise in responsibility but when you hear about people getting hit on their bikes it leaves little room for agruing responsibility and accountability. So I plan on letting the City know my feelings about it. Thanks for the info.
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