The authors of a
recent study entitled "Making Trails Count in Illinois" suggest that
Illinois is failing to adequately develop and promote its bike trails and these failures are hurting local businesses. The 2012 study was spearheaded by
two local bicycle advocacy groups: Trails for Illinois and
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
According to the
Southern Illinoisan, surveys and electronic trail counts were conducted
on six Illinois bike trails last year. The study concluded that more
than 300,000 people use the six trails annually. Of these 300,000, one
third spend money while traveling along the trails. The average amount
of money spent is $30.00. Approximately 20% of the trails' users were
not from the surrounding area, and 4% paid money for lodging so that
they could use the trails.
Interestingly, the
most common way trail visitors learned of the six trails included in the
study was by word of mouth, while less than 1% of the trails' users
learned of the trails through tourism promotions. Steve Buchtel of
Trails for Illinois asserts that under-maintenance and under-promotion
are to blame for Illinois' failure to maximize this economic
opportunity.
Mr. Buchtel stated "People are coming here but they are saying
our trails aren't well-maintained and signs are barely there, if at all.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources has been gutted. They lost
half their workforce so they don't have the people to maintain the
trails. They've been cut to the bone and that hurts Illinois." Likewise,
Buchtel believes that Illinois is not promoting its existing trails as
aggressively as neighboring states, such as Minnesota and Wisconsin,
where trail use yields millions in annual revenue.
The Illinois
Bicycle Attorneys at Keating Law Offices encourgage the Illinois Legislature and local governments to take into account the results of this study. As residents
of the Chicagoland area, we are well-aware that bicycling provides a
quick and economically sensible means of transportation throughout the
City, but we often fail to give due consideration to the opportunities
for recreational bicycling throughout the state. Rural bicycle trails
provide a great escape for Chicagoland residents and are also a draw for
tourists. We fully support the development and promotion of trails that
will create more options for bicyclists while also creating more
opportunities for local businesses.
