Trail Benefits

Environmental

Rail-trails are abandoned railroad corridors that have been preserved and redeveloped for walking, jogging, bicycling, horseback riding, or other forms of transportation and recreation. The over one hundred-year old natural landscape is preserved along the corridor. Rail-trails provide nonpolluting forms of transportation, add needed open space to urban areas, protect plant and animal species, an outdoor classroom, and a natural buffer between land uses.

POLLUTION
The negative effects of motorized vehicle use are well documented. Although the automobile provides mobility and convenience, it is at the cost of air pollution, urban congestion, petroleum consumption, and accidents inflicting a significant toll in death, injury, and property damage.

A rail-trail offers a safer, environmentally friendly alternative to motorized vehicles. Bicycle commuting alone could be a material contribution to a larger environmental strategy. A comprehensive plan for Minnesota stated that every automobile mile displaced by bicycling or walking saves between five and 22 cents in reduced pollution, oil import and congestion costs.

The environmental cost of vehicle use is quite high.

Gasoline and diesel engines emit half of the carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides generated from all fossil fuel combustion worldwide. ( Walsh, "The Global Importance of Motor Vehicles in the Climate Modification Problem," International Environmental Reporter, May 1989)

Ground level ozone reduced crop yields between 5 and 10 percent, at an annual cost of about $5 billion in the US alone. (MacKenzie and El-Ashry, "Ill Winds: Air Pollution's Toll on Trees and Crops," Technology Review, April 1989)

Half of all commuting trips in the U.S. are five miles or less. A car that runs a short distance and is started often produces the greatest amount of toxins. As shown by the following chart, most trips are for other than work.

Table: Distribution of Auto Trips by Purpose and Gender

Purpose of Trip	Male Drivers	Female Drivers

Family and personal	37%	46%
Social and recreational	26%	24%
Civic, educational, religious	11%	12%
All other	1%	-

Source: Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (1990),
Surface Transportation Policy Project

The economic costs of excessive dependence on motor vehicles are heavy. A significant fraction of the US foreign trade deficit is attributable to oil imports. Transportation uses 63 percent of total US petroleum consumption (source: US Dept. of Energy, Energy Information Administration).

In 1995 only about 20% of Hendricks County residents worked in the county. This continues to reflect a pattern in which Hendricks County functions as a bedroom community for Marion County. (1998 Hendricks County Comprehensive Plan). Congestion is also an economic burden. In 1990, nearly 80 percent of Indianapolis commutes were accomplished with one-occupant autos (US Census Bureau, 1990). According to Texas Transportation Institute study of cities, Indianapolis area drivers spend 52 hours in 1997 sitting in traffic. Indianapolis ranks 12th highest of 68 cities studied. Annually the average Indianapolis driver wastes 79 gallons of fuel. Collectively drivers in Indianapolis waste 61 million gallons.

Rail-trails in general, and B&O Trail potentially, are an inexpensive and low technology alternative to motor vehicle use, and need to be developed to maximum extent practicable. As such, they represent a major alternative to automobile-based commuting during periods of suitable weather.

The B&O Trail will provide a nonpolluting transportation artery from the state's largest population center, the Indianapolis metropolitan area, to west central Indiana. The main western highways that connect Hendricks County to Indianapolis are Interstates 70 and 74, US Routes 36, 40, and 136. The B&O Trail, which closely parallels US 136 two or three miles north, will also provide an east-west route.

The B&O Trail will link many rural areas of west central Indiana with urban areas where people normally drive to work, shop, or recreation. The transportation significance, and hence, the pollution offsets made possible by the B&O Trail, will likely become more pronounced as population densities increase, as resources become more scarce, and as people's attitudes toward environmental preservation strengthen.

A 1991 Louis Harris poll found that 20% of American adults (32.9 million people) would commute to work by bicycle if there were more bike trails and safe lanes on roadways. If only half of these people did as they said, $1 billion less fuel would be burned.

According to a study titled, The Commuting Market, conducted by Elliot Gluskin, reported in the December 7, 1997 issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, as many as 29 million Americans would use a bicycle frequently for commuting to work or school. Preserving railroad corridors, especially those that go into Marion County, will give west central Indiana residents a transportation option. Clearer air, improved health and fitness, and less congestion are the obvious benefits.

Trails improve air quality by protecting the plants that naturally create oxygen and filter out air pollutants such as ozone, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide. We do not have to sacrifice the environment to provide mobility for commuting.

OPEN SPACE
Since the first national park was created in 1872, America has invested enormous sums of money in our federal and state parks, forests, and preserves. While we have the finest national park system in the world, most of these parks tend to be far from where people live and are limited in their ability to meet the growing diversity of America's recreation and conservation needs. The demand for outdoor recreation close to home is increasing. This led President Reagan's 1987 Commission on Americans Outdoors to recommend establishment of a national "network of greenways to provide people with open spaces close to where they live, and link together the rural and urban open space in the American landscape. The time for trails is now. …We can realize the vision of a system of trails, connecting people and communities. This can be the era of the recreational interstate system-with a trail within 15 minutes of most of our homes."

The B&O Trail will be within 15 minutes of many residents of Hendricks and west Marion counties. By its linear design, it will provide easy and convenient access for people.

"The fact is the wealth of the nation is its air, water, soil, forests, minerals, rivers, lakes, oceans, scenic beauty, wildlife habitats, and biodiversity." Gaylord Nelson said, founder of Earth Day, former US senator, counselor of The Wilderness Society in Washington Urban sprawl is overtaking much of eastern Hendricks County.

Urban sprawl is overtaking much of eastern Hendricks County. Urban sprawl, which by design makes people drive everywhere, can be the greatest threat to a close-knit community. If the abandoned B&O railroad corridor is not developed, it will likely succumb to commercial and residential development pressures. However, if this ribbon of green is developed into a trail, it will lessen the negative effects of urban sprawl by preserving greenspace, and the opportunity to link neighborhoods to other neighborhoods, work locations, parks, shopping areas, and other trails. The last crop on greenspace is asphalt caused by development.

Hendricks County is on the Indiana Department of Natural Resources' critical list for lack of recreational facilities. This designation is based on the amount of available recreation land in the county and the growth rate of the population within the county. (Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 2000-2004). Hendricks County needs to preserve greenspace now before it is replaced by development and, therefore, gone forever. Though Marion County is not on the critical list, it does not meet local or regional standards for recreational land.

According to an August, 2000 poll by Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation, more than 80 percent of voters "feel a sense of urgency about protecting land, water, wildlife, and other natural rsources for future generations." Another 67 percent agreed that "we need to do something about it now."

A comprehensive 1994 report of Maryland's greenspace system and of their North Central Rail Trail (NCRT) in particular reached the following conclusion:

The primary motivation for most people to use the NCRT is the lack of enjoyable and safe locations to walk, run, and bicycle. Changes in land use patterns to higher densities and an increased acceptance of the automobile as the primary consideration of roadway engineering have made residents feel unsafe to walk or bicycle for health and recreation purposes on or along road corridors. Less than two percent of respondents to the NCRT survey felt unsafe on the trail. (Analysis of the Economic Impacts of the North Central Rail Trail, PKF Consulting, Alexandria VA, 1994.)

While there is some justification for concern about environmental implications of the development that greenways represent, both in theory and in practice, it seems true that greenways are overwhelmingly a friend rather than a foe of the environment. For example: greenways, by literally bringing the environment into urban neighborhoods, provide the awareness and motivation needed to restore and protect urban natural areas.

Presently the abandoned B&O corridor is a dumping ground for old appliances, dry wall-everything including the kitchen sink. Cleaning up the corridor, when it is developed into a trail, will remove an eyesore in the county. Planting desirable trees and plants will enhance the corridor and greatly improve the esthetics of the surrounding area.

The B&O Trail could be used as an outdoor-environmental classroom. The benefit of an outdoor classroom would be to educate the youth of our county and increase the overall public awareness of biodiversity, which naturally exist in the wild. Trees, shrubs, wetland plants, grasses, etc. are just a few possible species of plants that outdoor classrooms can study. Another such benefit would be to provide to educators and groups with public access to these areas.

WILDLIFE AND PLANTS
In rural areas rail corridors frequently harbor the last remaining remnants of original prairie plants and grasses. The B&O Trail would preserve the natural growth that has been undisturbed since this railroad line began over 100 years ago. The plant cover provided by the B&O Trail would provide wildlife transit routes, shelter, food sources, and nesting sites year round. The B&O Trail can help preserve biodiversity and wildlife areas by protecting environmentally sensitive land along rivers, streams and wetlands.

Due to exploding development in eastern Hendricks County, there are only "islands" of habitat, which dot the landscape, isolating wildlife and plant species. The Trail would provide the linkage between these islands and increase the land available to many species in urban settings.

Road development generally fragments the environmental setting which it traverses. This fragmentation inhibits wildlife migration, animal foraging and reproduction, among other deleterious wildlife effects. By developing the corridor trail with native grasses, shrubs and trees, existing habitats along the corridor would become less fragmented. When the B&O Trail is developed, other parks, trails, and nature viewing areas will link to the B&O Trail, thereby reducing future fragmentation or loss of wildlife habitat.

LAND USE BUFFER
Buffers protect soil and water. Railroad corridors have acted as buffers for farmers for over 100 years. The corridors have helped eliminate serious water pollution and related environmental problems from farms. The B&O corridor has served as a drainage way since 1879. The vegetation growth on the corridor protects farmsteads and livestock from strong winds and snow, as well as reduce wind erosion across open fields. Preserving these buffers by converting them to greenways can beautify the countryside, dampen noise, reduce dust, soften and direct urban growth, and provide outdoor classrooms-a way to get school children into nature.

Educational

The B&O Trail will provide the following benefits to education:

A direct, auto-free linkage between schools and neighborhoods.
A safe place for community fitness classes, school sports training and events.
An outdoor educational classroom explaining nature and the environment.
A resource for explaining the history of the region and its transportation.
Information about agricultural products and activities.

Recreation & Well-Being

A fresh wave of interest in bicycle and pedestrian transportation was engendered by the federal highway bill passed in 1991. The bill requires each state to hire a bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. The federal highway bill, Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), also required each state to include non-motorized elements in their transportation plans.

ISTEA opened new sources of funding for non-motorized transportation improvements, planning and programs as well as for recreational trails and intermodal linkages.

In 1998 ISTEA was reinstated and renamed, Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). This bill was even stronger in its requirements to establish bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Part of the reason for this is due to the growing realization that motorized transportation contributes to degraded air quality, urban noise, congestion, and other modern woes.

According to a Harris Poll conducted in December 1991, 46% of American adults age 18 or over had bicycled within the past year.

The January 1999 issue evaluated the country's 30 largest cities. Indianapolis ranked fifth least-fit and New Orleans was first. The most-fit city was San Diego.

Indianapolis, as one of the nation's least-fit cities, should be home of the Thickyard instead of the Brickyard, says Men's Fitness magazine.

"If this is true, it can only help inspire the city to improve its ranking," said Chris Costlow, the director of marketing for the National Institute for Fitness and Sport.

The magazine looked at the percentage of smokers by state per-capita consumption of alcohol, percentage of overweight men, area chronic disease index, acreage available for recreational use, city air and water quality, sporting goods stores per 100,000 population and number of hamburger chains per 100,000 population.

Indiana had the highest percentages of smoking and overweight men. The state has the smallest area of recreational land. And only four other cities had a higher ratio of McDonald's and Burger King restaurants.

"Some speculate that urban sprawl, cold winters, lack of bicycle commuting lanes, poor diet and employers who don't know how to keep their work force healthy are among the factors that could figure into Indianapolis' poor ranking.

Heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, digestive disorders, and smoking are all commonly seen by physicians in Indianapolis. Lifestyle can contribute to many of those illnesses.

"People in the Midwest and Indianapolis are pretty sedentary," said Dr. Michael Barbara, an osteopathic internist at Westview Hospital. Northwestern National Life Insurance Co. ranks Indiana third highest for overall heart disease risk behind Mississippi and West Virginia.

Since 1995, the National Institute for Fitness and Sport has seen a 40 percent growth in membership health and fitness facilities. But fitness facilities aren't the only answer for staying in shape.

"You don't need a health club or fancy piece of equipment," Costlow said. "You can just go out and walk."

The main incentives motivating bicycle usage are exercise and enjoyment, with some evidence that environmental concerns are also a factor. The main disincentives to bicycle riding are concerns over traffic safety, lack of routes, and weather.

Cities with higher levels of bicycle commuting have on average 70% more bikeways per roadway mile and six times more bike lanes per arterial mile than the average.

BENEFITS
"The benefits of recreation are endless! Outdoor recreation opportunities offer benefits that reach far beyond a simple walk in the woods. Nearly everyone in society is affected one way or another by the benefits that outdoor recreation can provide. They permeate the workforce, the communities that we live in, the schools, the economy, the environment, and the home. Outdoor recreation activity benefits the individual mentally, physically and spiritually. When quality outdoor recreation opportunities are available and accessible, everyone benefits." (Indiana Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 2000, [SCORP]).

Nearly every central Indiana resident can benefit from outdoor recreation. Those who are physically active tend to have better health and quality of life in their later years. Exercise can enhance one's mental capabilities. Many studies indicate that people who exercise live longer than their sedentary counterparts. Another benefit of exercise is the immediate reduction of stress. Less stress allows people to maintain a balance between work and play which leads to increased happiness and productivity. Children benefit from exercise, which build strong bones and muscles while increasing self-esteem, independence, and confidence.

I. Less Crime
When there are many opportunities for recreation in a community, adult and juvenile crime is reduced. Communities become safer. Outdoor recreation can provide people with the opportunities to exert energy and emotion. Communities benefit when it's citizens' benefit. (SCORP) High quality recreational facilities, such as the B&O Rail-Trail will give central Indiana a sense of pride and bring the community together. It will provide an opportunity for residents to connect together and build strong bonds. Our communities will grow stronger.

II. Less Cost
The healthy work force decreases health care and insurance costs. St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis determined that 47 percent of the health insurance expenses incurred by patients in 1993 had a life-style/behavior relationship. This audit identified these risk factors: smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, stress, alcohol and drug abuse among others. St. Francis' report indicates which risk factors the community needs to address and the total dollars of potential savings.

Risk Category		Potential Savings
Lack of Exercise		$8,102,839
Smoking		$6,122,257
Obesity		$6,048,417
High Cholesterol		$2,154,924
Blood Pressure		$1,925,542
Stress		$1,116,661

III. Less Disease
Coronary heart disease is America's leading cause of death. Physical inactivity is the single greatest risk factor leading to coronary heart disease. As a result, exercise is specially important to improve public health. Bicycling and walking can help to fill America's physical inactivity void and make a major contribution to public health." (Planning Commissioners Journal, summer 1998).

Exercise reduces the development of high blood pressure in some people with hypertension. Exercise helps control weight, develops lean muscle, reduces body fat, and improves the immune system, brain, self-esteem, and bones.

"'For many seniors, the key to feeling young is exercise,' said Dr. Gordon Reed, Hendricks County Adult Medicine. "Aging without exercise causes muscles, heart and lungs to show a distinctly reduced ability to function by age 70."

Studies show that by age 80, people who have exercised regularly add one to two years to their life-span. These years are usually physically and emotionally better than those of elderly persons who are sedentary.

"'It's never too late to become active,' Reed said. 'Walking and swimming are two of the best forms of exercise and should be done two to three times a week.'" (Hendricks County Flyer).

The U.S. Center for Disease Control recently published "Promoting Physical Activity Among Adults," which states, "the most effective activity regimes may be those that are modest in intensity, individualized and incorporated into daily activity." Bicycling or walking to work, school, shopping, or elsewhere as part of a regular day-to-date route can be both a sustainable and time-efficient exercise regimen. It also accomplishes two activities at once-travel and exercise.

Upon being asked about commuting by bicycle, U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI), who chaired the House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, stated in May, 1996, "I think having options and the opportunity to integrate exercise and to get out and enjoy the outdoors into your daily routine is a wonderful thing. If I drive to work, it takes 15 minutes. It takes half an hour to take the subway, between half an hour and 40 minutes to bike, and an hour to walk each way. To put in the miles walking or biking I can do in an extra half hour or hour a day, which is a lot more time efficient than going out and trying to play golf. It takes a half-day to do that."

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, 60% of U.S. adults do not engage in the recommended amount of activity. Approximately 25 percent of U.S. adults are not active at all. This report also suggests that creating safe places for people to bicycle and walk will be critical to persuading sedentary people to become more active.

A 1999 study in South Carolina found that the lack of physical activity causes nearly 2,000 deaths annually and costs the state $157 million or more annually in hospital charges. (The Prevention Research Center at the University of South Carolina School of Public Health, Good Health: It's Your Move-Physical Activity in South Carolina, May 14, 1999).

NEED
Millions of Americans say they would begin to exercise, or exercise more often, if safe and secure trails existed. As many as 3.1 million people who do not exercise now say they would start if they had a safe, secure trail for walking. Similarly, as many as 25.3 million cyclists who do not commute by bicycle would consider this more healthful option with access to safe bicycle trails. Thus, providing safe, secure trails for walking and bicycling would encourage more Americans to start to exercise and commute to work in ways other than by driving alone in their cars. (Pathways for People, May, 1995).

Senior fellow L. Ben Lytle of the Hudson Institute of Indianapolis, who commented on the lack of bicycle facilities, stated "It's hard to exercise here. Try riding a bike in Indianapolis.

WHAT CAN COMMUNITIES DO?
Individuals must choose to exercise, but communities can make that choice easier. They can provide environmental inducements to physical activity such as safe, accessible, and attractive trails for walking and bicycling, and sidewalks with curb cuts. By doing so, communities can use trails as the tools to help make exercise more convenient and neighborhoods more exercise friendly. By doing so, they can help change bad habits into healthy ones.

The design and visibility of trails will significantly attract and encourage bicycling and walking. (1997 National Survey on Recreation and the Environment).

"Without health there is no happiness. An attention to health, then, should take the place of every other object." Thomas Jefferson, 1787

Trails and greenways create healthy recreation and transportation opportunities by providing people of all ages with safe, attractive and low cost facilities for walking, bicycling, horseback riding, in-line skating, and cross-country skiing. They provide a safe route for commuting to work or school by walking or bicycling. In doing so, trails make it easier for people to engage in physical activity.

In southeastern Missouri, 55% of trail users are exercising more now than before they had access to a trail. (Ross C. Brownson, "Promoting and Evaluating Walking Trails in Rural Missouri).

The American people overwhelmingly support the integration of safe trails for walking and bicycling into their area's local transportation system. 70% of adults want local governments to include pedestrian and bicycling trails in transportation planning. Only 25% oppose. 56% of adults want local governments to devote more funds for trails in their area. Only 36% oppose. (Pathways for People, May, 1995).

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which includes the townships of surrounding counties, began a study in 1994 to address pedestrian and bicycling needs in the area. By 1996 the study designated a major bicycle/pedestrian route for the area. It was in the shape of a plus sign-the north leg would be the Monon Trail, the east leg would be near U.S 40 using abandoned rail corridors where possible, the south leg would use Buff Road and the west leg was the B&O rail corridor. There also would be a circular route around the area. The route on the west side would be the north-south connector road between U.S. 74 and U.S. 70.

The B&O Trail is also designated as a state bicycle route. Indy Parks has the B&O Trail in Marion County as one of their future trails, Hendricks County Comprehensive Land Plan designates the B&O as a bikeway system and a proposed park linkage and Putnam County has it designated as a transportation corridor.

Trails provide a natural, scenic area that causes people to actually want to be outdoors and physically active. By developing the B&O Rail-Trail, Marion, Hendricks, and Putnam counties would convert a neglected resource into an unique cost-effective, low maintenance recreational facility for generations to come.

Open Space

The B&O Trail will provide the following open space benefits:

The trail will become a part of an extensive regional system, providing needed open space.
The trail provides an excellent facility for local clubs and organizations to have outings, such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, cyclists, bird watchers, garden clubs, and hiking clubs.

Economic Benefits

The B&O Trail will provide the following economic benefits:

Trail users will stop at towns along the way to eat, drink, camp, rent equipment, make repairs, purchase supplies and souvenirs or spend the night.

New businesses will be started, creating new jobs for the surrounding communities.

Access to recreation and open space afforded by the trail will encourage business development along the trail.

A convenient recreational facility will attract new employers to our community as they seek to provide a healthy environment for their employees.

The construction and maintenance process will engage local contractors, suppliers and workers.

The trail will serve the region as a protected route for compatible infrastructure elements such as existing underground fiber optics telecommunications utilities.

Visiting trail travelers will increase tourism at Turkey Run and Shades State Parks.