Trails decision fits regional intent

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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After years of slow progress toward completion of a planned recreational trail system connecting Cedar Rapids metro communities, local leaders are now picking up the pace. And that's good news.

Local city and county leaders who direct the Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization voted this month to greatly increase the flow of dollars into trails projects.

By the fall of 2015, the organization will begin directing 80 percent of its roughly $3.2 million in annual funding toward trails, with hopes of completing the trails system.

Currently, the MPO puts its funding mostly into large road projects. Although the impact of those dollars on much higher-dollar road plans is small, the money could deliver a huge boost to trails. So the approved shift to trails will allow the organization to get a lot more bang for its limited bucks.

Funding for road projects already in the pipeline will continue, and the shift won't stop road work in the future. We understand the pressing need for road improvements and repairs, but we question whether the region is really best served by scattering these dollars among assorted projects.

The MPO was originally formed to ensure that local communities band together to make regional transportation plans that would benefit the entire metro area. The trails plan, which would benefit several communities, clearly fits that intent.

And a finished system, linking many existing trails and creating new segments, would be a valuable regional asset. Trails are an amenity that is rapidly becoming a necessity for modern cities, not unlike parks, golf courses and other recreational offerings already in place. According to the National Homebuilders Association, nearby trails rank among the top amenities buyers look for when they shop for homes.

Iowa cities such as Des Moines and Waterloo have extensive, well-used trail systems, that allow residents to both recreate and commute to work on bikes. The health benefits for trail users are obvious, and new public investment in trails reflects this region's commitment to Iowa's push to become a healthier state.

So we applaud Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett, who first floated the trail funding idea, and the MPO board majority for following his lead down the path to a great trails system.

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