_Walking, Biking Trails Urged

Jan 27, 2009

Speaker praises benefits to public

Communities should be built for people, not cars, an expert on walking and bicycle trails said Monday.

"If you define a city around cars, you get more cars," said Gil Penalosa, executive director of Walk and Bike For Life.

Penalosa was the guest speaker at an East Baton Rouge Parish Recreation and Park Commission Foundation community meeting about the future of walking and bicycle trail development in the parish.

Walk and Bike for Life is a Canada-based nonprofit group dedicated to improving awareness of the benefits of walking and cycling and the importance of urban parks and trails and their impact on creating healthier communities.

"This is about quality of life. Why live in Baton Rouge instead of places like New York City or Copenhagen for example? With quality of life, you attract and retain the creative and (the) educated," Penalosa said, adding that walking and riding bicycles is not an end but a means to a great city.

Also during the meeting, Ted Jack, director of planning and engineering for BREC, gave an update on plans to build a trail along Dawson Creek.

The Wards Creek-Dawson Creek Linear Park Trail would tie into the Wards Creek path, and allow access to Perkins Rowe and the Bluebonnet Village Shopping Center. The city-parish trail plan is part of BREC's Capital Area Pathways Project or C.A.P.P.

The Wards Creek-Dawson Creek Linear Park Trail, once completed, will feature a 12-foot-wide walking and bike trail running from the Mall of Louisiana to the Siegen Lane Marketplace.

Jack said the trail should be just under four miles and cost about $350,000 per mile.

Jack also said BREC has drawn up plans to create a trail in Farr Park that will include a shelter, water fountains, seating and restrooms.

BREC Superintendent Bill Palmer said BREC has about $4 million set aside for the entire C.A.P.P. project, which will link city-parish parks by walking and bicycle paths.

In a BREC survey of local residents, walking and biking trails were ranked No. 1 as the most-requested new feature in community parks.

Penalosa said it's good to think and talk about making communities more pedestrian and bicyclist friendly, but leaders need to move to action.

Research shows young men in the United States ride bicycles more than any other group, Penalosa said. Making more bicyclist-friendly paths and trails available would result in more children, women and older people riding, he said.

Speaking of the impact of physical activity, Penalosa mentioned work-out facilities.

"People will drive to the gym to walk on a treadmill," Penalosa said to the laughing crowd.

Written by Steven Ward for The Advocate