Let's Get it Done 

"The revival of the city is driven, in part, by the trail," says Mayor Lee Fiedler (Cumberland, Md.), who ordered bike racks installed on downtown corners. "No one thought people with bikes would spend money, but they were wrong. Business is spreading back from the trail."   -Baltimore Sun, December 2006

Mayor Fiedler was referring to the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Trail, and his quote is as good as it gets for those of us advocating for bike and pedestrian infrastructure in our area.  The GAP Trail is a multi-use trail extending from Cumberland to Pittsburgh, PA, that now, five years later, continues to generate money all along its 136 miles.  According to a 2008 Trail Town Economic Impact Study, GAP trail users planning overnight stays have gone from 13.3% in 2002 to 41% in 2008.  This coincides with an increase in through trips, which are rides beginning at one end and finishing at another.  And, by the way, these people spent an average of $98/day.

The economic development potential of the Virginia Capital Trail is as exciting.  With two eight mile sections complete, we're already starting to see it in a new bike rental facility at Chickahominy Park, plans for a new trailhead structure in Shiplock Park, and booming business at Cul's Courthouse Grille in Charles City County.  Our trail counters indicate increasing use in James City County, and our trailside surveys indicate many users spend money at other attractions.  And our trail isn't finished yet.  Imagine what we'll see when we have all fifty miles on the ground:  Tourists.   Tourists of all shapes and sizes.  Tourists in spandex and thousand-dollar bikes, and tourists with fanny packs.  While they may pedal at vastly different speeds, they are all a boon to the local economy.

According to the Maine Department of Transportation, who, in 2001 sponsored a study of the economic impact of bicycle tourism in their state, two million bicycle tourists spent an estimated $36.3 million in 1999, which supported the equivalent of 1,200 full-time jobs. That was 12 years ago.  Considering bicycle tourism has grown, in some areas as much as 40% per year since 2006, it's probably ok to say the current numbers are even more compelling.  The cool thing is, once the infrastructure is there, the benefits (and bicycles) keep coming, year after year after year.  

Providing a place for cyclists and runners to safely play is one thing, but building an amenity that opens a spigot of jobs and tourism dollars is another.  The Virginia Capital Trail is planned for completion in 2014.  Four more phases in three more years.  Let's get it done, and then watch what happens after that.

Beth Weisbrod