Miami Valley RailTrails Newsletter May 2008

Miami Valley RailTrails Newsletter
May 2008

It’s Thursday 15 May 2008 and it's been raining for days. I hope you have gotten onto the trails riding, some of the trails you have not ridden before. Here is the news about trails in the Miami Valley. Please read on.

Trail Construction and Improvements.	Website Changes and Improvements
Photos & Information Wanted Section	Did You Know Department
Announcements of Upcoming Cycling Events	Webpage of the Month

Trail Construction and Improvements

Trail Construction in the Miami Valley – Last month ( in case you missed it) I detailed all of the new trails construction in the Miami Valley. If you haven’t read it here’s a link to it . Click Here or above.
Stewart Street Bridge Closing – The Stewart Street Bridge will close 23 June 2008 for demolition. The new bridge will reopen in 2009. The detour is over the new Washington Street Bridge. I understand Apple Street will be extended West 315 feet to Veteran’s Parkway to help emergency crews get their ambulances to Miami Valley Hospital during the construction.
Construction on I-70 at Taylorsville MetroPark – One of “My Spies” told me recently that the construction on the Great Miami River Recreation Trail in the vicinity of Taylorsville MetroPark is almost done. The trail bridge under the I-70 Bridge is complete. Please be careful if you decide to try to ride there and send me an email to let me know what you found.
Trail Washout near Crains Run on GMRRT - I was informed that there is a trail closure just South of Rice Field on the Great Miami River Recreation Trail between Shepard’s Run and Crain’s Run. It’s just North of the small bridge over Shepard’s Run. See Miami Conservancy District’s webpage to see the location at “Plan A Bike Ride” I am told that you can walk your bike around the construction. The work is expected to be done by 1 July 2008.

Little Miami Scenic Trail Closure – I have been informed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the organization that manages 50 miles of the trail, that there will be construction from Morrow (MM 28.3) South to the Lebanon Countryside Trail ( just North of Grandin Rd., MM 34.2) starting 27 May and ending in mid-June 2008. They have received funding to repair the pavement that has been damaged by tree roots. If you decided to ride in that area, be prepared to turn around and go back if the trail is blocked. About six miles of trail are affected.
Drive Less – Live More – Recently the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) kicked off their 2nd annual “Drive Less – Live More” campaign in the Miami Valley. They are trying to get residents to walk or ride their bikes to nearby destinations avoiding the use of their car. Here are some sobering statistics. According to the Department of Transportation (DOT):
- 40% of all trips are less than 2 miles BUT 89% of them are made by car.
- 28% of all trips are less than 1 miles BUT 67% of them are made by car.
- 20% of the AM rush hour are school based (Mom driving kids to school).
- If we could get some of those short trips changed from car use to walking or bicycling we could not only save enormous amounts of gasoline (and dollars) and its attendant pollution (think global climate change) but it would also help the “plague of obesity” that is gripping this county.
- Bike On A Bus - As a part of helping you drive less MVRPC and the Greater Dayton Regional Transportation Agency (RTA), have had for some time bike racks on every bus. You can ride the bus part way to work then get off the bus and ride your bike the rest of the way.
- RideShare - If you'd like to drive (car) to work with someone else going in your direction, MVRPC has a computer data base called RideShare that will help you find a commuter buddy.
- Pedal Pals - If you'd like to ride to work (bicycle) with someone else, MVRPC can get you a bicycle commuting buddy. (Scroll down the page).
All is not “Doom and Gloom”. A recent article from AP is titled “Gas Prices Knock Bicycle Sales, Repairs Into Higher Gear”. The high gasoline prices are good for bicycle sales and repairs. Many people are deciding that riding a couple of miles to work on their bicycle is not such a bad idea.
Bike Friendly Communities – (MVRPC) – As some of you know, MVRPC hired Alta Planning + Design, a bicycling planning organization last year. They have been working to build a Comprehensive Bicycle Plan for Montgomery, Greene and Miami Counties. As a part of the contract 11 cities who applied will get a free city bicycle plan from Alta. The meeting 8 May 2008 was to start each community attending to apply to become a “Bike Friendly Community.” This is an award given out by the League of American Cyclists for towns and cities becoming a better plan to walk or bike. MVRPC has taken the lead on starting the planning for our area to apply for an award. In order to be considered, each city, and the area, will have to take positive steps to improve the infrastructure for getting to work, the store or school by walking or biking. This effort includes the Safe Route to School initiative, that provides funding for elementary schools to improve, crosswalks, signals, other equipment and training for students and parents to get to school by walking or biking.

Website Changes and Improvements

Website Changes - I am continuously making small changes to the website that I do not tell you about. They are things like a word that should be changed, a small typographic error, a new photo replacing an old one and the like. I use the idea that Toyota has used for many years to improve their cars. The word is “Kaizen”, the Japanese strategy of continuous improvement. I make small changes that make the site better on an almost daily basis. Last week I wanted to make a change to the drop down menus on the Home Page. Unfortunately, they are in JavaScript and are not easy to change. I have to go into the hypertext of the page and change things like ( “.”’,,,”) . If you get one comma wrong, bad things happen. That’s what went wrong. I published my changed page AND I HAD NO MENUS! So then, I spent about three hours finding what I had done wrong and fixing it. Now both the Trails by County and Trails by Name are more consistent. That is, the choice in Trails in Miami County are now North to South and the Great Miami River Recreation Trail pick in Trails by Name is also oriented North to South to make navigation easier.
Little Miami Scenic Trail – I’ve added an Elevation Map to the home page since a number of trail users have asked me; 1. Which way is downhill (ride South) and 2. How steep is the trail (not very – see the map).

Photos & Information Wanted Department

None this month.

Did you Know Department?

Drive Less – Live More Bike to Work Day – 16 May 2008 – 6:30 to 9:00 AM 2nd Street Market (600 East 2nd Street at Webster)

Announcements of Upcoming Events

See Upcoming Events Area

Greene Trails Cycling Classic - This wonderful family event will start and end at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio. See their website for more information.
Troy Classic Bicycle Races (19 July 2008 Troy) - It's not too soon to think about attending Troy's bicycle races. I'll have more data about it on the Events Page as I get it.
Five Rivers MetroParks "Bike For the Health Of It" - Rides with a volunteer ( All Summer)
Greene County Parks "Greenway Getaways" - Rides with a volunteer (All Summer)

Webpage of the Month

Creekside Trail & Creekside Recreation Trail - What once was called the "H-Connector" became these two trails. The Creekside Trail starts at the Xenia Station and continues about 10 miles to the Montgomery County line. There the Creekside Recreation Trail takes over for about 7 miles to take the trail to Eastwood MetroPark (Five Rivers MetroParks). There the trail connects to the Mad River Recreation Trail, so you can ride to downtown Dayton and connect with the Great Miami River Recreation Trail and the other trails downtown. . The Creekside Trail (and Recreation Trail) were first called the "H-Connector" since the trail looks like an "H" on a map. This trail is the only link between the trails in Greene County and Montgomery County. It allows cyclists to connect to what I have begun to call the "Miami Valley Trails System."

Regards to all,

Thomas J. Recktenwalt
Webmaster
Miami Valley RailTrails
http://www.miamivalleytrails.org

If you find these newsletters and my Miami Valley RailTrails website of use to you, please pass the information on to your friends and neighbors who might enjoy our Miami Valley Trails System, the wonderful system of multi-use trails in Southwest Ohio. Then they can write me and get on the mailing list to get their own copy of this newsletter. Our trail system is wonderful for walking, running, in-line skating, birding, fishing and cycling and on some trails horseback riding. You see more wildlife from one of our trails than most anyplace else. All of my newsletters are posted to my website at the same time I send you this text version. The URL for your use is: http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/join_our_mailing_list.htm

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