FAYETTEVILLE -- Regional planners are excited to hear reaction this week to a comprehensive trail plan to promote safer biking and walking in Benton and Washington counties.
"This is an opportunity for the public to come back out, or come by for the first time, to see if the process and the consultant thoroughly captured everybody's thoughts," said John McLarty, senior planner at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. "It's not only lines on a map, but it's different cross sections and some different policy issues like Safe Routes to School safety issues, parking, bicycle racks. It's a very comprehensive document."
At A Glance
Active Savings
Current levels of walking and bicycling in Northwest Arkansas are estimated to create $27 million in annual benefits to the region, which conservatively describes the reduction in vehicle miles traveled caused by walking and bicycling. Benefits are actualized through improved air quality, reduced traffic congestion and crashes, and savings in maintenance, transportation and health care costs.
Source: Northwest Arkansas Bicycle And Pedestrian Master Plan
At A Glance
Share Your Thoughts
The project team for the Northwest Arkansas Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan will have three open house community workshops to unveil the draft document:
• 4-7 p.m., Today, Bentonville Public Library.
• 4-7 p.m., Tuesday, Fayetteville Public Library.
• 4-7 p.m., Thursday, Siloam Springs City Hall.
Source: Staff Report
Web Watch
Master Plan
The draft of the Northwest Arkansas Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is available on the website of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, www.nwabikepedplan.….
Alta/Greenways Planning and Design, a consulting firm, and regional planning staff included everything from designated bike lanes along roads to paths, sidewalks and multiuse trails, education and public outreach, crosswalks, sidewalks and bike lanes with protective barriers in the proposal.
A $300,000 Walton Family Foundation grant to regional planning paid for the work.
Every city in the two-county area with a population of more than 1,000 gets an individual strategy. Regional planners will begin looking for grants and other ways to pay for projects in the 25 cities.
"We've got all the drafts of the major document and within that is the plan for each city," McLarty said. "It's pretty cool."
The major cities in the region, like Fayetteville and Bentonville, submitted the trails they have in place. Those were little changed in the final document.
David Wright, director of Bentonville Parks and Recreation, said a regional approach was the right way to go with the study.
"A common theme we hear on both bookends of Northwest Arkansas is we need to grow as a region, we're not just Bentonville, and we're not just Fayetteville," Wright said. "I think the regional plans provide guidance to us about where to take our sidewalks or our trail networks so we can eventually link up with one another. I think that's when we start benefiting everybody."
Kevin Johnston, mayor of Gentry, said the plan is a valuable tool his city and others would not have been able to afford on their own.
"It's going to be great for all the communities that get involved, and the great thing about this plan is you can take it a little piece at a time and grow with it, let it grow with what you're able to do," Johnston said. "It's not just about connecting to other cities, it's connectivity to the amenities you already have. It tells you how to go in the direction of growing your neighborhoods and connecting people to the things they need to get to."
Even the towns and communities too small to qualify benefit from the regional approach, McLarty said.
"Because it's a two-county plan, it doesn't leave out the small towns," McLarty said. "This bike and pedestrian plan goes well beyond the Razorback Greenway. Winslow's got the trail going through it. Avoca, they've got parts of the trail. Springtown has trail going through it."
The Northwest Arkansas Razorback Greenway is a 36-mile trail system connecting the cities between south Fayetteville on the south and north Bentonville.
McLarty said he's surprised at the level of participation in the project.
"One of the cool and important things is the level of acceptance of this idea of making the full two counties bicycle and pedestrian friendly," he said. "There's just tremendous support."
McLarty encouraged the public to attend one of the input sessions this week in Bentonville, Fayetteville and Siloam Springs.
"It's not too late to add something to the map," McLarty said. "It's not just a review of what's been done, it's to express concerns or interest in new routes being added."
NW News on 08/11/2014