Connecting our Communities and Reducing Environmental Impact: Growing Greenway Expansion

As our population continues to grow, we are almost in a perpetual state of development. With the nation’s ongoing development, we have generally ignored the disappearance of our open spaces and greenways. What is a greenway anyhow? Greenways are sections of protected open space, primarily for recreation purposes. Greenways can improve communities in numerous ways: recreation, non-motorized transportation, economic and community development.

Most importantly, in terms of lessening our environmental impact, non-motorized transportation is vital. Several companies are now making a push for their employees to buy or repair their bicycles. Even the bailout package illuminates bike travel by giving companies a tax credit maximum of $20 a month for each employee that bikes to work. With this increase in bike travel, it is important to create greenways as safe system for commuters to get to and from work. Increased bike traffic on local highways, will create greater congestion and most certainly lead to increased numbers of bike accidents. According to a 1999 study performed by UNC Highway Safey Research Center, there were 750 bike fatalities and 51,000 injuries resulting from traffic crashes in the US.

A good example of a community that has utilized transportation greenways is our very own Blacksburg, VA. Anyone who lives, works, or has visited Blacksburg can easily notice that we are a very active biking community. Blacksburg is a great example of a community that has benefited from greenways.

Although Blacksburg does indeed have a few miles of transportation greenways throughout the town (such as the Huckleberry Trial); the town could benefit greatly with the addition of more. Recently, the town has made advancements on creating more greenways and liking more communities, with the construction of 2,260 ft of the proposed 6 mile Ellett Valley Trail. Those who will utilize the new path will be able to reduce their commute by bike, with a more direct route to the Industrial Park located just off South Main Street.

This is a great initiative that models what communities can do to plan for and implement greenways. Blacksburg continues to think about future of its greenways in their Parks and Recreation Master Plan proposal. These greenways are vital to provide safe and efficient means of non-motorized travel within our communities nationwide to reduce our carbon footprint.