Op-Ed, Regional: How Could Building Trails Benefits Regional Economy

Cumberland County, New Jersey, one of the southernmost counties in the state, has been in the process of establishing a multi-use trail network for several years. In 2010, a feasibility study was submitted to the County that identified six potential trail networks. These trails were located throughout the county and sought to increase connections between municipalities and the many ecological attractions the county has to offer. Based on this foundation, I explored some new opportunities to create a regional trail network that meets the needs of the residents and visitors alike.

Cumberland County is rich in natural beauty but has higher rates of people living in poverty and other economic challenges. Trails are one way to provide and encourage business revenues. Trail-related businesses, such as bike shops and restaurants, generate about $7.5 million in wages per year. Not only do trails increase wages, they also increase tax revenues and businesses see trails as an attractive amenity making them more likely to either locate or relocate where trails exist. Trails also enhance transportation options. In the City of Bridgeton, about 20 percent of residents do not own a vehicle. The development of a trail network that connects residential areas to commercial areas would enable people to get to work, schools, and other destinations. The County also has the opportunity to support the trail network within the county to trails in nearby counties including tourism-rich Cape May County. The rural and picturesque setting makes Cumberland County an ideal place for multi-use trails and has enormous potential to increase tourism dollars. By connecting to other trails in South Jersey, the County and municipalities have the opportunity to create an attractive, long trail that has been successful in other parts of the country.

After reviewing the proposed trails for on- and off-road capacity, opportunities, and potential challenges, my recommendation to region policymakers would be to prioritize implementing the Bridgeton to Camden Trail Plan, which is one of the three intercounty connection trails in the 2010 report (The red line in the map below). The trail is 7.5 miles in length, with 3.20 miles on-road and 4.3 miles of off-road trail. This trail is a link between Cumberland County, Camden, and Philadelphia. It would then be a connection to the Maine-to-Florida East Coast Greenway.

Studies have found that trails create numerous economic benefits for their communities. A study commissioned by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials found that transportation enhancement projects such as trails, and pedestrian and cycling paths, created more jobs per dollar than any other investment made by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Another study in 2012 that studied the economic impact of the Great Allegheny Passage found that users of the trail spent more than $40 million dollars each year. The trail was also a boon to local business and employment. Another study of the trail in 2008 found that trail-related businesses like bike shops, restaurants, and other businesses that serve trail patrons paid $7.5 million in wages each year.

While much focus is on tourist dollars being brought into regions that build a trail system, studies also find that trail utilization is primarily done by residents that live along the trail. Local users of the Erie Canalway Trail in upstate New York spend $165 million annually in their own community. Local trail users also utilize the trails for commuting to work, and to perform other daily activities. Commuting to work via bicycle grew by 60 percent in the U.S. between 2000 and 2012. The continued investment could increase that number. More individuals walking and cycling to work will save local, state, and federal government money on road repair and maintenance.

What is more, this trail would benefit an underserved population and would be an economic driver, particularly post COVID-19.

 

Written by Yingjia Zhou

 

References:

Dowell, P. and Petraglia, L. (2012). NCHRP 08-36, Task 103. Mining recovery act data for opportunities to improve the state of practice for overall economic impact analysis of transportation investments.

 

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

The Progress Fund. (2016, April 1). Economic impact of regional trails. Retrieved from https://www.trailtowns.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Economic-impact-of-all-Trails-1.pdf.

3.    Campos Inc. (2009). The Great Allegheny Passage Economic Impact Study (2007–2008). The Progress Fund’s Trail Town Program Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau and Allegheny Trail Alliance. Retrieved from https://www.trailtowns.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/07-294-GAP-Economic-Impact-Study-2008-2009_Final-Report.pdf.

4.    Scipione, P. A. (2014). The economic impact of the Erie Canalway Trail: An assessment and user profile of New York's longest multi-use trail. Parks&Trails New York. Retrieved from https://headwaterseconomics.org/wp-content/uploads/Trail_Study_109-NY-Econ-Impact-Erie-Canalway.pdf.

5.    U.S. Census Bureau. 2014 American Community Survey.