Last November, LCTA asked trail supporters to contact members of the Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to advocate for the use of STP funds for trail development. As a reminder, a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is an entity composed of local elected officials, state agency representatives, and residents that is tasked with reviewing and approving transportation investments in a metropolitan area.
The Corridor MPO recently voted to use 80% of STP funds for trail development. The STP budget is approximately $3 million dollars. This is a big accomplishment for trail development in our region and now LCTA asks that trail supporters say thank you to the MPO for funding and supporting trail development. The best way to communicate with the MPO is through their website: http://www.corridormpo.com/about-us/95-feedback/140-contact-us. An example thank you is available below. If you contacted an MPO member previously, please feel free to follow up with thapersonal directly.
Dear Corridor MPO Member,
My name is (insert name) and I am a resident of (insert city of residence, work, leisure, etc). (Explain how or why you use the trails and why the decision to fund trails is a benefit to you).
There are key reasons to why this decision is so important for area residents:
1) Tax Effective Products – The report “Active Transportation: Cost-Effective Mobility Improvements—for Everyone” by Rails to Trails Conservancy explains that walking and bicycling transportation projects make the most of every tax dollar spent. “With fewer federal dollars available, these projects can be completed at a low cost, are highly popular and significantly improve mobility (RailstoTrails.org).”
2) Healthiest State Initiative – “Rather than asking people to increase their will power, the Blue Zones Community model works to improve environments. Little changes to your home, work, school, social, physical, and policy environments can make healthy choices the easy choices so that well-being improves naturally (BlueZonesProjects.com).” Connected trails make the healthy decision the easy decision.
3) Quality of Life – Trails have a high impact on quality of life for a region. Safe, connected trails offer opportunities for commuting and recreation. Funding trail development at this level will have a positive impact on the quality of life for residents in the region.
Thank you for your support!
I recently moved here from Des Moines, where from any neighborhood you can connect with a trail and go anywhere in the city. Here we are basically limited to one trail from south to north. I ride for fun and exercise. We need an east to west trail also. Please keep working on improving the trails in this area. We talked with some people from Davenport on the trail recently who are also really disappointed with the trails in CR. We can do better than this!
Please continue to show your support for trails by voicing your support on decisions made by the MPO via Facebook, Twitter, and TheGazette. We awarded $2.5m yesterday to connect Cedar Rapids to Marion, with many more decisions coming up. Your elected officials need to be supported as they have been instrumental in making these plans become reality.
http://thegazette.com/2012/05/18/planning-organization-commits-2-5-million-to-trail/
Pursue funding to entxed the Cedar Valley Nature Trail to Center Point and to the Linn-Benton line or I-380 underpass if possibly. The new section north of County Home Rd will be heavily used when it opens in a few weeks. Extending further will increase usage.Someone needs to start pressuring Buchanan County to maintain the CVNT through their county. It’s terrible east of Brandon and not much better west of Brandon. With work underway on the new bridge over the Cedar River near McFarland Park Buchanan County need to spend some money upgrading their trail surface and trimming brush back along the trail so that the trail is passable when the bridge is completed.We think that once the CVNT is open again next year that it will bring tourism opportunities to both Waterloo/Cedar Falls and Hiawatha/Cedar Rapids. Plenty of place to stay and eat at each end of the trail.Al & Jacqui SorensenLCTA members