Catching up on the Hometown News: Bike Paths in Niagara Falls

Everynow and then I like to check up on what's going on back in my home town: Niagara Falls. I used to go home in the summers, but I haven't done that in a couple years, and lately it has only been for christmas, but I like to keep up on what is going on, so I often check out the local newspapers website. They only put a couple articles up, it isn't worth it for me to order the full online version (I delivered that thing for 7 years when I was younger, I think they owe me), but the editorials give me the general gist of what is going on.

This editorial about the bike path controversy made me think of this.

A little background, for pretty much as long as I can remember, the city council has been fighting about developing multi-use trails in and around the city. There is a decent one that runs along the Niagara River, but right by the falls it dissapears for a few kilometers, and it is often packed with tourists.

I have always thought that Niagara was squandering an excellent opportunity to have an amazing, world class, network of cycling trails. Because of all the hydro power produced in the city there are a lot of open green spaces with high tension power lines. Often a couple hundred meters wide (out by Mountain Road or down by Dunn St.), and in some places maybe 20 or 30 (connecting drummond and dorchester near Freeman). These are amazing places to run paths. And if they actually put in some bike lanes when they were doing the perputual road construction (as alluded to in the article).

A few years ago, they finally started to get smart and put in the beginnings of the Millenium trail. A great idea, running alongside the Hydro canal.

The big problem, however, is that the trail only exists for 2km in a not so convinient part of the city, and the suggested phase 2 takes it even further out into nowhere. When they wanted to run it through the city, a bunch of people complained that teenagers were going to use it for partying.

I currently like in a city (Ottawa) with an absolutely amazing trail system. A big network of trails and bike lanes along major roads that is both great for getting places and just for having fun. Now I understand Ottawa is much bigger in population than Niagara but these trails could be used to attract biking enthusiests to the area, and integrating it with the other trail systems that the smarter neighbouring cities have developed, the Niagara Region could become a meca for cycling enthusiasts. In Ottawa, the trails often run very close to houses. Even closer than they would along the hydro canal (sometimes it is like you are right in their backyard), yet it doesen't seem to present that much of a problem. I think if the city just did it, the nieghbours would hardly even notice.

Now they can spend millions on stuff for the tourists, now spend some on the people of the city. Come on Ted (Ted Salci, mayor of Niagara Falls, and good friend of my Dad), I think something like this, if done right can really benefit the local community and also bring in tourists who want to spend a coulple days biking the region. This will encourage them to stay longer.

Well this concludes my little rant about my frustration with a city I don't live in anymore. I can't imagine anyone from home will actually read this. I just wanted to rant for a bit. Thanks for reading.