Mecklenburg County Spending Million’s on Greenways
My hometown of Charlotte, NC has been in recent news for their new $8 million budget for a new greenway expansion in the south Charlotte region of Mecklenburg County.
“Greenways continue to be our No. 1 requested amenity within our system anytime we do a large-scale survey,” said Bert Lynn, capital planning division director for Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation.
Greenways serve as a recreational amenity for all types of people in Charlotte ranging from cyclists, runners, dog and stroller-walkers. I can speak from personal experience as I grew up less than a half of a mile away from a greenway and would bike to the greenway after school and in the summer to meet up with friends. I would see so many different types of people on the greenways who all utilized them in their own personal ways.
I also know many people who use the greenways and commute to work via bike. Greenways offer cyclists with protected and safe bike paths. I interviewed a bike commuter who has been able to use the greenway to bike to work since he moved. He talked to me about how much more he enjoys riding on the greenway as compared to riding through the streets. He elaborated on how much more peaceful and enjoyable his ride is on the greenway.
Expanding Charlotte’s busiest greenway, the McAlpine/McMullen/Four Mile system, has hopes of promoting people to use greenways to bike to work to alleviate traffic and promote a more green and eco-friendly lifestyle in the ever-so growing city.
The city is responsible for planning and building the Cross Charlotte Trail, which will be a 40 mile train expanding from the South Carolina border to the Cabarrus county line. The expansions of Charlotte’s greenways and construction of the Cross Charlotte Trail will bring hopes of a greener environment and promote the use of non-automobile methods of transportation from points A to B.
There are many more benefits to greenways that people don’t think about. Yes, there are many pros such as recreation and leisure, however, many other complimentary benefits such as mental health, a cleaner environment, and conservation also come into play. I know many people that use greenways in a way to clear their mind by going out for a walk or bike ride after stressful days of work. Conservation is also a really important part of Greenways. Greenways offer a sustainable and clean environment for wildlife.
I think this a super important and smart decision for the Charlotte city council. There’s a lot of positive outcomes that can and will come out from the new Greenway extension and construction of the Cross Charlotte Trail.
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