When it comes to tourism and travel today, it’s not just about the destination. The head of the Adventure Cycling Association offered his views at last week’s Kentucky Bike Walk Summit in Lexington.
Adventure Cycling Association’s Jim Sayer says, for more and more people, the journey as well as the destination are integral parts of the overall travel experience. He says it’s something that’s appealing to both boomers and millennials. “There’s a real boom and demand for active travel all across all demographics. So, biking, walking, paddling. So, many states and localities are positioning themselves to be competitive in those areas,” said Sayer.
Sayer says he’s seeing high growth in interest for providing bike facilities in Kentucky. He says the Commonwealth is a leader nationally in creating new routes within the U.S. bicycle route system. Sayer says these new routes will form an interstate bike network across state lines.
Kentucky’s statewide bike and pedestrian coordinator says a cultural shift in citizen attitudes about the need for cycling and walking infrastructure is occurring. Troy Hearn also participated in the Kentucky Bike Walk Summit at Transylvania University.
Where there might have been about 1% of a town’s population interested in bike lanes and walking trails, Hearn says today that figure might be between 5 and 10%. The statewide biking and pedestrian coordinator wants to hear from community leaders. “One of my checklist items of things to help me help communities and citizens the most is for each community in the state to have a plan for what they want,” noted Hearn.
Hearn says funding remains an ongoing need. Even with willing volunteers, he says trail work with primarily hand tools can take substantially longer to complete than a project with heavy equipment.
Copyright 2018 WEKU
