Comments on: NIMBY Trail Problems

By: Sean

Sean — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:11:59 +0000

“A correspondent wrote to me awhile back, on the subject of trail opposition: “How is a trail different than a road or street, which nearly everyone has running along their property? Roads bring crime. Roads bring traffic danger. Roads bring noise and air pollution. Trails, by their very nature, present few to none of these hazards.””

Thank you– I’ve been saying this for years to little or no avail. Small-minded people want to believe what they want to believe and not amount of empirical evidence is going to convince them that they are wrong.

By: Randy

Randy — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:14:15 +0000

Study finds that Ohio bike trail boosts property values: “There’s a suburban legend out there that rail-to-trail conversions drive down property values. Propose a trail on an abandoned railway and you’ll hear fear and loathing from neighbors about loss of privacy, increased crime, traffic and noise, all which will affect property values.”

The Little Miami Scenic Trail in southeast Ohio has proven to be an economic boon to businesses along its length, and single family home sale prices increase by $7.05 for every foot closer a property is located to the trail.

“The finding that property values increase with proximity to the trail supports the idea that building bike trails are good investments for communities.”

By: Randy

Randy — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:29:39 +0000

Trail problems in Illinois: The Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, a 104.5-mile-long linear park in northwest Illinois, is closing due to a budget shortfall. If the state allows the parkway, which received federal funds for its construction, to go into dispair, the federal government could withhold highway funds.

By: Randy

Randy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:17:39 +0000

An article in a similar vein from the WashCycle: The Trails-Bring-Crime Myth — “I think even the people who say they’re worried about crime aren’t really worried about crime, they’re worried about change and strangers in their neighborhood. Saying crime just makes them seem less selfish.”

By: NIMBY Trail Problems « DATA Dirt!

NIMBY Trail Problems « DATA Dirt! — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:38:38 +0000

[...] Full article here: http://www.kansascyclist.com/news/2008/08/nimby-trail-problems/ [...]

By: Craig Della Penna

Craig Della Penna — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:36:23 +0000

I am a realtor in Massachusetts, specializing in the sale of residential property next to or near to rail trails or greenways all over the state. I am the 2nd top agent at one of the largest firms in western Massachusetts.

My practice was featured in the National Association of Realtors Smart Growth trade magazine and was mentioned in United Airlines in-flight magazine–Hemispheres.

The web’s best compendium of white paper studies and highly credentialed reports can be found on the website for the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. [ http://brucefreemanrailtrail.org/trail_plans/rail_trail_studies.html ]

Saying that living near or next to rail trail is a negative is just not true.

Craig Della Penna Realtor®