Trail Access Is Important
I just don’t get it. Iowa clears the MRT and dozens, if not hundreds, of cyclists are out enjoying it in far below freezing temp.’s. They receive funding based on the number of people using the paths, just like any other park. Moline clears The Ben Butterworth Parkway, but Rock Island leaves their portion of The GRT an ice rutted mess!
The Rock Island portion of The GRT is obviously being used. Those ruts got there from tire treads and hundreds of feet. Let’s face it, of all The Quad Cities, no other town has more citizens that benefit from alternative transportation.
I thought, “hey, at least the new I74 MUP is opening. That will allow me to go from my home in Moline all the way to Davenport on a clean and clear path!” Nope, after 30 years of planning, they say they still don’t know how to go about clearing off the pathway (they did not clear the new path along 19th street anyway). Apparently they feel it is significantly different than a motor way.
For some friends reading this, the above may not make sense. If you don’t live where sunny January days only get you UP to 32f/0c, the concept of dealing with ice ruts, on foot, much less a bicycle, may be beyond you. The fact that we are being detoured to a flat plate steel bridge that is more slippery than goose poop may not seem significant either, but the fact that a portion of that route is virtually impassable has to make even you shake your head. Do they think crossing a new bridge Is any more dangerous than miles of ice ruts and a bridge so dangerous they actually tell you to walk your bike!?!
We must start incorporating alternate transport into our communities. We can no longer afford constantly expanding, higher speed roadways. Too many already will never again be able to afford safe or reliable motorized transport. If we do not accommodate new ways of thinking, our young people, will leave. Even Dubuque and to a lesser extent, Muscatine are moving ahead of The Quad Cities.