Conclusions and Implications
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- Rail-trails can provide a wide range of benefits to users, local landowners, and trail communitiees. They are not single use, single benefit resources. Residents and visitors enjoy the benefits of trail use, esthetic beauty, protected open space, and in some instances higher property resale values, while local communities enjoy bolstered economies and increased community pride among other benefits. These benefits should be presented as a package when discussing the merits of rail-trails with the diverse constituencies affected by proposed trails.
- Levels of economic impact varied considerably across the three study trails. This was due principally to the fact that the Lafayette/Moraga Trail was used almost exclusively for short trips by nearby residents while the other two trails attracted more visitors from beyond the local neighborhoods. If economic benefits are an important community objective, marketing efforts should be developed aimed at attracting out-of-town visitors and getting many of them to make overnight stays.
- The study rail-trails were found to have a dedicated core of users who visited frequently and were committed to "their" trails. This finding represents an opportunity for managers of existing trails and planners of new trails to tap into a potentially rich source of trail supporters and volunteers for assistance on a number of appropriate planning and management activities.
- Although negative aspects of living adjacent to rail-trails were reported by some landowners, the rates of occurence and seriousness of problems were relatively low and advantages of living near the trails were reported as well. This finding should be encouraging to trail planners and advocates. While all existing and potential problems need to be identified and addressed quickly, trail planners and advocates should not be timid about presenting the positive impacts of rail-trails to landowners along the proposed trails and putting them in contact with their peers along existing trails.
