Biking Paths that Go Somewhere

Fredericksburg resident George Solley thinks like Road to Ruin: He would like to see more bike and walking paths that "go somewhere." The city's canal path starts nowhere and ends nowhere, he observes, according to the Free Lance-Star. The path should be widened and have more access points. "Solley," says the newspaper, "is hopeful that the pathways will grow from a few isolated trails into a useful network."

Moral of the story: It's nice to build bicycle paths for recreational purposes, but it's even better if the paths connect destinations that people actually travel to. For the modest extra cost of creating more access points, local governments can turn the trails into useful transportation corridors that a few people might actually use.