Public Trails Mean Business
Wheel Life column - 15 May, 1999
by Todd Litman and Suzanne Kort - Victoria Transport Policy Institute

Calling all entrepreneurs! There's gold to be found along the Galloping Goose Trail. You just need to find a way to make those happy trail users even happier.

We are amazed that the market potential for snack shops near the trail through Victoria has yet to be exploited. There are literally hundreds of hungry appetites walking, skating and cycling along the trail every day (more than 2,000 users a day are expected during the summer season). Who is serving this demand?

So far, only the Princess Mary Restaurant on Harbour Road has taken advantage of this opportunity. You need to ride all the way north to Quadra Street, or through View Royal, before you'll find snacks for sale within view of the trail.

To the credit of CRD Parks, businesses are not allowed on the trail itself. We support that policy. But there are countless commercial properties adjacent to the trail that would be ideal locations for a little ice cream stand or café. A steady stream of trail users flow by, thirsty and hungry.

Most adjacent businesses still have their backs to the trail (blank cinderblock walls, parking lots, and garbage dumps), a legacy of the trail's heritage as a railroad track. But this should change as businesses begin to recognize the market potential.

Trails such as the Galloping Goose are an economic boon throughout North America. Public walkways and trails are the centerpiece tourist attraction in many communities. For example, the Riverwalk promenade in San Antonio is the most popular attraction in the whole state of Texas.

People travel from hundreds of kilometres away to spend a couple days walking or bicycling on trails such as the Kettle Valley Railway trail in central BC, and they spend money along the way! Bed and Breakfast homes located along such trails are nearly always filled during the tourist season, and restaurants are busy filling hungry tummies. The money that trail users save in vehicle fuel expenses they can reinvest in cycling fuel (food).

Property values tend to increase along public trails. A study performed in 1987 showed that residential properties along Seattle's Burke-Gilman Trail increased in value by an extra 6.5% compared with otherwise comparable properties in other areas, representing many millions of dollars in total increased wealth.

Public trails also help attract certain types of industries, particularly knowledge-based businesses with employees who place a high value on amenities such as environmental quality and access to greenspace and outdoor recreation opportunities.

Public trails support economic development because they help protect the environment and create a livable community. Don't just take our word for it. Check out the report Economic Impacts of Protecting Rivers, Trails and Greenway Corridors, U.S. National Park Service, 1995, available at http://www.nps.gov/pwro/rtca/econ_index.htm.