Lancaster County communities in the midst of new rail-trail projects might be emboldened by a new survey that shows the existing Conewago Recreation Trail and Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail are valued by area residents and stimulate local economies.
"They're good for the quality of life and they're good for the economy," said Carl Knoch, who helped oversee the user survey and economic analysis for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. The work was funded by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The trails attracted an estimated 125,244 people in 2011 and pumped $875,320 into the local economy, according to the study.
The Conewago Recreation Trail is a 5.5-mile multiuse trail built atop a 19th-century railroad that once served the Cornwall Iron Furnace.
The right of way was purchased by Lancaster County from the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1979, and the trail was developed by the county Department of Parks and Recreation. It runs from Route 230, just outside of Elizabethtown, to the Lebanon County line.
The 15-mile Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail follows the same former rail bed, starting at the Lancaster County line and ending on South Eighth Street in Lebanon city. Run by a nonprofit group, it opened in 1996.
From May through October 2011, 563 users of the two trails completed surveys available at 11 locations along the trails.
A majority of trail users, 64.5 percent, were from Lancaster, Lebanon or Dauphin counties. Just over half said they used the trails at least twice a week or more. A majority of users were between 46 and 65 years old.
The most common use was for bicycle riding, followed by walking/hiking. Other less-common uses included jogging, dog walking, horseback riding and geocaching. In winter, some went cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.
Nearly 60 percent of respondents used the trails to improve their health, and 35 percent used them as a form of recreation.
"The trail is an enhancement to my life," one trail user wrote.
"Thank you for the trail," wrote another. "I don't have sidewalks, so this is a place that I feel is safe to walk and my daughter can ride her bike without worrying about getting run over."
Another trail user said his/her family used the trail so much that they sold a home in Lancaster County and moved to a home along the trail.
Users spent money to use the trail, according to the economic analysis.
Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they had purchased some sort of durable good, such as shoes, bike supplies and other items for use while on the trail.
And 56 percent said they bought snacks, lunches, ice cream or drinks for each trip on the trail, a practice that pumped an estimated $875,320 into the local economy. A bike rental shop and Twin Kiss are among the businesses along the trail.
Combined with the purchase of durable goods, it's estimated the trails had a $1.3 million impact on the local economy in 2011.
"There are some obvious economic benefits to rail-trail attractions from people outside the area bringing money into local communities," said Michael Domin, principal planner for the Lancaster County Planning Commission.
"The trick is we need to connect to urban areas. The Conewago doesn't, so we don't see that full benefit."
In the future, Domin hopes there can be a "spine" trail built to connect the Conewago trail to Elizabethtown and surrounding communities.
And he predicts economic benefits for Quarryville, Lititz, Akron, Ephrata, Columbia, Marietta and other communities because of rail-trail projects under way in those communities. Among them:
• The Warwick-to-Ephrata Rails-to-Trails Project will run 9 miles — from Lititz, through Akron and into Ephrata — when completed in 2016. One mile is currently in use in Lititz and Warwick Township and about a mile is in use in Ephrata. The former Reading & Columbia Railroad line is being used.
• Former Enola Low Grade line, 23 miles from the border of Lancaster and Chester counties to the Conestoga River. Last year, Amtrak built a 16-foot-wide crushed stone trail surface the length of the corridor, making it more amenable for bicycle riding. Manor Township is building its own 5-mile section.
• Northwest River Trail. When completed, the trail will run from Columbia, along the Susquehanna River, to the Dauphin County line. Much of the trail will be on an old canal tow path.
