Birmingham emphasizes steps to build a first-class trail network

“As a city administration, we believe in connectivity,” said Randall Woodfin, Mayor of Birmingham. “In 2018 we started this complete street regulation, and the whole idea was to make our public spaces on purpose. We believe in cycling. We want to promote walking. And that is not only for well -being, but it connects the community.”

The meeting started an 8-mile bike tour in which parts of the Red Rock Trail system were explored, which completed a 100 mile tour through the best trails of Northern Alabama and the development of trail networks. The three-day bicycle tour began in Cedartown, Georgia, and crossed the state border to Alabama and the Talladega National Forest and traveled the famous Silver Comet chief Ladiga Trail Corridor to the historic Anniston. The second day focused on the Greater Huntsville region and exploring the developing Singing River Trail system. The tour ended in Birmingham to explore the paths that weave in the city and in the surrounding county as part of the Red Rock Trail system.

“We decided to end in Birmingham because the holiday of the trails has become an integral part of this city,” said Brandi Horton, Vice President of Communication for Rails to Trails Conservancy. “It is such an example of the whole country of what is possible when the trail overlaps and overlaps the places to which people want to go. The joy that is here today is simply so obvious and contagious. And if you have this kind of joy, real effects and changes are really.”

Celebrate Trails Day organizes on the fourth Saturday in April and is an annual spring celebration of the America's Trails, which was launched by Rails to Trails Conservancy in 2013. (Rails to Trails is a national non -profit non -profit organization that is committed to transforming former railway lines into lively paths that combine people and places.) The Birmingham event was one of more than 200 celebrations across the country. For the third year, the Celebrate Trails Day event was organized by Birmingham on the Pepper Place Farmers Market.

“The market is about public health,” said Cathy Soss Jones, founder of the market at Pepper Place and board member of Rails to Trails Conservancy. “It's about getting healthier, eating on site, eating seasonally. But it's not just food. It is also movement. It is a spirit, body, mind. We try to promote all of these things, so celebrate the celebration of the trail for us.”

The event on Saturday was also an official activity of the Alabama Trails campaign by Alabama Tourism, which is celebrated for two years to emphasize the wide range of ways that turn through Alabama's mountains, forests, rivers and coasts. The holiday was a special day in particular for Birmingham, said Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism Department.

“Birmingham and the state of Alabama puts it a big spotlight because many people who are here have come from the state to take part in what happens this weekend,” he said. “I spoke to people from six different states in the last hour.”

The event on Saturday brought cyclists from Georgia, Tennessee and Indiana – only to name some of the areas represented.

Outdoor Recreation generates 6.6 billion US dollars in Alabama every year and drives local companies and rural economies. In a report by the Hoover Institution 2021, it showed that one of the best opportunities for Alabama, to attract highly qualified workers, to have extensive outdoor leisure activities outdoors. This means that Alabamas Trails system is not only good for the health of Alabamians and good for connectivity and community, but also good for the business, since these offers help to maintain and help talents, the Alabama help to become a national leader in scientific and technological innovation.

In addition, hiking trails in Alabama are important because they can combine urban parts with nature, schools, jobs and companies through safe, accessible greenways. This is the vision for the Red Rock Trail system in Jefferson County. The master plan for the system proposes 750 miles multi -purpose paths, parks, bike paths and sidewalks. After completion, the trail system consists of the following corridors: Jones Valley and Valley Creek, Village Creek, Five Mile Creek, Shades Creek, Cahaba River and Turkey Creek. The vision is that each path is connected in every corridor. Almost 130 miles hiking trails have been completed, including the popular paths such as the Rotary Trail, the Railroad Park Trail, the Five Mile Creek Greenway and the Shades Creek Greenway.

The Birmingham Civil Rights CrossRoads project will also be part of the Red Rock Trail system. This project, led by the City of Birmingham Transport Ministry, will create a 3.16 miles of urban trail network, which connects the historically important districts of Graymont and Smithfield with downtown Birmingham and the Civil Rights District. The aim is to convert author -centered streets in “complete streets” with special rooms for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. Representatives and volunteers of the Birmingham Civil Rights CrossRoads project also took part in the celebrations.

“I am happy about this project because it cuts in the core of our city center on the north side and has been one of the most automatic places in the country for many years, and this project helps us find a way through one of the most culturally important places in our city,” said James Fowler, director of the Birmingham Transport Ministry. “It is a great starting point for the redesign as we move in Birmingham.”

In comments on the amount that gathered on Saturday morning on the Pepper Place Market, Woodfin said that, although he is enthusiastic that a robust trail system can promote the commercial and residential building, he believes that it can do a lot more.

“This morning I had a team member out here who told me that there is so much hatred at the moment that it is impossible to have this kind of energy on the way,” said Woodfin. “It's not just about connectivity; we promote the community.”

In her comments on the crowd, Horton emphasized that Alabama Trails are not only for people who can enjoy today.

“This is an investment in our future,” she said, “in the generations for which we will leave it behind.”

Horton sees a brilliant future for Alabama trails.

“I am here to say that Alabama is the next trail destination and the center of the southeast,” she said. “I can't wait to return to Alabama next time and to see more trails, more connections and further days. These are the rooms, these are the moments that make America great.”