Most of our outdoors is accessible only by car.
Pennsylvania’s forests should be open to all.
Car companies are trying to sell cars with the outdoors
Historically, car companies could sell cars based on personal freedom, convenience, cheapness, and cargo capacity. However, with worsening traffic, increasingly expensive gas, highest rate of road deaths among developed countries, record-high car ownership costs, and cargo bicycles becoming an option to replace cars, car ownership is offering fewer and fewer benefits.
The only thing left that car companies can sell cars on is access to the outdoors, as observed by multiple news outlets. Everything from relentless advertisements featuring cars in the wilderness, to the majority of cars sold being off-road capable, to even the loss of small cars in America helps to reinforce this stereotype.
Non-automotive wilderness access is both possible and economically beneficial
With more and more people opting out of car ownership and living car-free, it is important to provide alternative access to the outdoors. This is especially important for Happy Valley; irrespective of national trends, many college students arrive without automobiles, and State College is already the most-urbanist, least-driving college town in the country. Providing safe, reliable transport out of town for day trips and camping encourages undergrads to spend more time and money in surrounding communities, boosting the economy.
Outdoor recreation constitutes 2% of Pennsylvania’s economy, and contributes nearly $8 billion to local jobs. Nationally, outdoor recreation is a trillion-dollar industry and is outpacing domestic growth. Notably, Pennsylvania has a larger outdoors economy than any other Mid-Atlantic state, and is uniquely situated to draw eco-tourism from New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and other nearby states. Providing better transit access between big cities and the outdoors would significantly bolster Centre County’s economy.
The economic benefits of bicycle trails are similarly myriad: a new bicycle trail can generate millions of dollars in local spending, as has been shown by many case studies; nearly 50% more jobs are created by bicycle trails than on road-only projects per dollar spent; and homes within 50 meters of a bike trail sell at a premium. In general, homes in non-car-oriented communities gain more value, and building trails “makes economic sense.” These aren’t far-away benefits just found in big cities; rail-trails, alone, contribute nearly a billion dollars annually to Pennsylvania’s economy, and bike trails draw people into small towns, increasing their prosperity. This is also boosted by transit to trailheads, with several different transit agencies having implemented routes directly to nature in recent years.
All three parts of the CCHR Modern Transit plan – train, bus, and trail – promote car-free outdoor recreation
The DMU rail transit running from Altoona to Tyrone, State College, Millheim, Bellefonte, Lock Haven, and Williamsport would provide convenient, environmentally-friendly transport to many natural resources. Stations in Graysdale, Lemont, and Millheim provide access to hike the Scotia Barrens, Mount Nittany, or Mid-State Trail. Boalsburg Station is near Tussey Mountain Resort, and the Airport Station can be used to access Fisherman’s Paradise. The Airport and Bellefonte Stations can be used together for riverine expeditions down Spring Creek Canyon.
The Penns Valley trail network is not only an outdoors amenity in itself, it also connects to many existing attractions. Trail access is provided to the Tussey Mountain Resort and Grange Fair, Colyer Lake for boating, the Mid-State Trail for backpacking, and Penn-Roosevelt State Park for camping. Additionally, connecting these amenities with local communities from Boalsburg to Spring Mills to Millheim would allow these towns to benefit from eco-tourism, serving as either destinations for a day’s walk or bike along the trail or as basecamps for higher adventure into the wilderness.
The new CATA route from State College to Milroy and Lewistown also helps to connect people with the outdoors. A stop in Poe Paddy gives access to many hiking trails, nearby campsites, and longer-distance backpacking adventures. Additionally, Lewistown provides many outfitters for rafting on the Juniata River, hiking or mountain biking in nearby State Game Lands, or horseback riding through the Tuscarora wilderness.
