Heart of it all: Great Miami River Recreational Trail

Originally published in the Progress Edition March 21, 2014

By Bethany J. Royer
MIAMI COUNTY If wanton of a heart or a centrality when it comes to the Great Miami
River Recreational Trail, a multi-use path that links a 300-mile system of paved bikeways
through southwest Ohio from Piqua to Fairfield for four counties in all and more to come
look no further than the impending Robert J. Shook Bikeway Bridge.
When ground was broken last September, trail enthusiasts came out in droves and on bikes. A
culmination of area business owners, city leaders, even State Representative Richard Adams to
witness two things:
* The steps towards the smaller picture, linking the system at Farrington Reserve on Peterson
Road, to the much larger picture connecting hundreds of neighborhoods, shopping and business
districts, parks, and even history
* The bridges namesake, long-time bike trail advocate and chairman of the Miami County Trails
Task Force, who had seen the trails growth over the years and took first dibs with a shovel just
for the occasion
Robert J. Shook has been referred to, and fondly so, as the go-to expert on trail conception and
implementation for surrounding communities as bicycle riding popularity has seen something of
a re-emergence. Perhaps it is the endeavor for green living and a healthier lifestyle that has
become a part of the driving force behind the trend. Interests that culminated on a local level
with promotion nearly a year ago last spring in the first ever Piqua Bike to Work week held in
May. The idea was to invoke a bit of friendly competition between local businesses while
helping to promote healthy lifestyles and the environmental benefits of leaving the car at home.
Nearly a dozen area businesses competed in Bike to Work week with 41 participants riding their
bikes for an accumulated 740 miles. Miami Valley Steel Services Inc. took home the large
business category win and Treons Barber & Styling the small business category win. The event
was created by the citys Active Living Advisory Council or ALAC (Formerly known as the
Bike-Run-Ped Advisory Council) that works to bring active lifestyles and healthier living to area
residents and businesses. Even the city of Piqua got into the competition, and has been proactive
as a role model in healthier living such as their recent winter purchase of exercise equipment for
city staff at the government complex.
Bicycling enthusiasts have been invited and encouraged to participate in a number of other area
events including the Piqua Memorial Day parade, the Moonlight Bike and Stride, the Groovy
Gourd Bike Ride and the monthly Bike Mob. The latter held from April to September and jointly
hosted by Mainstreet Piqua and the city of Piqua that brings biking enthusiasts together for not
only an active event but to visit a variety of area businesses and eateries.
Course, another large bike-related project includes the citys Complete Streets, a process that
will allow pedestrians of all sorts vehicle, bicycle, and walking to share the roads. It will
also give those latter bikers and walkers easy access to and from the multi-use path, to area parks
and/or schools.
The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) has also played a pivotal part in
the area multi-use path, with workshops held for bike route visioning. Emphasizing how bike
routes improve the quality of life through increased opportunities for social contact, interactions
between neighbors and citizens, and contribute to a healthy identity and place. A 2013 meeting
pointed out some amazing statistics to evoke bicycling such as 40 percent of all trips are shorter
than two miles or what equals a 30 minute walk or ten minute bike ride.
The multi-use path has also become a focal point in area revitalization efforts for the city of
Piqua as an inclusion to potential changes to the downtown riverfront and the oxbow, also known
as the East Historic District. An effort that will likewise utilize the river which has been
recognized as a vital asset to surrounding communities.
Certainly the multi-use path is readily used, as pointed out by longtime area resident and bike
enthusiast Jim Hemmert at an October Piqua commission meeting. A weekend-long study of
path use found over 1,800 users from a number of communities both near and far. So when it
comes to the heart of the bikepath, completion of the Robert J. Shook Bikeway Bridge due in
July and still on schedule according to Scott Myers, executive director of the Miami County
Park District will have a transformational and connective power to the system and
community.
Bethany J. Royer may be reached at 773-2721 or on Twitter @TheDailyCall