Warsaw, Missouri, becomes one of the most bike/ped friendly small cities in the U.S.

Staff from MoBikeFed, the League of American Bicyclists, the Alliance for Biking and Walking, and Toole Design Group who are visiting Missouri for the Action 2020 Workshops visited Warsaw, Missouri, today for a tour of the city's trails system and bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

In the past few years, Warsaw has quietly become one of the best bicycle, pedestrian, and trails cities in the state--and in the country.

The city has developed a mountain biking park, a park and trail system in the city's downtown harbor area (near the headwaters of the Lake of the Ozarks), created levee and riverfront trails, connected several parts of the city's recreation complex via trails, started to implement a Complete Streets plan on city streets, and connected both sides of the river by a bike/ped Swinging Bridge.

Warsaw has a new bike shop, weekly road rides and mountain bike rides, regular kayak expeditions using the area's planned water trails, and an impressive line-up of special events and races throughout the year--including hosting this year's State Mountain Bike Championships.

There is a lot here that other cities around Missouri can emulate.  The city created a trails plan and then found the resources to follow through and implement it.  They have turned the city's riverfront into a beautiful attraction--an idea that could be implemented by many Missouri cities. And the city has forged key alliances with other local government bodies and agencies, as well as working to develop citizen support for its initiatives.

The result is a more beautiful city with bicycle, pedestrian, trail, and parks facilities that help improve the city's health and attract visitors and businesses that help make the area's economy healthy as well.

See a complete photoset of our visit to Warsaw here.