ATVs on the Katy Trail: Adventure Cycling Association gives three good reasons to oppose this bill

The Adventure Cycling Association has weighed into the debate about allowing ATVs on the Katy Trail.  Their letter summarizes several powerful arguments that explain why allowing motorized us on the trail just doesn't make sense.

Do we want ATVs on Missouri's Katy Trail?

As of February 22nd, the bill to allow ATVs and golf carts on the Katy Trail is still alive.  We expected it to be voted out of Committee February 15th.  Instead, action was delayed.  We are not certain at this point whether this means the bill has died in committee or whether supporters are still working to craft an amendment to overcome objections and costs to the proposal or otherwise develop support on the Committee to move the bill forward.

In the meanwhile, please continue to contact your Missouri State Representatives and ask them to oppose HB 2047, to allow ATVs & golf carts on Missouri's Katy Trail State Park.

February 19, 2016

To: Rep. Jay Houghton, Sponsor; Rep. Sonya Anderson, Chair of Conservation and Natural Resource Committee; and Rep. Bill Reiboldt, Chair of the Select Committee on Agriculture

From: Virginia Sullivan, Director of Travel Initiatives, Adventure Cycling Association

Re: Testimony Opposing Missouri House Bill 2047

Please accept this written testimony opposing HB 2047. This bill will negatively impact the Katy Trail which is an international bicycle travel destination. By allowing ATVs and golf carts on the trail, the nature of the trail will be forever changed and this will negatively impact the economic revenues for small and mid-sized communities along the trail.

Costs to the State of Missouri

According the Oversight Division at the Office of Legislative Research for the Missouri General Assembly, the fiscal note for accommodating ATVs and golf carts on the trail safely would cost $168,000 per mile, or approximately $40 million. This doesn’t include the costs associated with monitoring the trail by state park rangers. In addition to the up-front costs associated with making the trail wider and changing the trail base, bridges and other infrastructure, we oppose this bill for the additional reasons:

1.      It changes the inherent nature of the trail. By putting vehicles on the trail, the nature of the trail will be forever changed. The noise created by engines will scare away wildlife and the exhaust and fuel will pollute the air and stream beds. Cyclists and hikers enjoy the peaceful natural environment afforded by the off-road conditions the Katy Trail currently provides.

2.      Erosion issues will strain state parks maintenance budgets. ATVs and golf carts will erode surface conditions to a much higher degree than non-motorized users, leaving ruts and ridges that Missouri State Parks will have to continually grade. If these ruts are not graded in a timely fashion, they will get deeper until the base of the trail is impacted. In addition, if surface conditions are sub-par, cyclists and hikers will no longer want to use the trail.  

3.      It will negatively impact tourism. The Katy Trail has become an international active travel and tourism destination. The communities along the Katy Trail have come to depend upon bicycle tourism. By allowing ATVs and golf carts, Missouri risks losing the appeal and marketing potential to this growing segment of the tourism market.

Economic Impacts of Bicycle Tourism

Bicycling and bicycle tourism is a booming industry and studies have shown that it brings hundreds of millions in economic benefits to states across the country. The Katy Trail brings over $18 million in economic impacts to the communities that border the trail. Other studies show similar trends. For example, benefits to Montana’s economy are over $380 million each year from bicycle travel alone; Oregon sees a statewide economic impact of $400 million per year from bicycle tourism; Michigan’s economy brings in over $688 million from bicycling, Wisconsin brings in $950 million in health and economic benefits of bicycling, and Washington State sees an economic impact of $3.1 billion from bicycle tourism. Bicycle travel is particularly beneficial to small rural economies, since bicycle travelers seek trails, spend more locally and stay longer than motorized travelers. A 2013 study conducted by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR) in Montana found that cycle tourists bring in between $75 - $103 per day and stay an average of 8 nights in the state. In comparison, ITRR found in a 2012 nonresident survey that the average motorized tourist spent $58.24 per day.

Who We Are

Adventure Cycling Association is a national non-profit bicycle membership organization with 50,000 members from across the world. Our mission is to inspire and empower people to travel bicycle. We develop bicycle touring maps, manage over 100 bicycle tours across North America, produce an award-winning travel magazine and provide technical assistance and coordination for the U.S. Bicycle Route System, an officially recognized interstate bicycle route network cataloged by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). U.S. Bicycle Route 76 is currently signed across Missouri. The Adventure Cycling Route Network includes over 44,000-mapped miles of bicycle routes, including the popular Lewis and Clark Bicycle Trail which runs from St. Louis, Missouri to Seaside Oregon and travels the length of the Katy Trail.

As interest in bicycle tourism grows nationally and internationally, Missouri will see increasingly more visitors traveling by bicycle through the state. The Lewis and Clark Bicycle Trail was created in response to an interest in following the Corp of Discovery by human-powered means and attracts hundreds of visitors to Missouri to experience the state’s unique American history by bicycle. 

We urge you to consider all the costs associated with putting ATVs and golf carts on the Katy Trail and to withdraw HB2047, which will only serve to discourage bicycle tourism in Missouri.

Missouri's Six National Bicycle Tourism Routes

Missouri's Katy Trail is part of several nationwide bicycle touring routes and trails

As the Adventure Cycling Association letter points out, Missouri's Katy Trail is not simply a statewide asset.  The forms an integral part of two major national bicycle touring routes and intersects with a third--meaning that it touches three out of the six national bicycle touring routes that pass through Missouri:

• The Lewis and Clark Bicycle Route follows the Katy Trail from St Charles through Booneville.
• The American Discovery Trail follows the Katy Trail
• The Great Rivers South Bicycle Route intersects the Katy Trail at Washington, Missouri.

If you change the character of the Katy, you are not just messing with a state park of local interest.  You are changing--for the worse--a tourism destination that attracts visitors from all fifty states and many foreign countries each year, and that connects with bicycle tourism networks stretching across the continent.

Background on the issue of ATVS on the Katy Trail - HB 2047 (2016) 

• ADVOCACY ALERT: Bill to allow ATVs on the Katy Trail moving forward in the Missouri House; contact your representative today
• ATVs on the Katy Trail--over $40 million in additional costs to State Parks
• MoBikeFed President's Editorial: ATVs on the Katy Trail? Why not . . .
• 2016 Legislative Session: Summary of bills affecting bicycling, walking, and trails

Join us for Bicycle  and Pedestrian Day at the Capitol and the Legislators Bicycle Ride in Jefferson City on Monday, April 11th, 2016--we'll be visiting with our Missouri state senators and represenatives about issues like this, the proposed bicycle ban, the safe passing of bicyclists and pedestrians proposal, and more.

Working to create a world-class bicycle and pedestrian transportation system in Missouri, protecting the system we have, and improving safety for those who walk and bicycle are among the top priorities of MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking in Missouri.

Your ongoing membership and generous financial support helps our Vision become reality--and helps us defend Missouri trails at the state capitol and in Congress.