Eldon, MO, plans area bicycling, walking, trails network to enhance Rock Island Trail connection | News-Tribune

Headlines are quick hits from media outlets from Missouri and around the world. Follow the headline link for the full story. The source of this headline says:

Eldon hopes to use a cycling and pedestrian network to improve community health, attract more young families to the area and become a tourism hub near the proposed Rock Island Trail.

In order to move toward this goal, community leaders gathered Tuesday at the Eldon Career Center to help develop the city's cycling and pedestrian plan.

The meeting was part of an agreement between Eldon, Capital Regional Medical Center and the Alta Planning + Design, Inc. to create a bicycle and pedestrian network plan in Eldon.

Link: 

Eldon, MO, plans area bicycling, walking, trails network to enhance Rock Island Trail connection | News-Tribune

MoBikeFed comment: Eldon is one of the communities along the proposed 144-mile Rock Island Trail addition currently under consideration by Missouri State Parks.

Communities up and down the existing and proposed trail have realized that they must do more than just build the trail--they must build their communities to embrace bicycling, walking, and trails.

The end result is a community good for current residents, existing and new businesses, and also welcoming to trail tourists and travelers from around the state and the world.

This is the key behind the "Trail Towns" concept, which is designed to maximize the positive impact of trails on the towns the trails pass through:

https://www.adventurecycling.org/resources/blog/trail-towns-programs-we-...
https://www.americantrails.org/resources/economics/Trail-Towns-101-amy-c...