{"id":172142534,"date":"2010-06-16T09:22:14","date_gmt":"2010-06-16T09:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.baltimorespokes.org\/?p=172142534"},"modified":"2010-06-16T09:22:14","modified_gmt":"2010-06-16T09:22:14","slug":"bike-lanes-lauded-as-economic-boosters-in-williamsport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.baltimorespokes.org\/?p=172142534","title":{"rendered":"Bike lanes lauded as economic boosters in Williamsport"},"content":{"rendered":"

By HEATHER KEELS – Herald Mail
\nheather.keels@herald-mail.com
\nWILLIAMSPORT \u2014 Local officials gathered Tuesday afternoon at Williamsport\u2019s Cushwa Basin to celebrate the opening of a pair of half-mile-long bike lanes they hope will bolster the town\u2019s economy by drawing more C&O Canal towpath users off the trail and into town.
\n\u201cEven though these are just bike lanes and just paint on the road, they really are the beginning of something much bigger for the town of Williamsport,\u201d said Michael Sparks, the town\u2019s new director of economic and community development.
\nThe bike lanes run both directions along Potomac Street from the towpath access point at Cushwa Basin to Byron Memorial Park, passing through the town center. In addition, \u201cshare the road\u201d markings have been added to the block of Conococheague Street from Potomac Street to Salisbury Street to encourage motorists to cooperate with bicyclists, and bike racks along that block are in the works, Sparks said.
\nThe lanes connect two of the town\u2019s most important attractions, Sparks said. There are an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 visits a year to Cushwa Basin, where the former Cushwa\u2019s Coal and Brick warehouse has been converted to a C&O Canal visitors center, he said. In addition, there are an estimated 100,000 visits a year to Byron Memorial Park, home of the historic Springfield Barn and the site of popular town events like its Fourth of July celebration and Williamsport Days festival, Sparks said.
\nBefore the bike lanes were added, getting from the towpath to the park could be intimidating to cyclists, Sparks said.
\n\u201cThey\u2019d look like they were scared to death,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re hugging the side of the road and everything.\u201d
\nSince the bike lanes were finished June 2, Sparks said the route has become a lot safer and the number of bicyclists on the road has increased.
\nThe bike lanes cost about $1,200, which the town might be able to recover through a potential grant, Sparks said. He said by piggybacking on a state contract, the town got them for less than 6 cents a foot.
\n…
\n[Video notes, the C&O gets 250,000-300,000 visits a year with a potential spending income of $18 million a year.]
\n
\nRose Harris, owner of Desert Rose Cafe at 21 N. Conococheague St., said she, too, gets much of her business from towpath users, and carries healthier, vegetarian foods to appeal to the towpath\u2019s health-conscious users.
\nOther town center businesses that might appeal to cyclists include the Lunch Box, Tony\u2019s, River City Cycles and an ice cream shop scheduled to open in July, Sparks said.
\nWith a revitalization plan that includes a focus on rebuilding old properties and aligning existing businesses with tourists\u2019 needs, the town hopes to add more visitor- and cyclist-friendly destinations to that list, he said.
\n\u201cWhen people come into town, we want to be able to offer them a place to eat, a place to stay, a place to listen to music, a place to grab an ice cream cone, whatever it might be,\u201d he said.
\nhttps:\/\/www.herald-mail.com\/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=247353&format=html<\/a>oldId.20100616092214838<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By HEATHER KEELS – Herald Mail heather.keels@herald-mail.com WILLIAMSPORT \u2014 Local officials gathered Tuesday afternoon at Williamsport\u2019s Cushwa Basin to celebrate the opening of a pair of half-mile-long bike lanes they hope will bolster the town\u2019s economy by drawing more C&O Canal towpath users off the trail and into town. \u201cEven though these are just bike … <\/p>\n

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