BEST USE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS

Bike paths

With the growing popularity of cycling, running and walking, it’s no surprise that bike paths have become a popular use of tax money. With 459 votes, bike paths easily beat education and repair of sidewalks and streets for “best use of taxpayer funds.” (Some curmudgeonly voters claim there’s no such thing.) Thanks to a number of abandoned rail corridors, Springfield is becoming a good place to bike, with at least four multi-use trails skirting the city. The 5.6-mile Lost Bridge Trail stretches from the IDOT building on Dirksen Parkway to Rochester, providing a paved, mostly tree-canopied path. The 2.1-mile Wabash Trail runs just south of Wabash Avenue from Vredenburgh Park to MacArthur Boulevard, where it meets up with the Interurban Trail. That 8.4-mile path heads south, reaching all the way to Walnut Street in Chatham. The newest addition to the group is the Sangamon Valley Trail, a 5.7-mile path stretching along the western edge of Springfield, from Centennial Park to Stuart Park. That totals nearly 22 miles of trail, and here’s hoping we see more added soon.