Illuminate the Columbus, IN People Trails

Columbus currently boasts over 27 miles of trails, sidewalks, and roadways designated as being part of the people trail system. This impressive collection of pathways has contributed to the promotion of a more active community with a focus on creating high quality lifestyle accommodations. However, as the people trails grow in popularity, they are seeing a growing shift in their purpose from recreation to transportation. More than ever before, the Columbus community is opting to walk or bike to their destinations rather than driving. Positive as this changeover is for the economic and physical health of the community as a whole, we are now encountering a major problem that was never before considered—the 27 miles of people trail are unlit, and the hazards of the dark are widespread.
We seek to increase trail safety and encourage greater community use and appreciation for the services the people trails offer by implementing means of providing illumination for the trails. This illumination may come in the form of low profile street-lights, solar powered lights, reflective stripping, or lighter-colored materials used in pavement.
Following the same trend of safety, we hope to install emergency phones, as often seen on college campuses, at critical locations across the trail so as to give users quick access to emergency services should they be required. In this way, we hope to not only promote a healthier community by encouraging safer recreational people trail use but also provide support to those who utilize the people trail system as their primary transportation.
We are proposing the Columbus City Council and Columbus Parks Foundation take notice of “The People Trail Project,” and consider adopting this illumination effort to promote a healthier community for generations to come.