Railroads and biking

Bicycling is fun and great exercise. And if you live in a large urban area, it is also inexpensive and an environmentally friendly way to get to and from work and shopping.

Riding a train is fun and socially enriching. And if you live in the suburbs, small towns, or rural communities, and commute to work and drive some distance to shop, public passenger rail service is inexpensive and an environmentally friendly way to get to and from work and shopping.

So with all the abandoned railroads in Arkansas, why do we not have more “Rails with Trails” (RWT-railway rightof-ways used by trains with a parallel recreational trail)? It’s being done elsewhere, why not Arkansas?

Some of our leaders think building public passenger rail service is impossible, which is the kind of thinking that has put us on the wrong track. So before all the tracks behind us are ripped up, we need to persuade our conductor (elected officials) to back up and switch tracks. Because this one is going to dead-end one of these days, and we’re all going to be derailed.

Forgive my railroad-track metaphor, but it’s been on my mind lately that we are missing out on a golden opportunity to jump-start public passenger rail service in Arkansas as both Pulaski and Garland county officials (Saline County may follow suit) have recently voted to proceed with a biking and hiking trail along the old Missouri Pacific railroad. It could just as easily be transformed into a “Rail with Trail” corridor between Little Rock and Hot Springs. JANIS PERCEFULL Hot Springs