[upinottawa]

Sonja Puzic, Windsor Star
Published: Friday, September 29, 2006

City council took its first step toward committing to a rails-to-trails plan that would extend the riverfront park system along vacated rail corridors.

Director of the Ontario Trails Council, Patrick Connor, made a presentation to council in a special meeting Thursday, outlining the organization's vision for the Windsor and Essex region.

"I look at what you have now and I see a trail with rails on it," Connor said. "You've already got the greenery around (the rails) and it seems like all you need to do is take the next step."

Council agreed, passing a motion to begin looking into converting abandoned railways into trails that will eventually become part of the larger provincial trail system -- the Trillium Trails Network.

The city will begin looking into how much funding and manpower is needed, as well the logistics of taking over former CP Rail lands.

Windsor boasts the highest concentration of track per capita of any city in Canada, with 55 kilometres of railway line and 75 rail crossings.

"It's a great first step forward," Mayor Eddie Francis said after the meeting. "It's a long-term project -- it won't happen overnight. But we are looking forward to this partnership."

Connor said recreational trails would likely boost the region's tourism industry, especially if they connect to those in northern Michigan.

"In order for trails to work, we need to have as open of a border as possible," he said.

"Trails are important to gateway communities like Windsor."

Connor said the region's existing bicycle lanes would not be "swallowed up" by recreational trails, but would be "enhancing" them. "It's both a lifestyle and a transportation initiative," he said.

Currently, there are 64,000 kilometres of multi-use trails in Ontario and more than 80,000 kilometres of municipal park trails.

The OTC is the only organization in Ontario that represents all trail users.

© The Windsor Star 2006