KINGSTON – The Ulster County Transportation
Council on Friday considered ways to increase walking and cycling in the
county. The UCTC is a sponsor of the effort, which was spearheaded by
the Kingston Land Truste and the Cornell Cooperative Extension and their
volunteeers.
It is a goal of County Executive Michal Hein to create the state’s longest interconnected rail trail in Ulster County as well to make Ulster the healthiest county in New York.
Consultant Mark Fenton attempted to dispel the idea that the US is having an obesity epidemic. That’s a red herring; the real epidemic is poor nutrition and lack of physical activity, he said.
Fenton’s message, in essence: eat less, move more
The United States Surgeon General says that adults should get at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day and kids should get at least 60; as few as 10 percent are getting that.
Simply telling people to exercise, Fenton explained, has not fixed the problem. Not having an environment conducive to exercises is a big factor.
Fenton said there are three key aspects to designing such areas.
“A – You need a mix of destinations close together; we call that land use. B – You need good corridors connecting those, you need sidewalk and bike paths and multi-use trails. And the third is that the destination has to be designed in such a way as to reward you rather than punish you for showing up without a car,” Fenton said.
People who would never ride a bike on a busy street may ride it on a dedicated bike path. And stores where the front door is close to the street and there are benches and bike racks are more attractive to pedestrians and cyclists than those with a giant parking lot, Fenton said.
Having multi-use trails and shaded sidewalks can add a level of independence for an aging population that may not be able to drive, he said.
“Benches, and awnings and street trees, those aren’t just amenities those are the difference between my mom walking down the street on a hot day in summer and there’s some shade and there’s bench versus her choosing not to go at all,” Fenton said.
