Active Transportation

Written By Payton Parker

Read time: 5 minutes


As I showed you last week, there’s a lot happening along the Razorback Greenway. Today, let’s look at the trail system in Springdale—what we’ve got, what’s to come, and how you can be involved.


But first, to be clear, in Springdale we refer to it as active transportation. Don’t call it anything else—lest the gods of planning and community development strike you down.

Now that you’ve got the lingo, let’s talk numbers. According to Tristan Hill, Springdale’s Active Transportation Coordinator, we currently have about 30 miles of active transportation routes, including trails, bike lanes, and side paths.


As a city, we budget about $80,000 annually for maintenance, but similarly to public art, we do not have an annual budget for active transportation projects. Projects get funded through a combination of state/federal grants and bond programs.


No dedicated funding, but hey—there’s a committee! The Active Transportation Committee is composed of citizens appointed to a three-year term by the Mayor. Current members include:

  • Randall Kimbrough

  • Dean LaGrone

  • Jim Crouch

  • Matthew Shultz

  • Morgan Lindsey

  • Darryl Coit

  • Chris Weiser


The goal of the committee is to work closely with city staff and local stakeholders to assist in planning and prioritization of active transportation projects and infrastructure across the city. If you care about trails, I encourage you to join the Planning Commission or AT Committee - I’ve linked the application at the end.


AT History:

The full transportation study covers intersection improvements, roadway improvements, and safe street improvements. A dense document? Yes — but a nice thing to have bookmarked if you’re a real estate developer. The active transportation section was meant to help us better understand and prioritize the projects that would connect the most people to schools, parks, jobs, and community destinations.


It Recommends:

  • 11 project areas across Springdale

  • 73 miles of new improvements – sidewalks, shared-use paths, bike lanes, and protected bike lanes

  • The improvements would serve nearly 40,000 residents, connect over 13,000 homes, and improve access to dozens of schools, parks, and job centers

 

Here are the project areas, sorted by residents served:

Look at everything Springdale has:

  • An amazing plan that details how to connect 40,000+ people to our trail system

  • An Active Transportation Coordinator

  • And An Active Transportation Committee!

But we don’t have money dedicated for active transportation projects in the City’s budget. Why? Isn’t it a bit ambitious to have plan calling for a 3x expansion of our routes with no clear plan to fund them?


The economic benefit of the trail is playing out right before our eyes and I believe if we’re serious about active transportation, we need to put our money where our mouth is and figure out a sustainable way to pay for this infrastructure. I mean, you’ve heard of the street fund, right?


What do you think? Do you consider our trails and active transportation routes critical public infrastructure?

Wanna get active in Active Transportation?

If the trails are calling your heart to public service, please consider the following:

  • Apply to join either the Active Transportation Committee or the Planning Commission. Link to Planning Commission application. If you would like a letter of recommendation, please just let me know.

  • The Planning commission meets the first Tuesday of the month at 5:00 p.m. You can view the livestream here. The Active Transportation Committee meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. in the Community Room at Springdale City Hall (201 Spring Street).  Link to 2025 Active Transportation Committee Agendas.

  • Applications for the Adopt-A-Trail program are open to groups, corporations, nonprofits, neighborhood associations, and community organizations. Volunteers will help promote and maintain the Springdale Trails System while enjoying community outreach and team-building opportunities. Shout out to subscriber Rick Barry for being a trail sponsor!

  • Consider giving to a local nonprofit that directly supports biking and our trail system! Pedal It Forward has a nearby location at the Jones Center, and there are many other local groups worth supporting. Most offer volunteer opportunities and also welcome monetary donations. 

Meanwhile…

Take a ride on the trail to the Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center where you can partake in the World Champion Squirrel Cook Off on September 13 at 9:00 a.m. Yum! (NWADG)



Looks like a music festival—the Arkansas Country Blues & Stringband Festival is coming to multiple locations in Downtown Springdale November 14-16.

The Jones Center got a new logo and the ice rink got some updates too. (5NEWS) Hopefully their logo gets a better reception than the Cracker Barrel rebrand. (CBS)

Payton Parker https://www.blackbearnwa.com/
Next

Trails Pt. 1