HJAR Sep/Oct 2019

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  SEP / OCT 2019 37 Joseph W. Thompson, MD, MPH President and CEO Arkansas Center for Health Improvement Library, the Clinton Presidential Park Wet- lands, the Medical Mile trail, and Big Rock Quarry. Construction could begin as early as fall of next year on an ambitious plan to build a 60-mile trail, known as the Southwest Trail, connecting Little Rock and Hot Springs. The project is expected to take 12 to 18 months to complete. Northwest Arkansas has become a cyclist mecca for its network of about 400miles of trails known as Oz Trails. The region host- ed Oz Cross, a national-level racing event held last November as part of USACycling’s American Cyclocross Calendar, and will host the UCI CyclocrossWorld Championships in 2022. Learn more at oztrailsnwa.com . Also in Northwest Arkansas is the Razor- back Regional Greenway, a 36-mile walking and biking trail connecting Bella Vista, Ben- tonville, Rogers, Lowell, Springdale, John- son, and Fayetteville. It links six downtowns; three hospitals; 23 schools; the University of Arkansas campus; the corporate headquar- ters of Walmart, J.B. Hunt Transport Servic- es, and Tyson Foods; and numerous arts and entertainment venues, historic sites, parks, playgrounds, residential communities, and shopping areas, according to nwatrails.org . Hot Springs boasts the Northwoods Trail System, the first phase of which was recently completed. The first phase includes 16 miles of world-class mountain biking trails that already have drawn visitors from all over the U.S. and other countries, according to the website of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, arkansas.com . The sec- ond phase will expand the trail system to about 45 miles. In theArkansas Delta, the Delta Heritage Trail is a rail-to-trail conversion on property acquired by Arkansas State Parks in 1993. Two sections have been completed to date: 21 miles between Lexa and Elaine in Phillips County, and 14 miles betweenArkansas City and Rohwer in Desha County. When com- pleted, the walking and biking trail will be a whopping 85 miles long, running through some of the most remote and scenic areas in the Delta, according to arkansasstateparks. com. As recently as 2012, Arkansas was ranked 50th in the nation in bicycle friendliness by the League of American Bicyclists. In 2017, Gov. Asa Hutchinson unveiled the new state Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan that will help di- rect federal funds and serve as a resource for cities and counties as they design walking and biking trails. In its 2017 state rankings, the League of American Bicyclists put Ar- kansas at 36th in bicycle friendliness, citing local successes and saying the adoption of the state plan provides an opportunity for statewide progress in the future. In addition to providing opportunities for healthy physical activity, walking and bik- ing trails benefit communities by promoting tourism and spurring economic growth. Ac- cording to a 2018 report by theWalton Fam- ily Foundation, which has provided financial support for trail construction in Northwest Arkansas, bicycling generated $137 million in economic benefits for that region in 2017. It would be wonderful if every child grew up riding a bicycle, but unfortunately that is not the case. KTHV-TV reported in July that a survey of students at Conway’s Courtway Middle School found that 30 percent said they had never ridden a bike. With grant funding from The Specialized Foundation, the school started a Riding for Focus pro- gram, which provides students with bikes and teaches them to ride as part of the physical education curriculum. Huntsville Middle School also has a Riding for Focus program. The founder and CEO of The Spe- cialized Foundation, Mike Sinyard, has ex- perienced attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and believes bike riding can help students focus as well as improve their health. You can learn more about the program at outridebike.org/ridingforfocus. To solveArkansas’s obesity problem, it is not enough to encourage people to make healthy choices. As I’ve often said, policy- makers need to design public policies that make the healthy choice the easy choice. Walking and biking trails go a step further by making the healthy choice the fun and excit- ing choice. Cycling—always with a helmet— and walking are great options for physical activity. And remember: Whether you’re on a trail or not, every step counts toward im- proving your health. n “Construction could begin as early as fall of next year on an ambitious plan to build a 60-mile trail, known as the Southwest Trail, connecting Little Rock and Hot Springs.”