Jones Co. residents want to stay active with sidewalks and trails

   Staying active is one of the many keys to staying healthy. From playing sports to working out to just making sure you don’t live a purely sedentary lifestyle; you only have one body in this lifetime and you want to keep it working in tip-top shape for as long as you can. While many things influence your health, some within your control and some not, staying active is one of the primary elements in that equation.

   Earlier this spring/summer, Jones County Economic Development (JCED) was involved in some active transportation planning with the East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG). ECICOG developed a survey to see about people’s transportation habits that were not automobile-related. JCED helped promote and push that survey out so we could see how people utilized current infrastructure like sidewalks and trails in addition to how they used it, such as through biking, walking, etc. Simultaneously, ECICOG also did a sidewalk evaluation of all the incorporated communities in Jones County.

   We recently got to review some of the results. Out of our six-county region, Jones County had one of the highest participation rates. While the numbers would not be considered statistically significant, it gave a pretty good insight into how our residents view other modal types of transport in Jones County, especially when coupled with other surveys and input sessions over the last few years. Unsurprisingly, many residents noted that they bike and walk for recreation and exercise, making sure that they stay active to help increase their health long-term. Additionally, many residents noted that they would walk or bike more if there was more infrastructure like sidewalks and trails, and they would use it more if it was safer to use.

   ECICOG paired this information with their sidewalk assessment, which rated sidewalks in the cities on a scale from poor to excellent and highlighted areas with no sidewalks. While every community had sidewalks, some were so bad that they might not exist at all and the assessment showed several gaps. As ECICOG noted, this process was not done to berate cities on their sidewalk conditions, but to pair data together to show where priorities might lie for future infrastructure development.

   Next steps for ECICOG and the Active Transportation Plan is to get feedback on WHERE people would go if there was better connectivity. Would you walk/bike from Monticello to Scotch Grove if there was a trail for instance? ECICOG is hoping that people will also fill out this second survey option by going to the following link: https://tinyurl.com/f4222yw5. The more we know about how people want to stay healthy and active, the more proactive we can be on providing those amenities in Jones County.

   Always remember that JCED is here as a resource to your business and that we always try to help our businesses and communities grow and prosper. Anytime you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by contacting me at director@jonescountydevelopment.com.