The Motivation for Creating the Blog

As I drove by the Saucon Valley area recently I was shocked to see that the old railroad tracks that were once the SEPTA Bethlehem Branch had been torn up. I looked online and found that they were being replaced by a bike trail. I think encouraging biking is important to create opportunities for fitness and connecting communities. However I think it is a grave mistake to turn this critical rail Right of Way (ROW) into a bike trail. We are in a time where we need to be encouraging smart growth and sustainability to create a better future. We should not be converting the only passenger rail ROW that directly connects the Lehigh Valley to the Philadelphia metro area into a bike trail. What we should be doing is investing in restoring rail service on that route. Currently the Lehigh Valley metro area has over 800,000 people and is one of the top ten regions by size without any rail service. The market is largely underserved especially considering its proximity to the North East Corridor which is the nation’s most developed rail corridor and the many connections it has to offer.