DELCO Trails Planning

DELCO TRAILS PLANNING

A well-connected and safe trail network is one of the top items people look for when choosing a place to live. Trails provide recreational prospects that diversifies economic opportunity, community health, and personal wellbeing. Access to trails provides a vital outlet for people seeking a safe activity. Beyond the positive wellness impact, trails make an important environmental and economic impact by taking pressure off road systems and encouraging tourism between urban and suburban communities.

DELAWARE COUNTY PRIMARY TRAIL NETWORK

Multi-use trails included in Delaware County’s Primary Trail Network (PTN) serve as the main spokes in the countywide network of trails. The purpose behind creating the PTN is to direct the energies of the County and municipalities into developing their trail systems in such a manner that they either construct segments of the PTN or design their internal trail network to connect to Primary Trails.

For more on the Delco Countywide Primary Trail Network, go to Chapter 3 of the Countywide Greenway Plan, and to learn about the many aspects and benefits of trails as a recreation facility go to Chapter 4 of the County Open Space and Recreation Plan.

More to come –– check back soon!

DELAWARE COUNTY TRAILS ALLIANCE

To effectively meet the County’s needs for connections, trail advocacy, and trail maintenance; County Council established the Delaware County Trails Alliance. The Alliance gathers representatives from various existing trail groups to coordinate, communicate, and serve trail access within Delaware County. The Alliance meets quarterly in open online meetings to share information and gain knowledge about best practices in trail planning, development, and management, and current projects in the trail network. The Alliance is also a sponsor of the Western Suburbs Trail Summit held annually in February. While Planning Department staff supports the Alliance, leaders are a volunteer chair and vice-chair.

Current leadership:

Chair - Bill Kaplan

Vice-Chair - James Bergman

To be added to the Trails Alliance mailing list and receive meeting notices, please contact the Planning Department at planning_department@co.delaware.pa.us.