http://nwitimes.com/articles/2004/11/03/news/lake_county/16f620b29d8cb9f986256f41000079cc.txt

Trails plan drawing kudos

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Wednesday, November 3, 2004 12:09 AM CST

MUNSTER | One satisfied trail enthusiast called the "Mitch Pitch" the best aspect of a pedestrian and bicycle plan being touted by the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission.

NIRPC Transportation Planner Mitch Barloga has taken the NIRPC's 2004 Ped & Pedal Plan on the road to gather input from the public before its final adoption.

The plan aims to encourage people to let their feet do the walking to combat the region's pervasive automobile culture. Traveling strictly by automobile is contributing to not only the region's poor air quality but the obesity levels endangering its health, according to research compiled by the plan's authors.

"Obesity has overtaken smoking as the No. 1 preventable death," Barloga told those attending the four-hour open house recently in Munster.

Along with narrating a snappy PowerPoint presentation showcasing the highlights of the 105-page report, Barloga took viewers on a virtual tour of trails beginning just this side of the Illinois/Indiana border almost into the state of Michigan. The virtual tour is augmented by aerial maps illustrating the connective nature of the current trailways, those already funded and those in planning stages.

Barloga hailed Munster as a model community for the concept. "They've done it all," he said.

But Munster alone benefited from $2 million in funding. NIRPC is now aiming to regionalize the idea and spread the wealth, he said.

Ed Majeski already regularly bikes from his Crown Point home to Highland.

"I'm hoping to go from Crown Point all the way to the beaches and museums in Chicago," he said.

Lawrence Turnquist of Cedar Lake would prefer horse trails, but he said he'll settle for the proposed trails as the next best thing. Turnquist said he's particularly interested in the trail between Crown Point and Hebron.

Representing the Calumet Citizens for Connecting Communities, which is co-sponsoring the public meetings, Karl Szwet said what his group aims to do is "get everybody on the same page," from promoting the trails to advocating the installation of bike racks in public places to urging employers to install showers.

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