Trails serve not only the general public with opportunities for recreation, they provide a unique opportunity
for commercial activities as well. The entity regulating the trail, in our case the government of Chester County, has the ability to gain revenue from on-site concessions, special permittees,
partnerships between government and other groups and with special events.
What kind of special events you say? How about a Chester Valley Trail Day in which the Trail is specially set up for bikers going from one end to the other with businesses, charities and service organizations lining the trail to publicize themselves to everyone along the way? That's just one example.
What has proven truly remarkable in most trail locations is that compatible business ventures have inevitably sprung up along the trail to provide a wide range of visitor services and improvements for trails, often improving the local economy and providing jobs not there before the trail appeared.
What has proven truly remarkable in most trail locations is that compatible business ventures have inevitably sprung up along the trail to provide a wide range of visitor services and improvements for trails, often improving the local economy and providing jobs not there before the trail appeared.
In the final analysis, though, how much and what type of benefits a trail might provide depends on the type of trail. Rural trails have different impacts than do urban trails. The most economic benefit is realized from trails, like the Chester Valley Trail, that span both urban and rural settings. Our trail is truly an economic engine waiting to start serving the central Chester County area.
